I lick the gun when I’m done because you know that revenge is sweet…

Before Good Girl Gone Bad was released, Rihanna mentioned in an interview that she wanted to make an edgier rock album. After that album’s smash success, she became an international superstar faster than you can say, “ella, ella, ey.” She was dating a boy wonder, and it seemed like the perfect pop star fairy tale. But the fairy tale came crashing down, and all eyes were on Rihanna’s next move. Unfortunate events can shoot stars into another stratosphere, and at 20, Rihanna became one of the hugest stars on the planet. Months later, Rihanna has emerged with the aggressive and brutally frank Rated R, and she wants you to know that she’s no victim.

From the intro song “Mad House,” it sounds like Rihanna is steeling herself with armor for her tough transformation, like the Bride of Frankenstein coming to life. Young Jeezy joins her for “Hard,” which will soon be the new ladies’ anthem. The queen of catchy phrases, “yup, you know this” is infectious and you can’t help but sing along. “Rockstar 101″ is a sexy rock-tinged track with a guest appearance from Slash of Guns’ N Roses. She’s the self-proclaimed rock girl, all she’s missing is her “black guitar.”

On the ballads, although maintaining her tough stance, it’s clear that there is hurt behind the mask. On “Stupid In Love,” she refers to her famous friend:” Even though Katy told me that this would be nothing but a waste of time.” It’s that moment in every breakup when you just have to let go of someone who’s not good for you. “Fire Bomb” has a Journey “Don’t Stop Believing” feel, where she wants her love to feel the pain she felt: “I just want to set you on fire so I won’t have to burn alone.” Along with fire and explosions, Rihanna has a new affinity for gun play, from the gunshot that closes “Russian Roulette,” to the gun references in “G4L.” Anyone who has done her wrong should stay far far away.

The album has radio friendly dance tracks, with the sexy “Rude Boy.” She joined forces with Will.I.Am on the hypnotizing “Photographs,” a hit in the making. “Te Amo” is an island-tinged with flamenco hand claps, that may suggest Rihanna Fenty is still somewhere inside all the layers of armor.

The album wraps up with the introspective, “Cold Case Love,” where she closes the door for good: “My heart’s no longer cold and confined. I’ve had enough.” On “The Last Song,” she says her final goodbye. Beneath it all, when stripped of the makeup, the shades, and the leather, there is a young girl just trying to figure it all out. And she does not want your pity.

Rated R stands for racy, rough, retro, rocked out, and at times, razor sharp. Above all, it’s unapologetically Rihanna.

Por Murillo Moret

Esqueçam Music of The Sun, A Girl Like Me e Good Girl Gone Bad, pois Rihanna quer mesmo se aventurar no mundo do rock, mais precisamente do heavy metal.

Até agora, a princesinha da pacata ilha caribenha de Barbados fez sucesso com seu pop tradicional, mas segundo o ex-guitarrista do Extreme, Nuno Bittencourt, em entrevista para o diário britânico Daily Star, Rihanna pretendia fazer seu novo álbum, Rated R, mais puxado para o heavy metal. O que impediu que essa “proeza” fosse realizada foi o veto de sua gravadora, a Def Jam Recordings. A Def Jam, mesmo que fundada por um dos maiores produtores de rock de todos os tempos, Rick Rubin, é uma gravadora de hip-hop, R&B e rap.

Nuno, entretanto, mesmo com o veto de gravar com Rihanna, foi chamado para excursionar com a musa e afirmou: “Quando falei com Rihanna, notei que ela estava se transformando em uma garota roqueira”.

Seria de bom agrado se a cantora assinasse com outro selo, mesmo que fosse apenas por um álbum. Há males que vem para o bem. E, de certa forma, a Rihanna sempre pareceu mais roqueira do que “popzeira”. Não é?

The evolution of Rihanna has been an interesting one, she went from sweet long haired Bajan girl, to a tough, edgy Pop and R&B sensation. And you know what? I love it! I have said it many times that the best thing that Rihanna has done for herself is get angry. I don’t really know what I like about her, I mean, she’s not the best singer, not the best dancer or performer. But the girl is a star. She works with what she has and works it well. her fashion, her edginess, her…Swagger (for lack of a better word).

