Every album Rihanna puts out breaks the barriers of what we thought we could expect from her. Not only has she completely redefine herself she has the music to back it up.
Rihanna got her start in 2005 with “Pon de Replay”, which reached the top five in twelve countries. She followed that up with consistent great albums, “A Girl like Me” in 2006, “Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded” in 2008, which included the hit single, “Umbrella”, “Rated R” in 2009, “Loud” in 2010- with almost every song turning into a single due to the popularity. Then “Talk That Talk” in 2011 which was a radio goldmine, “Unapologetic” in 2012 which contained the extremely popular song “Diamonds”, and finally “Anti” in 2016. “Anti” had a sound that she has not really done before but it was one of her best albums.
“Anti” was her first record since leaving Def Jam, and “Anti” marks the introduction of a new Rihanna, the one who isn’t so controlled by a record company. On “Loud” you could tell that the record company was heavily involved with her image as she was collaborating with the hottest artists on the Billboard chart, not really branching out from her stage persona. Her features included Drake in “What’s My Name”, David Guetta’s track “Who’s That Chick?” and on Nicki Minaj’s track “Fly.” Even though Rihanna was on the radio constantly, the fans really didn’t know anything about her as a person. But with the release of “Anti,” the listener can see more of her personal style, which shows her growth as an artist. There is definitely a switch from her previous electro-pop sound to a more refined sound defined by her personality, that we always knew she had.
See Rihanna’s transformation here:
But Rihanna and N.E.R.D’s new track “Lemon” goes even further than that. At first listen, I didn’t even know it was Rihanna since she has never done rap before. It is a pleasant surprise that actually works. She is now going outside her genre of pop to show us even more of talent she possesses. Being able to do other genres, and have it work is the sign of a true icon.
An artist that evolves, is an artist that stays. “Lemon” officially landed Rihanna’s 50th Top 40 single. The only female artist that is ahead of her is Taylor Swift who has 55 Top 40 singles. Rihanna is currently tied with The Beatles and has surpassed Madonna who has 40. Who knows how long Rihanna’s rain will continue? Based on the last 13 years I would predict it not only is here to stay but to thrive. Anti truly marked her as an icon, and “Lemon” is shoving it in everyone’s faces.
Listen to “Lemon” Here:
