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For the Autechre EP, see Anti EP.

Untitled

Anti is the eighth studio album by Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released on January 28, 2016, through Westbury Road and Roc Nation. The singer began planning the record in 2014, at which time she left her previous label Def Jam and joined Roc Nation. Work continued into 2015, during which she released three singles, including the internationally acclaimed "FourFiveSeconds"; they were ultimately removed from the final track listing. Anti was made available for free digital download on January 28 through Tidal and was released to online music stores for paid purchase on January 29.

As executive producer, Rihanna contributed to most of the album's lyrics and collaborated with producers including Jeff Bhasker, Boi-1da, DJ Mustard, Hit-Boy, Brian Kennedy, Timbaland and No I.D. to achieve her desired sound. The efforts resulted in a departure from Rihanna's previous dance and club music genres and created a primarily pop and R&B album, with elements of dancehall and soul. The producers incorporated dark, sparsely layered, minimalist song structures, while most of Anti's lyrics dealt with the complexities of romantic love and self-assurance.

Amid heavy promotion and an anticipated release, the album was released to commercial and critical success. It peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200, moving 166,000 equivalent-album units in its first-tracking week, and after two days of its release was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) as a result of Samsung purchasing one million copies of the album in advance that were then given away as a free download. It was promoted with four singles, including the hit single "Work", featuring Canadian rapper Drake, which peaked at number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 becoming Rihanna's fourteenth number one single on the chart.

Background

In November 2012, Rihanna released her seventh studio album, Unapologetic, a pop[2] and R&B album[3] that incorporates elements of dubstep and other electronic music.[4][5] It received mixed reviews from music critics[6] and debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart with sales of over 238,000 copies.[7] The album spawned seven singles, including the international hits, "Diamonds" and "Stay". To further promote it, in 2013, Rihanna embarked on her fifth concert tour, the Diamonds World Tour. From the start of her career in 2005 until 2012, Rihanna released or re-released at least one album annually.

In 2013, however, Rihanna took a step back from music and did not release a new album that year or the following.[8] She instead opted to take part in other endeavours, starring in the 3D animated film Home, alongside Jim Parsons, Steve Martin and Jennifer Lopez, as well as executively producing its accompanying soundtrack.[9] In May 2014, it was announced that Rihanna had left Def Jam to sign fully with her manager Jay Z's company Roc Nation,[10] There was considerable confusion among music journalists and fans, with Rihanna avoiding discussing the album or its release.[8] In October 2015, it was revealed that Rihanna had acquired the masters to all her recordings and would be releasing Anti jointly through her own record label Westbury Road and Roc Nation.[11] Later that month it was announced that Rihanna had inked a $25 million contract with Samsung. The deal would see Rihanna promoting Samsung's Galaxy line of products whilst Samsung would sponsor the release of Anti and its supporting tour.[12]


The span gap between Rihanna's last studio album, Unapologetic and Anti is the longest wait between records in her music career. On October 8, 2014, she posted a picture of herself in the studio, working on the album.[13]

After the release of Unapologetic and its accompanying tour, Rihanna aimed to take a hiatus from recording music stating; "I wanted to have a year to just do whatever I want artistically, creatively,” Rihanna went on to state that this hiatus lasted a week and she had returned to the studio. During the initial writing and development of the album, Rihanna recording a vast amount of songs that were up-tempo, but was unsure of what she wanted Anti to sound like. Following the albums initially recording Rihanna became bored with pop music stating that she gravitated towards music that was "honest" and represented her at that time. Rihanna also recognised that the music she was recording "might not be some automatic record that will be Top 40," but believes she had "earned the right to do that now.”[14]

On February 8, 2015, during his Grammy Awards red carpet interview, Kanye West announced, that he will be the executive producer of Anti.[15]

However, in January 2016, in a Twitter reply message to a fan, Rihanna wrote that West is no longer executive producer of the album and both of them are working on different projects.[16]

Writing and recording

Beginning in 2013, Anti evolved from nearly three years of sessions and featured an extensive roster of R&B, hip hop, and pop musicians and recording technicians. The albums sessions took place at numerous recording studios including; Jungle City Studios in New York City, Westlake Recording Studios, Sandra Gale Studios and Windmark Recording Studios in Los Angeles, SOTA Studios in Toronto and Twin Studios in Paris.[17] However the majority of the albums recording took place in three main studios. The extensive recording led to the albums release being in 2016, which marked the the longest wait between records in her music career.

Eight of the thirteen songs – "James Joint", "Work", “Desperado”, "Woo", "Needed Me", "Yeah, I Said It", "Higher" and "Close To You" – from the final track listing were recorded at Westlake Recording Studios in Los Angeles.[17] Songwriter Bibi Bourelly had been working with producer, Paperboy Fabe, who arranged a session with Kanye West, who isolated her in a booth. The result was "Higher".[18] "Higher " was recorded in the early hours of the morning whilst Rihanna was under the influence of alcohol; “We just said, ‘You know what? Let’s just drink some whiskey and record this song.” The song was compared by Rihanna to a “a drunk voice mail”.[14] Later amendments to the songs lyrics were made by Rihanna and James Fauntleroy. The latter co-wrote a further three songs from the Westlake sessions – "Desperado", "James Joint" and "Close To You" – "James Joint" was written with Rihanna and Shea Taylor, who wrote the song in "no more than 30 minutes", whilst "Close To You" was written after producer Brian Kennedy sent Fauntleroy piano music.[19]

"Desperado" was written by Mick Shultz and Rook Monroe, following the songs writing Shultz met with Rihanna. After visiting Rihanna's home, Shultz was contacted a week later by Rihanna's team who stated "she really loves the record". Rihanna, Fauntleroy and Kuk Harrell, were all later involved in the songs development, production and recording.[20] In the summer of 2015, songwriter and producer Rupert Thomas together with Allen Ritter and Boi-1da among others, stayed at Canadian rapper's Drake house in Los Angeles for three-four days. During the time, creation of the lead single, "Work" came in to fruition.[21] Thomas created the beat and played it for Boi-1da to which he positively responded. Boi-1da came with up idea for sampling an "old school dancehall rhythm" and after that the chords were made.[21] When the song's music was finished, Boi-1da sent it to Braithwaite (better known by his production name PartyNextDoor) who wrote the lyrics.

