Earlier this year when news got around of Rihanna working on her new album, I got really excited
(an annoyed kind of excited). She described the project as being more "Edgy" than her massively successful
Third album, Good Girl Gone Bad. She described it as having more "Shut Up and Drive" style songs, rather than
"Umbrella" or "Please Don't Stop The Music" style songs.
"Te Amo" leaked about a year ago, and I loved it at first listen. It was the passionate "Island Girl" Rihanna
that I had missed from her first album. Then along with album photos that show Rihanna hiding her breasts
and bending over without any pants or underwear (just bare booty, although I'm sure you've seen her nude in
pictures before), I got the Deluxe edition Tracklisting about a month ago:
Rated R
1. Mad House
2. Wait Your Turn
3. Hard (Ft. Young Jeezy)
4. Stupid In Love
5. Rockstar 101 (Featuring Slash)
6. Russian Roulette
7. Fire Bomb
8. Rude Boy
9. Photographs (Featufing Will.I.Am)
10.G4L (Gangster For Life)
11. Te Amo
12. Cold Case Love
13. The Last Song
I was a tad thrown with such a simple tracklisting, especially after hearing the
first single, "Russian Roulette", and being underwhelmed. So I got the album (It leaked,
you can download that by googling Rihanna "Rated R" torrent), and listened to the whole thing.
Edgy, no, gangster yes. In "Hard", she describes how tough she is fitted in all black, and
how she's going to "Rock this shit like fashion", and how "She's the baddest bitch in heels".
I constantly had to glance at my Zune to make sure it hadn't somehow skipped to an old
Trina album. But no, I quickly learned that Rihanna's Rated R was more like an early
90's west coast Gangster Rap album (a la' Dr. Dre) than it was an edgy, modern,
album from a popular songstress. In Wait Your Turn, one of my favorites, she starts
off describing how she's "Such a fucking lady" and how she "Pitches with a grenade"
and petois accent. And then she slips into an inspirational chorus that reminds you
of a Kirk Franklin gospel song.
In Rockstar 101, which borrows a few notes from an older song (of which I can't put
my finger on) she says she describes herself as a "Six Inch Walka', big shit talka', I
never play the victim, I'd rather play the stalka'" which has me thrown again. I though
that this much have been recorded before she got her faced bashed in back in February.
But I digress, as she goes on how she wants someone to check her "Panties and her bra".
Although this song is quite empty and cliche, the "Oooh baby I'ma" is very addictive.
But kids, please don't listen to this song and try to be a rockstar as she describes,
shit ain't real.
Skip a few tracks, and you'll end up at Gangster 4 Life. Definitely one of the
funniest songs on the album, but indeed the most effective-- and my favorite.She
describes how she "Licks the Gun when I'm Done",
and how "we don't play dat shit nigga we don't play" and then goes on to rap "actin'
like bitch finna getchu' hurt". The bridge consists of her telling us to put our
"guns in the motherfucking air". It's a great song that I am almost on the verge of
calling "Real". Although it is unclear if she is talking about her loyalty to her
girl in the song, because she calls her a bitch in the chorus.
The album also has about 4 ballads, which are the weakest points of the entire
project. "Stupid In Love", "Cold Case Love" and "Russian Roulette", which seem to
channel energy from her February altercation with Chris Brown. Come off as weak, and
underwhelming. Her voice is drowned by a Timbaland sounding production in "Cold Case
Love", and instrumental arrangement that is much grander than the entire project.
Rihanna is vocally non existent in "Photographs". Will.I.Am fries her voice so much
pitch correction that she sounds like a tired Fergie. I think that she recorded that
song laying down and heavily drugged. Because there is no effort on her part. Will.I.Am
outsings her in the background vocals often, and he's a rapper. His rap portion is
the highlight of that song.
The BEST ballad on the album is "The Last Song". Again, the meaning is very vague, but
she sounds GREAT. Very similar production to Fire Bomb and Russian Roulette. Must have
been recorded back to back. Fire Bomb reminds me of Jordin Sparks, it's a good song.
And Rude Boy sounds like Chris Brown and Esther Dean having sex.
All in all, although this album does not show any growth by Rihanna artistically or vocally--
however, it does show Rihanna taking a completely different direction from her last
album, Good Girl Gone Bad. I remember listening to Good Girl Gone Bad all the way
through and feeling that the album was so great and complete that I feared for my life,
I knew that GGGB would finally make Rihanna a massive star. I have to tell you guys,
that I don't feel like Rated R is nearly as good as Good Girl Gone Bad is, BUT I STILL
FEAR FOR MY LIFE. I don't know if it is "Photographs" making my ears bleed,
or the thought of Rihanna Busting a cap in my ass in "Gangster For Life", but something is
a tad unnerving about this project.
the verdict: B-
download it.
favorites;
1.G4L (Gangster For Life)
2. Hard
3. Wait Your Turn
4. Te Amo
5 The Last Song
6. Rude Boy
Dislike:
1. Stupid In Love (Very anti-climatic)
2. Photographs ( I Like it, but pitch correction annoys me, and both fergie
and Will.I.Am outsing her in the background vocals)
3. Cold Case Love
IF YOU LIKE THIS ALBUM YOU WILL ALSO LIKE:
Lil' Wayne - 500 Degreez
Dr. Dre - The Chronic
Ciara - Fantasy Ride
and Hell probably
Trina - The Baddest Bitch