You know what?  SHE’S BACK. And tougher than ever. Her new album Rated – R hits shelves on November  23rd, I had a chance to listen to it, and it is very “bad-ass” the good girl certainly has gone bad! The one blatantly obvious example of this is that in the new album she swears! ahhh ! But I still like it. Some of the songs on the album in my opinion are not as good as others but that is understadable, it is very rare that everysong is a smash hit.  Some of my faviourite ones are, Fire Bomb, Photographs ft. will.i.am, Cold Case Love, Te Amo and Hard.

When this album comes out I suggest that you tak a listen to it. It is an album not to be missed!

[pinboard]

So just got back from Rihanna’s big Nokia gig at London’s Brixton Academy. The show was huge, Rihanna sounded and looked amazing rocking a black leotard with some jewels encrusted. She performed old tracks and new tracks from the album ‘Rated R’ Young Jeezy surprised everyone and jumped out to do his bit on “Hard” and killed it. Rihanna then proceeded with ‘Run This Town’ only to be joined on stage by Jay-Z, the crowd went nuts, Jay was on fire. Ri, Jay and Jeezy were all rockin the all black the only person missing was Kanye (who’s in rome), great night well done Rihanna Good Girl Gone Bad is backkkkkkkkkkkk!! Make sure you get the album…..

O álbum Rated R. de Rihanna que deveria ser lançado dia 23 de novembro já vazou pela rede.

O último álbum da cantora foi “Good Girl Gone Bad”, de 2007, que trazia hits como “Umbrella” e “Shut Up and Drive”.

Vamos ouvir?

01. Mad House:

02. Wait Your Turn:

03. Hard (feat. Young Jeezy):

04. Stupid In Love:

05. ROCKSTAR 101 (feat. Slash):

06. Russian Roulette:

07. Fire Bomb:

08. Rude Boy:

09. Photographs (feat. Will.I.Am):

10. G4L:

11. Te Amo:

12. Cold Case Love (Written by Justin Timberlake & Prod. By Rob Knox):

13. The Last Song:

E para quem quiser fazer o download:

De bônus, 3 clipes pra vocês:

Wait Your Turn:

Roussian Roulette:

Roussian Roulette (Versão Alternativa):

Depois dessa, nem sei o que tem mais pra postar da Rihanna, rs.

Corram, antes que apaguem…

Leonardo Portela

Here is the album review I promised on my twitter yesterday!  Before I start, once again I want to thank you all for supporting my blog, both my music reviews and my personal entries.  I really appreciate all the views and I hope that you’ll keep it locked here because I ain’t stoppin’! Thankyou.

You already know what I think of Russian Roulette, and the other 3 songs we’ve heard already from Rated R.  Generally, they portray a darker, edgier side to Rihanna, both in the production (deeper, more menacing beats) and lyrical content that includes a bit of cursing, a lot of swagger and references to pain, trials and tribulations.  ”Russian Roulette”, “Wait Your Turn” and “Hard” are more or less indicative of the album as a whole.  In contrast to her previous smash Good Girl Gone Bad, it’s a lot less uptempo.  The songs are mainly midtempos and ballads, which may alienate a lot of fans who want her faster, danceable material (though “Hard” and “Rude Boy” cater to these needs, and do so well with swagger lyrics – the latter seeing Rihanna come on to a ‘rude boy’ as if she were the guy who is gonna “put it on you”).  However, the slower material allows for two major things: one, to prove that Rihanna can actually sing.  Okay, she’s no Beyoncé, but she holds her own a lot better than many people might expect.  ”Russian Roulette” and closing standout “The Last Song” don’t employ lots of vocal runs, but they emphasise strong, clear vocals that prove Rihanna’s got a voice as well as a body – btw. the artwork for this era is immense! – and also go well with the more emotionally searching and vulnerable material.  Two, it allows for Rihanna to delve into her pain, and although it’s never made explicit that she’s referencing her love, abuse and love lost with Chris Brown, songs such as “Stupid In Love” and the epic “Cold Case Love” immediately bring that whole affair to mind.