Two of the albums songs were recorded at Jungle City Studios in New York City.

Two songs each were recorded at Jungle City Studios in New York City and Windmark Recording Studios in Los Angeles.[17] The studio sessions at Jungle City produced the opening track "Consideration" and "Kiss It Better". Rihanna stated that when recording the albums opening track "Consideration", she felt a connection to it, stating that the song captured the sound and attitude she was aiming for.[14] The recording sessions at Windmark Recording Studios produced the songs "Never Ending" and "Love on the Brain". The former was written by Chad Sabo during his time in California, were Sabo was playing with the band Basic Vacation. Sabo was in the bands van and began to write the intro riff that would become "Never Ending". Shortly after he took the song home and attempted to bring the song together using a digital 8-track studio. He later worked on the songs lyrics and posted it onto the internet. The writing process of "Never Ending" began in November 2013, and started again in April 2014 at which time Rihanna became interested in the track and wanted to record it.[22]

Only one song was recorded completely outside of the United States – “Same Ol’ Mistakes” – the track was recorded at the Twin Studios in Paris.[17] Rihanna's management Roc Nation contacted Tame Impala's management team, Spinning Top, informing them that Rihanna loved the band's song "New Person, Same Old Mistakes" and asked if she could re-record the track for Anti. The song's writer, Kevin Parker, agreed and gave Rihanna permission to record the song. After hearing Rihanna's version, Parker stated, "We’re all really happy with how the song turned out, love it!".[23]

Production

American vocal producer Kuk Harrell did the complete vocal production on Anti

American vocal producer Kuk Harrell, who has been working with Rihanna since 2007 stated that for Anti Rihanna was creatively more involved in the making process. Harrell stated that Rihanna aimed to push the album in the direction she envisioned. The producer stated that he attempted to move away from mainstream pop music when producing the album's vocals, "Every record that everybody does is a record that somebody else could've done, if that makes sense. It's so awesome that she just stepped out and was courageous enough to stick to that and be that and do that."[24]

Harrell noted that with the production of Anti Rihanna was far more meticulous about what she wanted each individual line to sound like. He stated that he attempted to work quickly when producing the album, however Rihanna wanted to constantly improve the album's quality stating "Listen, let's up the quality level. Let's make sure we have the emotion, and make sure it's a masterpiece." Harrell stated that when he and Rihanna had previously worked together they aimed to make a great body of work, however on Anti they aimed to create a "masterpiece".[24] When discussing his and Rihanna's mindset during the album's production Harrell stated;


Speaking of the album's production and style, Harrell stated that artists such as Rihanna, have been talking a stance and stepping away from the popular music of the time and the expectations of her label, directors and radio, stating; "I don't want to make what everybody else is making. I want to make what I want to make. I know my fans will love it because my fans are loyal to me, but if everybody else loves it, great. If they don't, at least I know, as an artist, I've done what I want to do."[24] Anti was engineered by Nathaniel Alford, Chris Godbey, Kuk Harrell, Blake Mares, Daniela Rivera and Marcos Tovar. The album was finally mastered by Chris Gehringer at Sterling Sound, in New York City.[17]

Music and lyrics

On Anti, all of the focus is on that voice and her appealingly wayward personality, singing about sex, love, drugs, desire and frustration as if her life depends on it. Without all the practised song-craft that usually knock the wind out of listeners, what she has come up with is atmospheric, sexy and strangely disturbed, tapping into the kind of distorted beats and chilled tempos that burble through progressive hip hop.

 — Neil McCormick, discussing the album's musical and vocal style.[25]

Anti is a departure from Rihanna's previous material, leaving behind the club and dance genres of her previous releases for a predominantly pop and R&B[26][27] album with elements of dancehall and soul. The album's production has been characterized as being, dark, sparsely layered,[28] bouncy, with lo-fi bass, old school styles,[29] downtempo moodiness and electro-soul minimalism.[30] Lindsay Zoladz of Vulture believed that "to neatly classify Anti by genre, you'd have to invent one," which she described as being "industrial dancehall".[31] Ben Rayner of The Toronto Star stated that Anti is divided into two halves; the first consisting of "futuristic robo-R&B", whilst the second half contains "a more organic breed of soul".[30]

The album's lyrical content predominantly touches upon themes of relationships, exploring what it means to be in love, to get hurt, to need someone, and to be true to yourself.[28] The theme of relationships is picked up in numerous songs; "Kiss It Better" sees Rihanna questioning how far an ex-lover will go to get her back; in "Woo", Rihanna turns spiteful, stating she does not care for her ex-partner, while "Never Ending" features Rihanna admitting she would like to be in love again.[28] The album's themes were also noted as being unapologetic, with an uncaring attitude, and self-assurance.[29]

