This month has been such a blessing in terms of music. Wiz Khalifa, Kanye West, and Future all came out with new albums and it almost seems disrespectful to stop bumping them. But of all these albums, one stands out from the crowd. Move over boys, Rihanna is back.
I’ve been a fan of RiRi since 2006 when she dropped the song I would make horrible choreography to in my bedroom: SOS. Please, someone help me. It’s not healthy for me to feel this way, honestly. Rihanna has had that mysterious, exotic, super hot thing going for her from the very beginning and music to match.
She might not have that larger-than-life star quality, but she is consistently on point in everything she does. When was the last time you listened to one of Ri’s songs and didn’t dance? Has she ever looked bad on the red carpet? She hasn’t even been arrested or caught with drugs, and that’s a pretty big accomplishment for a celebrity these days (cough cough Miley (still love you though)). Anyway, point proven.
She has had album after album filled with hits but this month’s release of ANTI (Deluxe) is by far her best yet. If you haven’t listened to it yet, I encourage you to do so ASAP Ferg because it’s guaranteed to get you aux cord privileges for a good amount of time.
Her album starts off with one of my favorites: Consideration. SZA is featured and although I’ve never heard her before, the two make a deadly duo. It’s catchy beat blended with Rihanna’s rich, iconic sound makes this song a crowd pleaser, no doubt.
But of course, it wouldn’t be a true Rihanna album without a smash hit song with Drake. Work, which rocketed itself to the top of the charts in days, is your typical Drake jam song. Why aren’t they dating?? This song is good at any time of day. Walking to class, work-ing out (haha), or just riding around with the squad.
So many stars try to own the whole “I don’t give a f**k” attitude these days that it’s become transparent. Rihanna is not one of those people. She owns everything she does and knows she’s a class act. She also knows how hot she is and lets everyone know it in the album’s final song: Sex With Me. If you haven’t listened to this one yet, you’ll hear it soon because I’m calling it now that it’ll be on every radio station in a matter of days. With a catchy beat and seductive lyrics, Rihanna has me hitting repeat again and again.
But by far, her absolute best song on ANTI is Needed Me. This is the new crown jewel of ‘I’m better than my ex’ songs. Rihanna uses a choppy DJ Mustard-eque beat mixed with sensual but agressive lyrics (“Didn’t they tell you that I was a savage?” and “Know you hate to confess, but you needed me”) to make it clear to her ex that he messed up and it’s done.
Other (equally as good) songs to check out: Woo, Desperado, Love on the Brain, Goodnight Gotham and Pose.
There’s honestly no proper way to describe this album other than ‘lit’, and even that doesn’t do it the justice it deserves. She used to make albums annually, but after 3 years without Rihanna, she’s finally back to remind us that we really ‘can’t even’ without her.
The album takes risks. It strips her down to dark, real emotions. Instead of including stale singles from 2015, ANTI is filled with all-new tracks, leaving us with a fresh sound that can never be overplayed. I feel so strongly about this album that I’ll even go to the extreme here and say she’s better than Beyonce. Yeah, I Said It (another song off the album to check out).
Okay, okay, Rihanna, you were right. We needed you.