Not every song is concerned with love lost.  ”Te Amo” is about a girl who’s infatuated with Rihanna, and its undulating beats have been beefed up slightly on the album version to make it more hypnotic and possibly (along with “Rude Boy”) the song that would have slotted in nicely on Good Girl Gone Bad.  ”Rockstar 101″ is backed up by Slash’s guitar work and like “Hard” and “Wait Your Turn”, it demonstrates Rihanna’s confidence in herself – something she perhaps wants to emphasise.  She is fierce!  However, compared to some of the other tracks, “Rockstar 101″ falls somewhat flat, as it doesn’t have as much depth as the emotionally-charged midtempos, nor does it ring as true as the harder-knocking songs.  It does demonstrate that Rihanna is not an urban artist – she’s a pop singer who encompasses a range of music. On this album, she combines elements of rock, pop, R&B and melds them together to create a dark album that works for the most part.  And credit goes to her for trying to improve on each album – like Good Girl Gone Bad, the amount of filler on the disc is fairly minimal (in contrast to her first two records) and she’s tried to do something different that has evolved as she has as a person.  So I must applaud that.

A couple of the ballads such as “Stupid In Love” and “Photographs” (which benefits from will.i.am’s synthed beats that kick in midway) are perfectly solid, but pale in comparison to the best tracks.  These are, in a nutshell, first single “Russian Roulette”, “Fire Bomb”, “G4L”, “Cold Case Love” and “The Last Song”.  These all work because Rihanna is putting herself out there vocally and emotionally.  The producers do a fantastic job (praise must go in particular to Justin Timberlake and The Ys’ work on “Cold Case Love”, which shows a gradual building of beatboxing, standard beats, guitars and strings to an epic climax that fades out by itself and underline Rihanna’s pain at a love misfired – “Release me now ’cause I did my time”) more or less throughout, but Rihanna herself carries the songs.  ”Fire Bomb” has been compared to something by Kelly Clarkson, but in my opinion it knocks much harder and is a compelling contrast to expectations – most people would expect a club banger from the title, when in fact it’s a slow pop/rock ballad which essentially says “if I’m going down in flames, you’re coming with me”.  ”G4L” is one of the darkest songs which shows Rihanna pledging to be “down 4 life”, ride or die until the end.  The off-key tweaks at the beginning signal something mysterious, and the lyric “I lick the gun when I’m done ’cause I know that revenge is sweet” is one of the best opening salvos I can remember.  The track brings to mind the tiny gun tattoos on the sides of Rihanna’s breasts, demonstrating that even if she may be a sweet person on the surface, she’s also a strong and determined one – her attitude is reflected in her music as much as her body art.

“The Last Song” was the track that stood out to me most from listening to the 30-second snippets, and it doesn’t disappoint – it’s a perfect closer to the album, not only in name but in texture also.  It employs a soaring guitar and heartwrenching lyrics, chronicling the realisation of a breakup.  ”The sad song ends up being the last song you’ll ever hear.”  Rihanna’s spare vocals almost seem to cry the lyrics throughout the track, and the buildup throughout the song until near the end where all the instruments fade out is done perfectly.  Rihanna said that she wanted Lil’ Wayne and Kings Of Leon to like her album, demonstrating her desired blend of urban and rock. The album is definitely a mélange of styles, but apart from “Hard”, I don’t see enough hip-hop for Weezy to connect with, and the rock elements are nowhere near as indie-pop as Kings Of Leon.  However, the soaring guitars provide something edgier and deeper within the context of a pop album, and the hard-hitting beats and synths knock plenty – the combination of which provide something quite extraordinary and special within itself.  Rihanna should be proud of this record.

Rated R has a focused aggression to it that rings truer than it did on Good Girl Gone Bad. Despite the lack of uptempo smashes, it’s a fantastic record that hopefully will have as much repeat-play value as her previous record.  Whether it’s because of her personal struggles, maturity as a young woman or desire to experiment musically (probably a combination of all three), Rated R shows growth.  I pray that her label doesn’t re-release the album, since it’s perfect as it is and comes across as something sincere, rather than designed to make money as a light pop confection.  Why I’m impressed with Rated R, beyond the simple fact that most of the songs are solid or better, is because it’s cohesive.  All the songs work together to make the album more than the sum of its parts.  It has a big emotional impact, and it sets a musical mood (dark, edgy and yet heartfelt) that doesn’t let up throughout – in her own words, from “Hard”, “that Rihanna rain/reign”.  I didn’t know if she had it in her to best Good Girl Gone Bad, but even if it doesn’t have as many number 1 smashes and addictive beats, Rated R is a musical step forward that I personally value that little bit more.