During the album's recording Rihanna aimed to create an album that was both "soulful" and "aggressive", elaborating on this she stated that the aggressive and soulful themes would be heard in the musical, lyrical and vocal context.[32] During a press conference in early 2014, Rihanna told MTV News that she aimed to depart from the musical style of her previous releases, which she described as being "big songs. From the jump, they just blow up." Rihanna continued to state that with Anti she would be focusing on music that "felt real" and soulful and would be timeless.[33] She also stated that she wanted to record songs that could be "timeless" and that she could perform 15 years later. "Not any songs that were burnt out. I find that when I get on stage now, I don't want to perform a lot of my songs. They don't feel like me."[33]

Songs

Anti opens with the dub-inspired song "Consideration". The song contains a "glitchy" production and features guest vocals from singer-songwriter SZA.[34] The song hears Rihanna turning her back on record labels and their expectations, opening with the line "I got to do things my own way darling," delivered in Rihanna's native Barbadian accent.[35] "James Joint" is a neo-soul song that contains "keyboards built over rising bass riffs that create a thickly textured groove." The song was compared to the work of Stevie Wonder, due to the use of a harmonica.[36] "Kiss It Better" is a pop power ballad inspired by the music of the '80s and '90s.[34] Built over deep synths the track features an electric guitar and lyrics that focus on a destructive relationship that the singer knows is wrong for her, but one she finds irresistible.[25][37] "Work", which features Canadian rapper Drake, is a reggae-pop song[38] and was described as "an understated midtempo jam in the vein of Janet Jackson's recent 'No Sleeep', with a percolating beat, sinuous synth lines, and vocal samples stretched and pulled in a way that recalls Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis's masterful production work on Jackson's 1997 album The Velvet Rope."[39] "Desperado" contains a "mid-tempo groove, bell ringing and shuddering drums, along with deep synths and vocal samples."[25]

“Same Ol’ Mistakes” is a cover version of "New Person, Same Old Mistakes" (2015) performed by Tame Impala, written by Kevin Parker.

The sixth track "Woo" opens with "two jarring, atonal guitar chords repeated along with small, trap-influenced percussion, over a basic riff."[37] "Woo" was compared to the work of Kanye West due to its slow stomping, distortion and lack of melody and groove.[25] The following track "Needed Me" is a downtempo song, with small elements of electro bubble, synthetic sounds, and a loose, casual vocal that discusses romantic rejection, whilst the following song "Yeah, I Said It" continues the trend of containing a slowed down groove.[25] "Same Ol' Mistakes" is a cover version of "New Person, Same Old Mistakes" (2015) performed by Tame Impala. The song contains the same production as the original, featuring a "fluid sound, with elements of psychedelic, hip-hop and pop-rock genres, along with a slow, dreamy, psychedelic synth groove."[25] Rihanna's vocals on the track are "airy, echoing and underpinned" by the song's bass and percussion.[37] "Never Ending" is a guitar-led song, with elements of country music, organic melodies and backing vocals.[40]

"Love On the Brain" is a mid-tempo '50s inspired doo-wop ballad "that features a guitar arpeggio, swirling organ, simple chord progression and backing vocals," and was compared to the work of Amy Winehouse.[25][37] Rihanna's vocals on the track were noted as being acrobatic and ranging from her "trademark snarl", to high notes, with dark lyrics that depict a destructive, yet addictive relationship.[37][40] "Higher" is a love song that follows a similar chord sequence to "Love On the Brain", along with woozy production that contains lyrics about Rihanna's feelings towards her lover whilst she is under the influence of drugs and alcohol.[25] The standard edition of Anti closes with the slow piano ballad "Close to You", which is sung in a jazz style.[25] The deluxe version of Anti contains three more songs. The first is "Goodnight Gotham", which contains an interpolation of "Only If for a Night" (2011) performed by Florence and the Machine and hears Rihanna singing along with the "looping" sample.[41] The following track "Pose" features a grimy beat, along with the singer aggressively boasting about her riches, before a chant-heavy breakdown.[41] The final track on the deluxe version, "Sex with Me", contains dreamy production which hears Rihanna talking about her beauty, "before closing with a trippy blend of vocals."[41]

Title and artwork

"I sometimes fear that I am misunderstood.
It is simply because what I want to say,
what I need to say, won't be heard.
Heard in a way I so rightfully deserve.
What I choose to say is of so much substance
That people just won't understand the depth of my message.
So my voice is not my weakness,
It is the opposite of what others are afraid of.
My voice is my suit and armor,
My shield, and all that I am.
I will comfortably breath in it, until I find the moment to be silent.
I live loudly in my mind, so many hours of the day.
The world is pin drop sound compared to the boom
That thumps and bumps against the walls of my cranium.
I live it and love it and despise it and I am entrapped in it.
So being misunderstood, I am not offended by the gesture, but honored.
If they let us..."

—A reading of the album's artwork poem If They Let Us.[42]

On October 7, 2015, Rihanna held a private viewing for fans and press at Los Angeles' MAMA Gallery, where she debuted the album's official artwork and title. Initially thought to have been entitled R8 by fans and critics alike, Rihanna announced the official title during the album's cover art release, revealing the album would be called ANTI, the exhibition included a piece of art which defined the album's title stating that anti is "a person opposed to a particular policy, activity or idea."[43] Following the exhibition, Rihanna took to social media to confirm the album's title along with an explanation of its meaning. The explanation stated, "By continuing to follow her own instincts, her work strives to make an impact by doing the very antithesis of what the public expects."[44]

The artwork was designed by Israeli artist Roy Nachum, and was described by Rihanna as her "favorite album cover".[45] The album's front cover shows an image of Rihanna, which was taken on her first day of day care,[46] holding a black balloon, with a gold crown covering her eyes; the majority of the artwork is black and white with a "smattering" of red paint.[45] Speaking about the cover art's concept, Nachum stated that he painted a young Rihanna to represent her "bringing something new" to music.[47]

