Just in time for the holiday season, a couple of new promo photos have been released that feature Rihanna promoting her new album Rated R. As you might expect, Ri Ri‘s promo photos are a bit on the wild side … and on the nekkid side:

Rihanna has been keen to show a wilder side of late. And you don’t get much wilder than a cougar, as the brave popstar posed alongside the fang-toothed beast to promote album Rated R. The Barbados born singer, 21, was pictured holding onto the neck of the roaring cougar in one daring shot. And in another, she used just her arm to protect her modesty. The Umbrella singer has been courting controversy with her raunchy photoshoots and revealing interviews of late. A recent semi-nude cover-shoot for GQ magazine was so raunchy, she faced the wrath of her record label boss Antonio ‘L.A.’ Reid. The singer is seen topless, in a pair of unzipped hotpants on the cover of the January 2010 issue of the popular men’s monthly. And she admits things got so steamy on set, Island Def Jam boss Reid threatened to step in. Rihanna revealed: ‘It’s very sexy. At one point L.A. Reid came into the shoot and he was like, ‘Rihanna, put some f*cking clothes on.”‘

Awww … bless her heart. Nothing says Merry Xmas like a mostly nekkid popstar. After the jump, if you’re feeling the Xmas spirit, check out one more Rated R promo photo featuring our dear Rihanna sans top …

You know, Rihanna has had a rough year … so I think she should be able to express herself in anyway she sees fit. Whether you are down with her new affinity for clotheslessness or not, she seems to be in a great place this holiday season. I wish her the happiest of holidays and the most prosperous of new years. I also hope she keeps the fun photoshoots coming … love them or hate them, they are always interesting to talk about.

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