Rihanna Arrives For VMA Rehearsal In Jeans And Jordans Under Cover Of Night - MTV.com

LOS ANGELES â€" Some superstars arrived for the 2012 MTV Music Video Awards by air, but despite a fanbase that prefers Naval maneuvers, Rihanna made her grand entrance on Wednesday (September 5) by land.

Gearing up for a performance on Thursday night's show that will pair her with both A$AP Rocky for the official remix of her Talk That Talk single "Cockiness," and house DJ Calvin Harris for the pair's VMA-nominated #1 global smash "We Found Love," Rihanna arrived under cover of night to get to work.

Pulling up in a white car outside Staples Center just after 10 p.m. on Wednesday, Rihanna emerged from her car looking simply elegant, wearing a white Celine Paris t-shirt and choker, ripped blue jeans and black, blue and orange Cleveland Cavalier-edition Air Jordan #4's, her hair worn in a simple crop style.

Though the scene was quiet just moments before, somehow sensing their Admiral had arrived, a fleet of Naval ensigns (and paparazzi) appeared out of nowhere, yelling out for the singer and waving their iPhones in the air in an attempt to snap a picture of her. Rihanna was gracious and gave them a quick wave and hustled into the building to get to work.

It was too brief a glimpse, but you'll see and hear plenty more from her on Thursday night. If you can't wait, you can listen to "Cockiness (Love It)" right now exclusively on Rihanna.MTV.com as well as on her official site.

The first-ever VMAs at Staples Center will feature previously announced performances from One Direction, Taylor Swift, Pink and Frank Ocean, as well as Nicki Minaj hooking up with a secret previously announced guest and 2 Chainz making his VMA debut. And, picking up from his massive closing performance at the 2011 Video Music Awards, VMA nominee Lil Wayne will drop by for the proceedings to make the worldwide debut of his new single "No Worries," from his new mixtape, Dedication 4.

The 2012 MTV Video Music Awards are set to go live from Staples Center in Los Angeles on Thursday at 8 p.m. ET/PT. But before it all goes down, don't miss our "Jersey Shore" special "Gym, Tan, Look Back" at 6 p.m. and our pre-show with Demi Lovato at 7 p.m.! And head over to VMA.MTV.com to vote on Best New Artist and Most Share-Worthy Video!