Over the red, black and white canvas there is a poem written in Braille by poet Chloe Mitchell; the braille follows the theme of the album's singles artwork which also features the same technique. Speaking on her choice to use the language, Rihanna commented, "Sometimes the ones who have sight are the blindest."[45] During the cover's designing stage, Rihanna met with Mitchell, in which they "drank" and came up with a poem that would be used for the artwork and liner notes entitled If They Let Us.[42] Mitchell explained the poem and its meaning to Rolling Stone magazine, stating it was about being misunderstood, but still be able to stand out while doing what is right for you. She further said that the poem speaks about not conforming to society and being a leader as well as accepting that being misunderstood is a positive thing.[47]

At the gallery, the album's back cover, along with multiple inside album artworks were revealed. The album's back cover features the same image this time from behind.[48] The seven pieces of artwork were all named and featured a poem written by Mitchell or Nachum, the front and back covers were titled "If They Let Us Part I" and "If They Let Us Part II" and featured a poem that was split over the front and back, another piece entitled "If They Let Us" was commissioned and featured the full reading of the poem.[49] The inside booklet contains a further five pieces entitled "Fire Part I", "Fire Part II", "Fire Part III" and "R".[49]

Singles

The lead single "Work" featuring Canadian rapper Drake was released on January 27, 2016, hours before the Tidal release of Anti. Rihanna stated on Twitter that the song is the "first single" from her album.[50] "Work" debuted at number nine on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It became Rihanna's 27th top ten hit. With this feat, Rihanna tied Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson and Elton John as the artists with fifth-most top ten songs on the chart.[51] The singer reached 27 top ten singles on the Hot 100 in a span of 10 years and eight months between her first song, "Pon de Replay" and "Work" and became the fastest solo artist to reach the plateau.[52] In its fourth week, "Work" peaked at number one on the Hot 100 chart and became Rihanna's fourteenth number-one song in the United States and the 1,052nd number-one single on the chart overall. Subsequently, she became the artist with the third-most number-one songs on the chart following The Beatles with 20 and Carey with 18. She broke a tie with Michael Jackson, who had reached 13 chart-toppers on the Billboard Hot 100.[53]

On March 29, 2016, Rihanna announced that "Kiss It Better" and "Needed Me" would both be serviced to radio the following day as the album's second and third singles.[54] "Needed Me" became Rihanna's 29th top ten single on the Hot 100, making her the artist with the third most amount of top tens in Billboard history.[citation needed]

On August 21, 2016, Rihanna announced via her Instagram account that "Love on the Brain" will be the next single.[citation needed]

Release and promotion

In November 2014, Rihanna announced, that her album should come out "very soon".[55] The following month Rihanna invited "hundreds" of her fans in Paris to participate in a promotional video which was thought to be associated with the release of the album.[56] Following the album's announcement Rihanna released three singles, various snippets of songs and performed at numerous award shows, but never announced the album's release or possible release date. What was then said to be the first single from the album, "FourFiveSeconds", featuring Kanye West and Paul McCartney, was released on January 24, 2015.[57] She later released what was called the second single, "Bitch Better Have My Money", performing it for the first time at the 2nd iHeartRadio Music Awards on March 29, 2015.[58] Another song entitled "American Oxygen" debuted on Tidal on April 5, 2015. The song was at one point reported to be featured on the album.[59][60] Rihanna also posted an interlude entitled "James Joint" in its entirety from the upcoming album on her website on April 21, 2015, as a "celebration of 420".[61]

In November 2015, it was announced that Rihanna had inked a $25 million contract with Samsung to not only promote Samsung's Galaxy line of products, but to also sponsor the release of Anti and its supporting tour.[62] On November 19, 2015, Rihanna and Samsung released a 16-second cryptic video for Anti, launching a website for Rihanna's forthcoming album entitled "ANTIdiaRy". Upon launch, the mobile-only site gave messages, such as "She's waiting for you. Are you in?" and "Be patient and keep your eyes open".[63] The website then proceeded to launch eight "rooms" over the following 9 weeks, each loosely corresponding to her previous albums, detailing her personal life over the course of her career and including clues from Anti.[64] In the same month, she canceled her performance at the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show to finish work on Anti.[65]

The album leaked onto the internet in its entirety on January 27, 2016, after it was released prematurely on music streaming service Tidal.[66] Anti was exclusive to Tidal for its first full week of availability.[67] Also through Tidal, the album was made available for free download, regardless of whether a listener is a Tidal subscriber or not.[67][68] The song "Sex With Me" became popular.

Tour

Main article: Anti World Tour

The Anti World Tour was announced on November 23, 2015.[69] The Samsung-sponsored tour will start in March 2016, with Travis Scott supporting in North America, and Big Sean supporting at selected European dates.[62][70]