Word On The News Feed is that the recent Rihanna interview on 20/20 last night left some with hope, and others with more Sarah Palin (saltiness). She apparently was beaten over a dispute about a text message. Although battered Ms Rhi Rhi has fought through with her new found savior (Hov). With that said the news feed confirms that she didn’t rule out the possible reuniting of her accused and broken batterer, Chris Brown. Some do not believe the reason given by her for beating and say, “F that lying beaten B*tch.” While others are aching with the hope that the Good Girl gone Bad will read between the Grafitti on the walls and take Brown back… News feed will tell. Lol

EDIT: peep the full Rated R album review HERE!

Thankyou to everyone for reading my review of Rihanna’s first single “Russian Roulette”, from her forthcoming album Rated R. Together, you guys have made it the most popular post out of all of the posts on my blog!  So I really appreciate that.  If you get a moment, please also take a look and a listen to my new album, Quiet Storm, available on this post here.

So since my review of “Russian Roulette” seems to have gone down well, I thought that I would review the other songs that we now have from Rated R, which are: “Wait Your Turn”, “Te Amo” and the recently-leaked “Hard”.

Wait Your Turn

Before “Russian Roulette” was officially released on Rihanna’s website, there was a metallic “R” (her new logo, as you can see in her album cover above) and a countdown timer bearing the message “The Wait Is Ova”; that message is this song’s main refrain.  Although the production of the song is suitably dark and the lyrics are tough, the song takes a while to stick in the listener’s mind, especially as the chorus seems somewhat weak.  Out of all the songs we’ve heard from Rated R so far, this is the weakest track, despite the fact it is the first one we have a video for:

The plus sides to this song: Rihanna embodies swagger, which comes across in both the dark, grainy video with her strutting through various shadowy landscapes in fashionable outfits, and in the thick island accent she employs on the verses: “I pitch wit a grenaaayaaaade”! The electric guitar in the background amplifies the song’s confidence.  Overall, it’s not awful, but still far from Rihanna’s best, and falls short as a declaration that she is ‘back’ – if anything, it plays more like a buzz single than a confident statement of intent.

Te Amo

This song was the first track to be leaked from Rated R, though nobody knew this at the time; it only became apparent when the album’s tracklisting included this title.  Of course, it’s possible that the song may have been remixed or improved with additional production / vocals, but the song as we have it currently is an undulating, mid-tempo ballad (if there can be such a thing).  Rihanna sings about a female friend who tries to express her love for her while they dance together; however, Rihanna is happy to have a friendship but wants nothing more.  Nevertheless, their dance is depicted with a sense of romance and longing, and the sadness in her voice when she sings “‘Te amo’, somebody tell me what she said, don’t it mean ‘I love you’?” is palpable.

The setting of a dancefloor “underneath the candelabra”, followed by seemingly walking along the beach gives the song an exotic setting to match with its use of Spanish phrasing.  Production wise, this track could have easily fit within Good Girl Gone Bad, but nevertheless it carries itself well and along with “Russian Roulette”, displays Rihanna’s more vulnerable side, which contrasts with…

Hard

The most recently-leaked of the Rated R tracks, this song really does go hard!  The most urban of the Rated R tracks (and it features a rap from Young Jeezy), it once again embodies swagger and non-stick confidence.  ”Meet me at the top top top, it’s gettin’ lonely”… Rihanna sees herself as a “lion”, a fierce defender of her crown as a survivor (hmm, of what? Chris Brown and domestic violence? Bloggers and haters (who are picked up on in the lyrics)? General negativity and envy?) and as a superstar.  The clashing drums and sinister trumpets give the song a menacing, dense backbeat over which Rihanna yells what sounds like a call to arms.  It’s a very confrontational song in its production, vocal delivery (none of the light fluff of “Shut Up And Drive” here!) and lyrics: the opening lyric in one way says it all: “They can say whatever, I can do whatever, no pain is forever, yep, you know this”.

Out of the three songs, “Hard” is probably the best of the bunch, and I’ve heard some people saying that it should have been the first single.  I think that a video for this track has to happen, as Rihanna’s dark fashionista style and haughty pout would suit the message of the song perfectly; it’s easy for me to imagine the video for “Wait Your Turn” suiting this track much better.

