The Harlem-bred mother-of-one and R&B singer is spending much of her time guest-starring on VH1′s latest music-inspired docu-series, Love & Hip-Hop. Of course, she wasn’t too busy to let it all hang out for the popular men’s mag. Below are some excerpts from King’s interview/spread on the “Back of the Club” hitmaker. And if you scroll down below the Q&A, you’ll find an extra large version of the cover photo followed by a video of the cover shoot.

We can only wonder what Swizz and his current Mrs. — Alicia Keys — think about what we’re looking at.

You’re also focused on Love & Hip-Hop. So the show does not revolve around you?

“Exactly. I did a few episodes [first], then ended up doing a lot of episodes because the chemistry was perfect with me and Emily. I ended up being a recurring guest, and it worked out perfectly, because I’m on the show and people get to see me and hear my stories. But it’s not like a character that’s 100 percent there.”

What is your role with Emily?

“I’m like her support system, her counselor. I feel like a female Dr. Phil. That person who gives her advice and is not afraid to tell her my story and show her my life, ’cause I really want her to get hers together.”

How awkward was it for you to be the shoulder to lean on?

“At the time that we shot, I was in a great place, so that’s what made the difference. I felt like that was my therapy, and that’s all I wanted to do. Anytime I’d log in to Facebook or Twitter, there would be tons of women reaching out to me, thanking me for sharing my story. Those messages gave me a lot of strength, a lot of courage. From that point on, I just wanted to help women, and Emily being a good friend of mine, it was easy for me to go on there and talk to her and be honest.”

Who is admiring you nowadays? Have you’ve been hitting the dating scene lately?

“I have. I recently went on a date, and it was incredible.”

Sounds like homeboy is getting a call back.

“Yeah, definitely.”

From Chris Brown to Jay-Z: If it seems Rihanna’s career has been defined as much by music as by the men in her life, that’s because it has.

But no man has had more of an impact on the course of the pop star’s life than her now estranged father, Ronald Fenty. Rihanna opens up about her troubled relationship with the man she remembers as a violent alcoholic in her debut appearance in Shot by famed photographer Annie Leibovitz, RiRi covers the April issue of the magazine, the publication’s 10th Annual Shape Issue. The charttopper is now getting into the best shape of her life for her first action role in the upcoming Hollywood action blockbuster Battleship.

But more on that later….

RiRi has slammed in the Vogue pieceher father after he sold tall tales and candid family photos to the tabloids.The 23-year-old admits her father’s actions make her question exactly what she means to him.

“It’s really strange … You grow up with your father, you know him, you are part of him, for goodness sakes! And then he does something so bizarre that I can’t begin to wrap my mind around it,” the “Rude Boy” hitmaker confides. “You hear these horror stories about people going behind people’s backs and doing strange things, but you always think, ‘Not my family. My father would never do that to me.’”

And the singer was particularly upset with what her father told the media after she went into hiding following her assault at the hands of Brown.

“My dad went to the press and just told them a bunch of lies, because he hadn’t talked to me after … that whole thing. He never called to find out how I was doing, if I was alive, nothing. He just never called. He went straight to the press and got a check,” she added.

Rihanna On Body Image: “Over the holidays, and even during filming, I realized that I actually like my body, even if it’s not perfect according to the book. I just feel sexy. For the first time, I don’t want to get rid of the curves. I just want to tone it up. My body is comfortable, and it’s not unhealthy, so I’m going to rock with it.”

On Bouncing Back From Chris Brown Scandal: “It actually gave me a lot of liberation,” she told Vogue. “What I mean is, I was able to tap into the personal part of my music. I started to tell stories through my music that were actually my stories. My album before that, there was still a little bit of protection; there was still an innocence to me,” she said. And what that time in my life did was kind of wake people up: It’s not all a bed of roses. My life is like yours.”

On Family (which includes her younger brothers, 21-year-old Rorrey and 14-year-old Rajad, and her mom): “Rorrey is the man. I love him so much, and now I have started to look up to him in certain ways; it’s crazy,” she told the magazine. “And my younger brother is like my son. My mom is the one. She’s like Superwoman, I swear. She’s very forgiving but not a pushover in any way. Her energy is off the chain. She only travels in stilettos. What are you doing, Mom? You’re 51!“

“New Year, New opportunities. So I have been considering taking up Playboy’s offer to feature me on their cover this year. What you think?… Of course it will be tastefully done,” Toni, 43, Tweeted Tuesday evening.

The newly-single mother-of-two noted that we wouldn’t be seeing all of Toni.

“…Just a lil T and A. They have asked me about 3 times before.”

We say “Unbreak” that broken bank Toni! In October, Toni filed for bankruptcy for second time in her nearly 20 year career. The singer has been in deep trouble financially since she was forced to abandon her show on the Las Vegas strip due to a heart aliment in 2007. Though Toni is worth between $1 million and $10 million, she owes about $50 million to banks and other creditors: including DMVs in California and Nevada, Tiffany & Co., Orkin Pest Control, the IRS, Wells Fargo Bank, and DIRECTV.

This week, the Dancing With the Stars alum signed-up for a new family-themed reality show on The WE Network. Braxton Family Values will feature Braxton’s four sisters – Traci, Towanda, Trina, and Tamar – attempting to reform their disband girl group The Braxtons.

Down boys! Hip-hop’s Harajuku Barbie serves up dish and ample assets (Emphasis on “Ass…”) in an expansive and scantily-clad photospread on the pages of the March/April 2011 issue of King Magazine.

We’re calling this one: “Another reason for Lil Kim to declare it Black Friday on her lyrical rival!”

And Gentlemen, take note: Nicki is looking for someone who can bring out the freak in her.

“Um, I look for someone who is calm, someone who is strong enough to not have to win every argument, someone who allows a woman to be her crazy self and someone with a conscience not to feel less of a man. You know, someone who is able to honor his woman but also bring out the freak in his woman.”

In the December issue of Redbook, pouty-lipped actress Kerry Washington shares her style motto and discusses her role in the moving new drama For Colored Girls.

Kerry On Her Style: “I like to try different things. If I feel good about what I see in the mirror, who cares if what I’m wearing is a Don’t or a Do?”

On Holiday Fashions: “This is the one time of year that I get sparkly for my family and friends.”

On Starring in For Colored Girls, Alongside Whoopi Goldberg, Thandie Newton, Phylicia Rashad: “It’s such an important piece: There had never been a play on Broadway before by women of color about women of color in that way,” she explains. “And the film was incredible for me, working with such fantastic actresses. Phylicia gave me great advice; she talked about not denying who you are to make a man comfortable. And I sat there and thought, Here I am, getting a mom moment with the mom from The Cosby Show! This is amazing!”

Ciara is featured in the October 2010 issue of Maxim Magazine, where she discusses her eagerly-awaited fourth album — Basic Instinct — and shows off that toned dancer’s body we’re all so envious of.

“I mean, like every girl out there, we want a guy who’s comfortable in his own skin, who lets us grow, and who challenges us. But when it comes to superficial stuff, I mean who doesn’t like a good, hard body? You don’t have to be all crazy, just in shape. And have a neck, please!”