References

  1. ^ "Def Jam Confirms Pop Radio Push of Rihanna's "Love on the Brain"". Headline Planet. Retrieved September 6, 2016.
  2. ^ Kot, Greg (November 19, 2012). "Album review: Rihanna, 'Unapologetic'". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on February 4, 2013. Retrieved February 4, 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Ellis, Stacy-Ann (November 19, 2012). "'Unapologetic' Review: Rihanna Is Sorry She's Not Sorry". Vibe. Archived from the original on October 23, 2013. Retrieved March 16, 2015. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ Thrills, Adam (November 15, 2012). "Rihanna is unapologetic as she wins the battle of the divas". Daily Mail. London. Archived from the original on January 20, 2014. Retrieved November 18, 2012. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Roberts, Randall (November 16, 2012). "Review: Rihanna's 'Unapologetic' shines light on past drama". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on March 27, 2013. Retrieved November 16, 2012. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Sinha-Roy, Piya (November 23, 2012). "Rihanna's "Diamonds" tops Hot 100, "Unapologetic" to debut big". Chicago Tribune. Archived from the original on March 16, 2013. Retrieved March 16, 2013. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ Caulfield, Keith (November 27, 2012). "Rihanna Earns First No. 1 Album on Billboard 200 Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014. Retrieved November 27, 2012. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ a b "NME interview". NME. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
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  47. ^ a b "Rihanna's glitzy artsy album cover launch". RollingStone. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  48. ^ "Rihanna R8 anti new album cover art". Spin. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  49. ^ a b "Rihanna reveals elaborate artwork". ConsequnceofSound. Retrieved October 8, 2015.
  50. ^ "Here's Rihanna's New Song 'Work' With Drake". Time. January 27, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  51. ^ Caulfield, Keith; Trust, Gary (February 1, 2016). "Rihanna's 'Anti' & 'Work' Blast Onto Billboard Charts". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  52. ^ Trust, Gary (February 2, 2016). "Rihanna Ties Mariah, Janet & Elton for Fifth-Most Hot 100 Top 10s". Billboard. Retrieved February 2, 2016.
  53. ^ Trust, Gary (February 22, 2016). "Rihanna & Drake Rise to No. 1 on Hot 100 With 'Work'". Billboard. Retrieved February 22, 2016.
  54. ^ Wass, Mike (March 29, 2016). "Rihanna Unveils 'Kiss It Better' And "Needed Me" Single Covers". Idolator. United States: SpinMedia. Retrieved April 4, 2016. {{cite web}}: templatestyles stripmarker in |website= at position 1 (help)
  55. ^ Cite error: The named reference Schillaci was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  56. ^ "Everything We Know About Rihanna's Next Album". Vulture.
  57. ^ White, Caitlin (January 25, 2015). "Rihanna Dropped Her New Song With Kanye And Paul McCartney—Hear 'FourFiveSeconds'". MTV News. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  58. ^ Anderson, Stacey (March 29, 2015). "Rihanna Debuts 'Bitch Better Have My Money' at iHeartRadio Awards". Billboard. Retrieved April 3, 2015.
  59. ^ "Rihanna Debuts Soulful 'American Oxygen' on Tidal". Time. April 6, 2015.
  60. ^ "Rihanna Debuts 'American Oxygen,' Slams RFRA at March Madness Fest". April 5, 2015.
  61. ^ "james joint". April 21, 2015. Retrieved May 30, 2015.
  62. ^ a b "Rihanna inks $25M sponsorship deal with Samsung". New York Post. Retrieved November 17, 2015.
  63. ^ "Rihanna is teaming up with Samsung for 'Anti,' unveils album website". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved November 21, 2015.
  64. ^ "Rihanna launched #R4". Retrieved December 10, 2015.
  65. ^ Gregory Hicks (November 3, 2015). "Rihanna Cancels Her Victoria Secret Performance, But For A Great Reason". MTV. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
  66. ^ "Rihanna's New Album 'Anti' Is Leaked Online". The New York Times. January 27, 2016. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  67. ^ a b McIntyre, Hugh (January 27, 2016). "Rihanna's Album Is Dropping At Midnight, And She's Giving It Away For Free". Forbes. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  68. ^ "Anti". Tidal. Retrieved January 27, 2016.
  69. ^ Kreps, Daniel (November 23, 2015). "Rihanna Details Massive 'Anti' World Tour". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 23, 2015.
  70. ^ @Rihanna (November 23, 2015). "Rihanna: Anti World Tour" (Tweet). Retrieved November 26, 2015 – via Twitter.

Puma

In the fall of 2015, Rihanna released her first trainer with Puma, named creepers, the sneaker sold out online with three hours of its pre-sale launch. Two months later, in November, a men’s version of the creeper was released and was sold out by the following day.[1] In May 2016, Rihanna released the third instalment of the Fenty x Puma creeper, the trainers sold out within thirty-five minutes of release.[2] Then in 2016, she released the PUMA Fenty Trainer, which premiered in red, white, and black, and then was scheduled to release in a grey "Quarry" colorway at midnight on June 14 via Packer Shoes; they sold for $180.[3] The "Fenty Trainers" were available on June 15 in-store at both Packer Shoes locations.[3] Besides the creepers and trainer collection, Rihanna and Puma, released a faux fur pool slide made in three colours like the creepers, the collection sold out within thirty minutes.[4] As well as designing shoes, Rihanna debuted a clothing line in collaboration with Puma at New York Fashion Week, the collection was met with rave reviews from fashion critics.[5]


Under her PUMA collection, she released the "Puma Creepers".



The publication also relays the brand has experienced the most growth in footwear, which is the area that Rihanna has given most of her focus since taking on the position as Creative Director. Fans are reportedly overly antsy to get their hands on the latest designs by the singer, including the “creeper to the furry shower slides. ” Rihanna has revealed clothing line for the brand Fenty by Puma was also met with rave reviews when first shown at NY Fashion Week. Read more at http://www.inquisitr.com/3048389/puma-sales-sky-rocket-thanks-to-kylie-jenner-and-rihanna-kylie-not-backing-down-despite-kanyes-competition/#sGEc5imGk1dZLPpK.99


Writing and development

After the release of Unapologetic and its accompanying tour, Rihanna aimed to take a hiatus from recording music stating; “I wanted to have a year to just do whatever I want artistically, creatively,” Rihanna went on to state that this hiatus lasted a week and she had returned to the studio. During the initial writing and development of the album, Rihanna recording a vast amount of songs that were up-tempo, but was unsure of what she wanted Anti to sound like. Following the albums initially recording Rihanna became bored with pop music stating that she gravitated towards music that was "honest" and represented her at that time. Rihanna also recognised that the music she was recording "might not be some automatic record that will be Top 40," but believes she had "earned the right to do that now.”[6] Following this, Rihanna began to collaborate with producers and writers aiming to create Anti. Initially she began working with past collaborates such as Alex da Kid who along with American rock group X Ambassadors created "American Oxygen". The writing of the song started in 2014, with Rihanna co-writing the verses with Harris and Kid, "I wrote one thing and then Alex and Rihanna had the idea to turn it into this song about an immigrant story, coming to this country as an outsider... That was her idea, really, hers and Alex's, to turn it into that kind of song."[7]

Kanye West was initially the executive producer of Anti, however West did not contribute to the albums final track listing.

