Rihanna Says 'Chris Brown is Insecure'

In a recent interview with W Magazine, Rihanna revealed some of the deeper issues that she feels may have lead to her assault by ex-boyfriend Chris Brown.

"There were control issues, insecurity," she explained, in the February issue of the magazine. "When people are insecure, they become very controlling and they can get very aggressive and in turn abusive. It doesn't have to be physical. Like, they would say bad stuff to you to make you feel lesser than them, just so they would have control in the relationship. It takes a big toll on your emotions and on your everyday life. It changes you."

Though Brown has argued to the contrary, Rihanna claims that she continues to discuss her abuse in order to educate women, rather than publicly assassinate her ex's character.

"At first, I completely shut down. But now I feel like this happened to me so I could be a voice for young girls who are going through what I went through and don't know how to talk about it," she continued. "It's not about Chris, about hurting him or sabotaging his career. I don't care about that part of it."

On a positive note, the Barbados-born singer said that her music provided a healthy escape from the trauma she faced. "I started to go crazy after about a month in the house, so I went back to work, and the mic was my therapist," she explained. "With the mic, there were no negative comments, no negative energy."

Rihanna's edgy new album, 'Rated R' is in stores now.