Nevertheless, both “Hard” and “Te Amo”, like “Russian Roulette”, are promising indicators of an album which shows not only a growing maturity but also a hardening and darkening of Rihanna’s persona and style (only “Wait Your Turn” is a bit of a disappointment). Whether this is a result of just being older and more experienced in the music industry, having survived her turbulent relationship and subsequent media hoopla in the past year, or worshipping Satan (!!!!!!!!!!! I had to LOL when I read that story!  But you never know…), it seems like Rated R will be a cohesive work and an evolution from Good Girl Gone Bad.  Whether the new album has the hit factor that its predecessor contained is debatable – Good Girl Gone Bad was an album chock full of production-savvy uptempos and attitude-laced bangers that might prove hard to top – but what’s evident is that Rihanna’s not afraid to do something different from the other big females in the game, and she’s not afraid to take it to a darker place, as evidenced by the “Wait Your Turn” video.  I eagerly await the album, and when it leaks, you know that you’ll be able to catch my review of it right here soon after!  Thanks for your support, keep it locked kids

THis is ok. It brings  it  back to the Up tempo dance track that she does. it’s rumored that this song was to be on  “Good Girl Gone BAd” but didn’t make the cut. oh well who cares!!! lol @ the “iy E I E I EI ” part it sounds like that one Backstreet Boy song. Well whether its on Rated R or Good Girl Gone Bad enjoy!

Here’s another new leak from Pop star Rihanna, titled “Bubble Pop”. It’s allegedly produced by Black Eyed Peas frontman Will.I.Am, and serves as a “Good Girl Gone Bad” left off.

Rihanna – Bubble pop

Ele incalca regulile.

Ele stabilesc reguli proprii.

Ele ridica pretentii neechivoce.

Ele spun in fata NU.

Ele nu lasa pe nimeni sa le faca nesigure.

Ele gandesc generos, nu meschin.

Ele nu vor sa placa neaparat.

Ele nu se tem de critica.

Ele nu se lasa reduse la tacere.

Ele isi folosesc energia pentru scopurile LOR.

Lor le place sa concureze.

Ele folosesc un limbaj direct si nu`si bat capul cu ceea ce ar putea face sau gandi altii.

Fetele rele au chef sa castige.

Fetele rele au chef sa invinga.

rihanna album russian roulette

Rihanna’s new single Russian Roulette is out now. Russian Roulette is written and produced by Ne-Yo who also wrote her 2006 No. 1 hit Unfaithful. The new album Russian Roulette will be the first since 200′7s ‘Good Girl Gone Bad’.

 The new Single will be available for purchase from Monday, November 23, 2009.

WATCH VIDEO OF NEW ALBUM RUSSIAN ROULETTE

Rihanna's Russian Roulette

Rihanna’s new single is out now. The singer debuted Russian Roulette on last Tuesday on a radio show.

Ne-Yo claims that Rihanna says some things in the album that are never heard from her before. 

Russian Roulette which is a first single to be taken from Rihanna’s hotly anticipated album, Rated R. The new single is written and produced by Ne-Yo who also wrote her 2006 No. 1 hit Unfaithful. The new album will be the first since 200′7s ‘Good Girl Gone Bad’ that features Justin Timerlake and Tyson Ritter.

The new Single will be available for purchase from Monday, November 23, 2009.

WATCH VIDEO OF RUSSIAN ROLLETTE

EDIT: 3 new songs from Rated R reviewed HERE!  Enjoy!

EDIT 2: the full Rated R album review HERE

Rihanna’s new song, “Russian Roulette”, premiered today and it has taken a lot of people by surprise.  Namely, because the Ne-Yo produced track is a dark ballad.  Now, a lot of people don’t like Rihanna when she sings songs like “Unfaithful” and “Take A Bow”.  They tend to prefer her uptempo material, and with songs like “Umbrella”, “S.O.S.” and “Sell Me Candy”, who can argue with that?  But “Take A Bow” was a fantastic, simple song with a touching lyric and nice piano chords, and this new track also delivers the goods.

Rihanna’s vocals have improved – she still sounds somewhat like a goat, but this is probably one of the best vocals she has turned in.  I remember when she first came on the scene, and seeing her perform “Pon De Replay” live, I saw some vocal potential which had yet to be developed.  That potential seemed to disappear during the campaigns for A Girl Like Me and Good Girl Gone Bad (a fantastic album, but one driven more by production and songwriting than the talents of the singer herself).  In short, she often sounded like a goat bleating, and many many blogs and people I know have compared her to that animal.  On “Russian Roulette”, there is less bleating and more vocal promise – the dark lyrics and strong melody allow Rihanna to stretch her vocal cords without ever sounding strained or out of her comfort zone.