During the album's early development Rihanna aimed to create an album that was both "soulful" and "aggressive", elaborating on this she stated that the aggressive and soulful themes would be heard in the musical, lyrical and vocal context.[8] During a press conference in early 2014, Rihanna told MTV News that she aimed to depart from the musical style of her previous releases, which she described as being "big songs. From the jump, they just blow up." Rihanna continued to state that with Anti she would be focusing on music that "felt real" and soulful and would be timeless.[9] She also stated that she wanted to record songs that could be "timeless" and that she could perform 15 years later. "Not any songs that were burnt out. I find that when I get on stage now, I don't want to perform a lot of my songs. They don't feel like me."[9]

In early 2015 Kanye West announced he would be exceutivley producing Anti. The collaboration came about a year into the albums recording sessions.[10] After Rihanna and West had a meeting, West played her his album which featured work from singer and guitarist Paul McCartney, after hearing the music Rihanna stated she "had to have it" on her album which led the pair to working together.[10] Besides serving as the executive producer of the album West also featured on the song "FourFiveSeconds" along with McCartney, however along with "American Oxygen", the song did not make the albums final cut. In mid-2015 music critics and the media began reporting that Rihanna had scrapped the album in favour of starting again.[11] By September 2015, work on the album slowed down, due to Rihanna's and West's schedules, making it impossible for the pair to record together. Rihanna stated that the pair would be back in the recording studio by November.[12] The same month, Rihanna said that she was still in the process of recording Anti stating it would not be done until the "final moment".[13] However by early 2016, Rihanna revealed that West would no longer executive producer of the album as both of them are working on different projects.[14]

Music and lyrics

Anti has an unconventional musical style, and was seen as a departure from Rihanna's previous material, leaving behind the club and dance genres of her previous releases for a predominantly pop[15] and R&B album.[16] With influences from dancehall and soul music .[17] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian viewed the album as an "experimental R&B" album with elements of psychedelia,[18] whilst Lindsay Zoladz of Vulture believed that "to neatly classify Anti by genre, you'd have to invent one," which she described as being "industrial dancehall".[19] Ben Rayner of The Toronto Star stated that Anti is divided into two halves; the first consisting of "futuristic robo-R&B", whilst the second half contains "a more organic breed of soul".[20] Writing on behalf of Billboard, Julianne Escobedo Shepherd found the Ant's hazy rap and alternative R&B style was similar to artists such as Jhené Aiko and Travis Scott.

Containing interludes and a lack of verses, choruses, melodies and hooks,[21] the album's production has been characterized as being, dark, sparsely layered,[22] bouncy, with lo-fi bass, old school styles,[17] downtempo moodiness and electro-soul minimalism.[20] Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph described the album and musically focusing on "depth and texture" using a mid-tempo rhythm.[21] Stephen Erlewine of All Music stated that albums key factor is it's mood which he noted as being a "subdued, simmering affair, its songs subtly shaded yet interlocked to create a vibe caught halfway between heartbreak and ennui."[23] Anti's production is less prominent in comparison to Rihanna's previous, which allowed "room" for Rihanna's vocals to be derived in a raw and emotional dense style.[24] Throughout the album RIhanna's vocals were used as a focal point, singing with a feathery falsetto, with dexterity, acumen, soul and deep tones, that incorporates the use of her native patio.[22][25]

During the albums recording Rihanna aimed to create an album that was both "soulful" and "aggressive", elaborating on this she stated that the aggressive and soulful themes would be heard in the musical, lyrical or vocal context.[26] During a press conference in early 2014, Rihanna told MTV News that she aimed to depart from the musical style, of her pervious releases, which she described as being "big songs. From the jump, they just blow up." Rihanna continued to state that with "Anti" she would be focusing on music that "felt real" and soulful and would be timeless.[9] She also stated that she wanted to record songs that could be "timeless" and she could perform them in a span of 15 years, "Not any songs that were burnt out. I find that when I get on stage now, I don’t want to perform a lot of my songs. They don’t feel like me."[9]

Anti's lyrics feature themes of sex, love, drugs, desire and frustration,[21] however the album's lyrical content predominantly touches upon themes of relationships, exploring what it means to be in love, to get hurt, to need someone, and to be true to yourself.[22] The themes of relationships are picked up in numerous songs such as "Kiss It Better" which sees Rihanna questioning how far an ex-lover will go to get her back; in "Woo", Rihanna turns spiteful, stating she does not care for her ex-partner, while "Never Ending" features Rihanna admitting she would like to be in love again.[22] The album's themes were also noted as being unapologetic, with an uncaring attitude, and self-assurance.[17] Writing on behalf of The Guardian Alexis Petridis's stated that "amid the sagas of romantic woe and the inevitable references to marijuana, there are a lot of lyrics about doing things her own way, being more creative, and a pointed-sounding line about her ability to “cover shit in glitter and turn it gold”."[18]

Songs

During a press conference in early 2014, Rihanna told MTV News that the albums music would be different from previous releases which she discribed as being "big songs. From the jump, they just blow up." Rihanna continued to state that with "Anti" she would be focusing on music that "felt real" and soulful and would be timeless.[9] Rihanna later described the album as both "soulful" and "aggressive" whether it was its music, lyrics or vocals.[27]

On Anti, all of the focus is on that voice and her appealingly wayward personality, singing about sex, love, drugs, desire and frustration as if her life depends on it. Without all the practised song-craft that usually knock the wind out of listeners, what she has come up with is atmospheric, sexy and strangely disturbed, tapping into the kind of distorted beats and chilled tempos that burble through progressive hip hop.

