Rated R by Rihanna
Rated R is the fourth studio album by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, first released November 20, 2009, on Def Jam Recordings. The album is a musical distance from her previous effort Good Girl Gone Bad (2007), which contained up-tempo and ballad-oriented songs, and it heavily incorporated pop and dance-pop musical styles. Conceived after Rihanna's assault by her then-boyfriend, singer Chris Brown, Rated R features different foreboding and angry tone, in terms of musical and lyrical direction, and incorporates elements of hip hop, rock, and dubstep. The album also incorporated other musical genres, such as Dancehall in the Jamaican inspired "Rude Boy" and Latin in "Te Amo". Recording sessions for the album took place during March to November 2009 at several recording studios throughout United States and Europe. Rihanna together with L.A. Reid, Jay-Z and Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers, executively produced the album and worked with several record producers, including Chase & Status, StarGate, The-Dream, Ne-Yo, and Brian Kennedy. The album also included several featured vocalists and instrumentalist, including Young Jeezy, Will.i.am and Slash who played the guitars in "Rockstar 101". Upon its release Rated R received positive reviews from music critics, who praised Rihanna's mature performance, and described the album as her most layered and heartfelt effort. The album debuted at number four on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 181,000 copies in its first week in the United States. The album reached number-one in Norway, Switzerland and on the US Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Albums. On the UK Albums Chart, the album reached a peak of nine, and was certified gold in only four days. The album produced five singles, including the international hits "Russian Roulette", "Rude Boy" and "Te Amo", together with the US releases "Hard". "Wait Your Turn" was also released as the albums promotional single. "Russian Roulette" was released as albums lead single and managed to reach top-ten in seventeen countries and topped the charts in Norway and Switzerland. "Hard reached number nine in the United States and became her thirteenth top-ten single re-tying her with Beyoncé Knowles as the female artist with the most top-ten hit singles in the United States. "Rude Boy" was a commercial success and became the only single from the album that topped the US Billboard Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks. "Rockstar 101" was released in the United States and managed to reach number two on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Songs. "Te Amo", the last international released single, managed to reach number one on Brazilian Hot 100 Airplay and peaked within the top-ten in nine other countries.
“That Rihanna reign just won’t let up,” Rihanna confidently boasts on “Hard”, the third track on her fourth album. The statement was undeniable. At the top of 2009, she found herself thrown into a media circus following a highly publicised domestic violence incident with then-boyfriend Chris Brown. But rather than go into hiding, the pop star fearlessly stared trauma in the face. <i>Rated R</i>, the singer’s fourth album, found her channelling Janet Jackson’s <i>Control</i> as she not only redefined her artistic identity, but also reclaimed her narrative as a woman. Her most personal album to date, <i>Rated R</i> is more like a therapy session filled with raw and often uncomfortable honesty. A darker, unnerving energy engulfs the album, with Rihanna juggling various bouts of vitriol, revenge, faith and freedom. It’s here where she officially births her “bad gal” persona. There were hints of it during 2007’s <i>Good Girl Gone Bad</i> era (from slicing her hair into a dark bob to singing over edgier production), but <i>Rated R</i> unveils the complete transformation. The majority of <i>Rated R</i> finds Rihanna trying to navigate how she moves on from such a publicised and personal moment. In contrast to previous albums, she’s now developed a rock-hard shell. But she still allows listeners to crack it open as she pours out her soul in ballads more than ever. “Stupid in Love” is a confessional ballad where she struggles to let go of a toxic flame, while the will.i.am-assisted “Photographs” reminisces on a happier time. “Fire Bomb” is the album’s highlight: one of her most underrated and vulnerable songs, in which she details just how torturous love can become if you’re not careful. One thing that Rihanna didn’t want to be portrayed as was weak. She explicitly states this on “Rockstar 101” atop sharp electric-guitar taunts: “I never play the victim, I’d rather be a stalker.” She’s tough as nails on the militant “Hard”, where she assures that her pop-star crown will never falter (“Brilliant, resilient, fan mail from 27 million”). On “G4L”—or “Gangster 4 L”—she becomes the vengeful aggressor as she and her crew take matters into their own hands (it’s also where the Rihanna Navy fanbase name was officiated). But despite the tougher exterior, Rihanna still reminded everyone that she could craft hits with ease: the flirtatious, dancehall-inspired “Rude Boy” danced itself to a No. 1 smash, “Hard” became her 13th Top 10 and the amorous Latin fantasy of “Te Amo” was beloved on international charts. <i>Rated R</i> is Rihanna’s rebel yell. She completely dismissed any mainstream appeal left over from her previous releases and remained true to her identity. It set the tone for what would come for future albums, where she would continue to experiment with various genres and be even more willing to share her most intimate thoughts without a care about what critics thought. No one else could tell Rihanna’s story but her, and that very tenacity is just why she remains an unshakeable pop icon.