Lyrically, the song is smart too.  It never uses the words “russian roulette” (perhaps avoiding censorship from over-zealous radio stations, though references to “guns” and “triggers” are still present) but leaves the metaphor ambiguous – she could be talking about an actual game of Russian roulette, or she could be talking about a dangerous, damaging love. (Hello Chris Brown.) The tension between feelings of vulnerability and strength is explored as the theme of the song, and despite it being lyrically concise, words like “I’m terrified but I’m not leaving / Know that I must pass this test” convey that conflict effectively.  The song ends ambiguously, with the bridge lyric being “It’s too late to pick up the value of my life” and a gunshot signalling the song’s climax.  We don’t know whether that gunshot means that Rihanna has lost the game of Russian roulette, or whether she put the gun to her head only to survive and play another game.  Either way, it is suggested that the singer is brave enough to play the game and confront her demons / love / whatever you think the song is about.  It’s very open to interpretation.

I’ve read a lot of complaints about the song – it’s a ballad and Rihanna can’t sing them; we wanted another “Umbrella” or “Don’t Stop The Music”; we thought it would be catchier and an uptempo dance smash; it’s not edgy enough.  I was pleasantly surprised by Rihanna’s choice to use a ballad for her lead single.  I don’t think that it will be massively successful, simply because people’s idea of a smash hit record seems to be anything (particularly coming from RedOne or Ryan Tedder – *yawn*) with a 4/4 beat and vocals which repeat the same line / word / syllable over and over again (see: Lady GaGa, who has built a large part of her career on writing songs which go “mamamama papa-papa po-po-po-poker face po-po-po-po-po oh ohhhhohohoh oh oh ra ra ha ha ha ra ra ha ha ha ga ga” and then dancing around to them in silly, ‘avant-garde’ outfits).

“Russian Roulette” was not what I expected.  Like everyone else, I expected an uptempo, faux-’edgy’ stab at R&B-rock-pop with a dance edge and a repetitive, multi-hooked chorus.  But I am pleased with what we got, which was a dark, brooding ballad showing long-overdue vocal promise and interesting lyricism to match the music and tense vocal delivery.  After getting bored with Rihanna and her awful collaboration with Maroon 5 and that annoying “Disturbia” song (“bum bum be dum bum bum be dum bum” – why is singing stupid rhythms with non-existent words deemed the high end of songwriting these days? *smh*), this song has opened my ears again and I am once more interested in what she has to offer.

The bajan beauty is returning & releasing a new LP next month, it would be the star’s fourth album & the follow up  to “Good Girl Gone Bad”. As i’m told more details will surface in the upcoming weeks, but so far on the website Rihannanow.com there is a count down clock letting you know what is happening and if you would like you can follow her on twitter cause she just started one at twitter.com/rihanna

Après un featuring réussi sur le premier single du nouvel album de Cobra Starship, Leighton Meester dévoile enfin son premier titre en solo : Somebody To Love. Pour l’occasion, c’est Robin Thicke qui la rejoint pour un son envoûtant…

According to Rihanna’s Twitter status, her new album drops November 23. That’s only 6 weeks away… where’s the first single girl? Gotta hype the album up you know!

I’m excited, her last album had a few great pop songs on it. Can the new album live up to the massive success of Good Girl Gone Bad? And seeing as Lady Gaga is rereleasing the The Fame, the two biggest stars in pop will be going head to head in the charts. Who will come out on top? I’m leaning towards Rihanna. I like Gaga, but sometime she just seems to be trying too hard to get attention… Rihanna does it more subtly

By Melva N. Lloyd

Image courtesy of www.rihannadaily.com

Four years ago the West Indian island of Barbados was probably best known for its white sandy beaches, private resorts, and tourist attractions.  That was until seventeen year-old Robyn Rihanna Fenty placed the country on her back and took the entertainment world by storm.  In 2005 the then unknown, at least on American soil, teenaged Rihanna was shopping her four track demo tape around to various record labels; a demo tape that would fall into the hands of former Def Jam CEO Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter and result in her first ever recording contract.  Fast forward four years and the Barbadian beauty is a household name and a Grammy award-winning and multi-platinum record selling pop star.