 — Neil McCormick, discussing the album's musical and vocal style.[21]

Anti is a departure from Rihanna's previous material, leaving behind the club and dance genres of her previous releases for a predominantly pop[15] and R&B album,[16] with elements of dancehall and soul.[17] The album's production has been characterized as being, dark, sparsely layered,[22] bouncy, with lo-fi bass, old school styles,[17] downtempo moodiness and electro-soul minimalism.[20] Lindsay Zoladz of Vulture believed that "to neatly classify Anti by genre, you'd have to invent one," which she described as being "industrial dancehall".[28] Ben Rayner of The Toronto Star stated that Anti is divided into two halves; the first consisting of "futuristic robo-R&B", whilst the second half contains "a more organic breed of soul".[20] The albums songs were seen as being a representation of Rihanna experimenting with her Barbadian culture, with a mixture of early hip-hop sounds on "Consideration," folk styles on "Never Ending," doo-wop on "Love On the Brain," piano ballad's such as "Close to You," and the dancehall rhythm featured on "Work".[29]

During the album's recording Rihanna aimed to create an album that was both "soulful" and "aggressive", elaborating on this she stated that the aggressive and soulful themes would be heard in the musical, lyrical and vocal context.[30] During a press conference in early 2014, Rihanna told MTV News that she aimed to depart from the musical style of her previous releases, which she described as being "big songs. From the jump, they just blow up." Rihanna continued to state that with Anti she would be focusing on music that "felt real" and soulful and would be timeless.[9] She also stated that she wanted to record songs that could be "timeless" and that she could perform 15 years later. "Not any songs that were burnt out. I find that when I get on stage now, I don't want to perform a lot of my songs. They don't feel like me."[9]

The album's lyrical content predominantly touches upon themes of relationships, exploring what it means to be in love, to get hurt, to need someone, and to be true to yourself.[22] The theme of relationships is picked up in numerous songs; "Kiss It Better" sees Rihanna questioning how far an ex-lover will go to get her back; in "Woo", Rihanna turns spiteful, stating she does not care for her ex-partner, while "Never Ending" features Rihanna admitting she would like to be in love again.[22] The album's themes were also noted as being unapologetic, with an uncaring attitude, and self-assurance these lyrics were picked up on tracks such as "Consideration", which features frustrations.[17] Erin Macleod of NPR Music stated that lyrically the albums songs were metaphors, for anti-colonislisim. Macleod picked up on tracks such as "Needed Me", which which features lyrics such as "Didn't they tell you that I was a savage?, Fuck ya white horse and ya carriage", Macleod stated that these phrases seem to be that of a conversation between two lovers but could possibly be speaking against the larger narrative of colonialism.[29] Macleod continued to state that other tracks such as "Work" contained a similar narrative due to Rihanna's use of patois.[29]


"American Oxygen" is a ballad.[31] According to Jim Farber of New York Daily News, it features a "deeply resonant production" accompanied by EDM-inspired beats.[31] Jessica Goodman of The Huffington Post described it as a "slowed-down, dubstep-influenced track".[32] Farber compared the lyrical content of the song to the one of the 2009 single "Empire State of Mind" by Jay Z and Alicia Keys. According to Farber, "American Oxygen" "offers an un-ironic endorsement of the American dream, saluting unending possibility and upward mobility".[31] According to Jake Flanagin of Quartz, the song is autobiographical to Rihanna and describes her move to the United States in late 2003, when record producer Evan Rogers discovered her in Barbados.[33]

"FourFiveSeconds" is an acoustic pop and soul pop song,[34][35] with a length of three minutes and eight seconds.[36] Critics noted how the song has a stripped back feel to it,[34] and that it incorporates elements of country and folk.[37][38] "FourFiveSeconds" makes use of a simple instrumentation, primarily consisting of an acoustic guitar and organ, as well as a cello in the background.[39][40] Lyrically, it "express emotions ranging from the flip to the resigned".[34] Sharan Shetty of Slate stated that the song is about "heartbreak and redemption",[41] while a Yahoo! News reviewer noted that it is about "personal travails and confusion".[42]

"James Joint" is an interlude that lasts for The song is a mellow Jazz[43] and neo-soul song, that features keyboards built over rising bass riffs that create a thickly textured groove, the song takes influence from neo-soul and was compared to the work of Stevie Wonder, due to the use of a harmonica.[44] The songs "light keys and synth bass" were compared to the work of producer Thundercat by Patrick Lyons, who also noted Rihanna's vocals as being "low-key" and "warm".[43] Lyrically "James Joint" speaks about a love, "laced" with weed, wild lovemaking and danger.[45]


"Bitch Better Have My Money" is a trap song[46] that was noted as being reminiscent to the works of West, particularly the half-sang and half-rapped vocals, delivered in a Caribbean accent.[47] Lewis Corner of Digital Spy noted that the track represents a sequel to the music material present on Rihanna 2012 seventh studio album, Unapologetic,[48] with lyrics, that feature an angrier tone than "Rihanna's usual oeuvre".[46]

Packaging and title

I sometimes fear that I am misunderstood.
It is simply because what I want to say,
what I need to say, won't be heard.
Heard in a way I so rightfully deserve.
What I choose to say is of so much substance
That people just won't understand the depth of my message.
So my voice is not my weakness,
It is the opposite of what others are afraid of.
My voice is my suit and armor,
My shield, and all that I am.
I will comfortably breath in it, until I find the moment to be silent.
I live loudly in my mind, so many hours of the day.
The world is pin drop sound compared to the boom
That thumps and bumps against the walls of my cranium.
I live it and love it and despise it and I am entrapped in it.
So being misunderstood, I am not offended by the gesture, but honored.
If they let us...

—A reading of the albums artwork poem If They Let Us.[49]

On Wednesday October 7, 2015 Rihanna held a private viewing for fans and press at Los Angeles' Mama Gallery, where she debuted the albums official artwork and title, the guests were encouraged to wear red blindfolds upon entry and closes their eyes to the braille versions of the albums liner notes.[49] The album albums cover art was designed by Israeli artist Roy Nachum, and was described by Rihanna as her "favourite album cover".[50] An oil painting the albums front cover shows and image of Rihanna which was taken on her first day of daycare,[51] holding a black balloon, with a gold crown covering her eyes, the majority of the artwork is black and white with a "smattering" of red paint.[50] Speaking about the cover arts concept Nachum stated that he painted a young Rihanna to represent her "bringing something new" to music.[52]

Over the red, black and white canvas there is a poem written in braille by poet Chloe Mitchell, the braille follows the theme of the albums singles artwork which also feature the same technique. Speaking on her choice to use braille Rihanna said "Sometimes the ones who have sight are the blindest."[53] During the covers designing stage, Rihanna met with Chloe Mitchell, in which they "drank" and came up with a poem that would be used for the artwork and linear notes entitled If They Let Us.[49] Mitchell explained the poem and its meaning to RollingStone magazine, stating it was about being misunderstood, but still be able to stand out whilst doing what is right for you, continuing Mitchell said that the poem speaks about not conforming to society and being a leader as well as excepting that being misunderstood is a positive thing. [52]

File:This is the back album cover of Rihanna's album Anti.png
Back cover of the album

At the gallery the albums back cover along with multiple inside album artworks were revealed. The album back cover features a similar image of Rihanna as a child, however this time from behind, like the front cover the back art features braille whilst the inside covers feature poetry sculpted in Braille by Nachum, the use of braille made the album become the first album ever to incorporate physical Braille. [54] The seven pieces of artwork were all named and featured a poem written by Mitchell or Nachum, the front and back covers were titled “If They Let Us Part I” and “If They Let Us Part II” and featured a poem that was split over the front and back, another piece entitled "If They Let Us" was commissioned and featured the full reading of the poem.[55] The inside booklet contains a further five pieces entitled “Fire Part I”, “Fire Part II”, “Fire Part III” and “R‎”.[55]

Initially thought to have been entitled R8 by fans and critics a like, Rihanna announced the official title during the albums cover art release, revealing the album would be called Anti stylized as ANTI, the exhibition included a piece of art which defined the albums title stating that anti is "a person opposed to a particular policy, activity or idea.” [56] Following the exhibition Rihanna took to social media to confirm the albums title once again along with an explanation of its meaning, the explanation stated "By continuing to follow her own instincts, her work strives to make an impact by doing the very antithesis of what the public expects.”[57]


Impact

Anti and its lead single "Work" were seen as displaying West Indian black culture prominently without appropriation from mainstream culture..

Anti along with Kanye West's The Life of Pablo, and Beyonce's "Formation" were noted as being a "pop reformation". The three bodies of work were said to have been released unconventionally and contained themes of black power, which was described as causing "anxiety", Bryan Garsten, a professor of political science at Yale, stated that "anger contains the seeds of politics, and the same might be said of these projects’ defiant attitudes. Just under their surface simmers the anger and restlessness that inspire action." Jacob Potash of The Yale Herald stated that releases such as Beyoncé's self-titled (2013), D'Angelo's, Black Messiah (2014), and Kendrick Lamar's, To Pimp a Butterfly (2015), were noted as laying the groundwork down for the political charged releases that happened in 2016, which included Anti.[58]

Taj Rani of Billboard stated "Work" has brought the genre of dancehall to the forefront of American music, as it became the first dancehall song to top the Billboard Hot 100 since Sean Paul's "Temperature" reached the feat in 2006. She opined the song is a prime example of "an unapologetic black woman proudly showing her heritage at a time when our politics are dominated by #BlackLivesMatter and Donald Trump’s racist, xenophobic and misogynistic tirades." Rani continued to state that although mainstream critics are uncomfortable with Rihanna’s use of patois (describing it as "gibberish"), she is able to display black culture front and center without appropriation from mainstream culture.[59]

Following the songs release a reviewer from RollingStone noted "Work" as being a Tropical Pop song. The review caused outrage, with numerous reviewers responding, Idolator’s Bianca Gracie was among the first to respond stating “What a joke! You do know where that sound originated from right?”, this was followed by users correcting the magazine stating it was not tropical pop but in fact dancehall. Following the RollingStone review critic Jody Rosen stated that the song’s style was similar to Justin Bieber’s, Purpose singles. Reviewers from Spin Magazine replied to this remarks and stated that the reviews were white-washing dancehall music.[60]

The albums commercial performance especially its streaming performance, was noted as helping R&B flourish again, along with Drake and Kanye West, Rihanna was cited as the second most streamed artist of 2016, earning 795 million streams by June.[61]


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