Rihanna burst onto the music scene at a time when Beyoncé ruled the charts, stage, and big screen.  But the young talent did not let that deter her from her dream of becoming an international star.  Her debut album Music of the Sun played to her Caribbean roots, penning her very first hit with the reggae inspired “Pon de Replay”.  Her sophomore recording A Girl Like Me leaned more towards the pop genre of music, producing the number one smash “S.O.S.” and her widely popular “Unfaithful”; a song written by producer-turned-singer Ne-Yo, Rihanna’s Def Jam label mate and a star in his own right.  But even after worldwide reception and an expanding fan following, Rihanna faced criticism from those who felt that she was trying too much to look, sound, and move like the lead singer of the biggest girl group in the world.

Image courtesy of www.brightcove.net

So what does a budding artist do to set herself apart from the crowd?  How does she gain the respect from those that she has admired for so long?  What does she have to do to remain relevant?  For Rihanna it was simple: start with the outward appearance to grab people’s attention then demand that they listen to your music.  She left the girl next door look behind and opted for a tougher exterior; cutting her golden locks to a short, dark ‘do and showing off her figure in form fitting outfits.  When she re-emerged in 2007 for the release of her third studio album Good Girl Gone Bad she teamed up with award-winning writers and producers to yield eight hit singles that included “Shut Up and Drive”, “Don’t Stop the Music” and the runaway hit “Umbrella” that featured her boss Jay-Z.  The record still has people involuntarily shouting “ella, ella, ella”.

To call Rihanna an overnight sensation would be an understatement.  With her beyond successful music career came constant media attention, worldwide tours, a celebrity dating scene, and a new title for the “Take a Bow” singer: fashion icon.  The streets of New York City, Paris and Milan became Rihanna’s runways; braving five-inch Christian Louboutin heels only to stroll the pebbled roadways of NYC’s SoHo neighborhood, her arrivals and departures into big name airports now call for red carpet attire and her drastic haircut has started a trend among girls that watch her every move and try incessantly to mirror the former beauty queen’s style.

Image courtesy of www.catwalkqueen.tv

After the success of her own songs, Rihanna joined forces with other big name artists to find prosperity on their records as well.  Over the past year, she has been featured on such songs as T.I.’s “Live Your Life”, Maroon 5’s “If I Never See Your Face Again” and most recently, Jay-Z’s “Run This Town” where she appropriately sings “I break the rules so I don’t care…I keep doin’ my own thing…”

Rihanna’s fame goes past her musical efforts; the pop princess has her hand in numerous philanthropic organizations including her own Believe Foundation which she founded in 2006 to help terminally ill children.  In addition to that, she is an honorary cultural ambassador to her native Barbados, a spokeswoman for UNICEF and the face of CoverGirl Cosmetics and Gucci.

Within the past eight months Rihanna’s name has become synonymous with domestic violence and young love that has ultimately gone wrong.  While her relationship with Chris Brown put a dim on her spotlight for a brief moment it did not stop the show.  Her impact on the music and fashion industries speaks volumes to the brand that she has built for herself.  Chart topping albums, sold-out shows in arenas across the country, and more awards than any one person can count, have catapulted this small-town hero into a global mega star.

Rihanna Tracks to Check For: “Say It” (Good Girl Gone Bad), “Dem Haters” (A Girl Like Me)

Apparently Russell Brand and Katy Perry weren’t the the only ones cozying up at this year’s MTV Video Music Awards!

In the latest issue of Star Magazine, sources claim that recently single (?) Justin Timberlake and Rihanna “have been talking and texting on the phone nonstop since the VMAs.”

Oh la la.

Timberlake even reportedly scored a personal lap dance from the “Umbrella” singer during a studio session for her forthcoming album. The couple previously recorded a song together (“Rehab”) on Rihanna’s sophomore CD, Good Girl Gone Bad — Check out the steamy video below:

Jessica Biel must be fury-ass she ever let J.T. get this hot ‘n heavy with the Barbados beauty!

Make this… SexyBack Sass: Round II

Totally feeling this one, first heard it months ago on Supersonic Sound’s, mix cd “Dancehall Nice Again” (surprisingly along with some Major Lazer on there!)… Tarrus Riley and Konshens, what a powerhouse!

One of my blog visitors left a comment referring to this song. I thought I’d pass it along. Enjoy!

Song Recommendations

If you like this song, I also suggest:

• Christina Milian
• Britney Spears
• Jay-Z

I also suggest the music genre:

• Rhythm and Blues

Click here for more info on Rihanna – Good Girl Gone Bad – “Umbrella”.

The MP3 may be purchased here:

Rihanna - Good Girl Gone Bad