Rihanna – "Baby Fenty #2" era

[koolthing]

Jun 30, 2017 17:41:36 GMT -5 Ling-Ling said:

I want the quality she brought on the highlights of Anti over an entire album. Anti is by far her most inconsistent album for me post GGGB. You have genius sh*t like "Consideration," "Kiss It Better," "Needed Me," "Desperado," "Love On The Brain," etc. Then complete sh*t like "Pose" and "Woo" (which are the two worst songs she's ever recorded IMO). And then half-baked non-starters that are barely even interludes, "Yeah I Said It," "James Joint," 'Higher." So much of that album was wasted potential. Intriguing wasted potential, but still a waste. I want this album to have the focus that one lacked.

Wow, our opinions couldn't be more different. I couldn't even get through a full Rihanna album between Rated R and Anti.

[Live Your Life]

I'm actually not itching for a new album right now. Anti is still holding me over. I'd be fine with something next year.

[kmbgs]

I'd love a collection of glossy pop tracks a la Loud or even TTT. I know that will never happen so I'll keep drinking my protein shake and watching the real housewives.

[Glove Slap]

I don't think it will be this album, but I do think that we'll see a more uptempo, more pop-leaning (albeit not in the Loud vein) effort from Rihanna sooner than most would think.

By the end of next year or so, I expect that the tempo of mainstream music will be noticeably picking up again.

[Snowbeast]

With Rihanna, we should expect the unexpected. The only time she gave a predictable sound progression was from Rated R-Loud.

[spaceykSVP1999]

The next album will be urban. Timora Taylor is at the camp now.

[feoba]

-Music of the Sun and A Girl Like Me are both really underrated. However most of MOTS should've been scrapped.

-Good Girl Gone Bad is a classic. With hits like Umbrella and Don't Stop the Music, this album with be rihmembered as the album that created Rihanna.

- Rated R is Rihanna's most powerful album. Rihanna shows two sides of her, a "hard" boss ass bitch, and an emotional victim. As a whole album, it's probably her most well crafted and put together album.

- Loud is basic 2010 pop album. The red hair is iconic and some songs on there are anthems, but the album, along with the likes of Teenage Dream, etc. will be remembered for being 2010 pop albums.

- For an album that was thrown together in a few weeks, Talk That Talk actually an amazing an underrated album. It's a spiritual successor to Rated R and it proves itself too. The album consistantly switches between sex anthems to broken love anthems and it's amazing.

- For me, I love individual songs on Unapologetic more than I love Unapologetic itself. It has some good bops, like Numb & Jump, and also manages to get indie Get It Over With & reggae No Love Allowed in there as well.

- ANTI is amazing in every form of the word. Most people hate Woo and Pose, but they're both amazing songs. There isn't a lot of consistency in the album, an example would be the tranofrom James Joint to Kiss it Better to Work to Desperado, but it owns the fact that' it's unique. I love this album and it's one of my favorites. ANTI as well hasn't aged a bit which is very good, I can still bop out to it and not feel tired through it. My own dislike of ANTI is that about half of the songs are like when you write the first draft of an essay and send it in anyway. About half of the songs are like minute long interludes which takes me out of listening to it. Like I love James Joint but it's only like 30 seconds long, how am I supposed to enjoy it?

[Normi]

Jul 10, 2017 6:13:04 GMT -5 feoba said:

-Music of the Sun and A Girl Like Me are both really underrated. However most of MOTS should've been scrapped.
I feel like they really are. 'Rush' and 'Final Goodbye' are some of my favorites from her.
-Good Girl Gone Bad is a classic. With hits like Umbrella and Don't Stop the Music, this album with be rihmembered as the album that created Rihanna.
Preach!
- Rated R is Rihanna's most powerful album. Rihanna shows two sides of her, a "hard" boss ass bitch, and an emotional victim. As a whole album, it's probably her most well crafted and put together album.
There are so many amazing songs on there but sadly it hasn't aged well.
- Loud is basic 2010 pop album. The red hair is iconic and some songs on there are anthems, but the album, along with the likes of Teenage Dream, etc. will be remembered for being 2010 pop albums.
Basic but so good! Especially the singles made this era very smooth
- For an album that was thrown together in a few weeks, Talk That Talk actually an amazing an underrated album. It's a spiritual successor to Rated R and it proves itself too. The album consistantly switches between sex anthems to broken love anthems and it's amazing.
This album is everything! I love the slower songs and the faster songs equally. Like how did they do this???
- For me, I love individual songs on Unapologetic more than I love Unapologetic itself. It has some good bops, like Numb & Jump, and also manages to get indie Get It Over With & reggae No Love Allowed in there as well.
I think it was the point when they realized they should take more time for albums. The good ones are really really good but the not so good ones are pure crab.
- ANTI is amazing in every form of the word. Most people hate Woo and Pose, but they're both amazing songs. There isn't a lot of consistency in the album, an example would be the tranofrom James Joint to Kiss it Better to Work to Desperado, but it owns the fact that' it's unique. I love this album and it's one of my favorites. ANTI as well hasn't aged a bit which is very good, I can still bop out to it and not feel tired through it. My own dislike of ANTI is that about half of the songs are like when you write the first draft of an essay and send it in anyway. About half of the songs are like minute long interludes which takes me out of listening to it. Like I love James Joint but it's only like 30 seconds long, how am I supposed to enjoy it?
Waay too many interludes. It's a shock to me honestly that there is no interlude on the album that got an extended version. Overall the album is gold!

Shared my thoughts as well :)

[adamalterlago]

Does anyone else have their fingers crossed that Rih gets that 15th #1 with Wild Thoughts?

[Choco]

As much as we like to hate on LOUD for being predictably full-on pop after Rated R, the singles from that era are great (minus CKB). And she's never quite managed to replicate the chart feat of three #1 singles in a row.

[Normi]

Jul 10, 2017 11:31:54 GMT -5 Choco said:

As much as we like to hate on LOUD for being predictably full-on pop after Rated R, the singles from that era are great (minus CKB). And she's never quite managed to replicate the chart feat of three #1 singles in a row.

It's also technically her only album to achieve multiple #1s. (GGGB:R has two but idk it's a bit weird in that case)

[wjr15]

The three straight years of Loud, Talk That Talk, and Unapologetic were amazing and those are still my Top 3 Rihanna albums. I still can't believe Talk That Talk was completed in only a few weeks and it is hands down my favorite Rihanna album.

[Glove Slap]

Loud was where she truly became a megastar, any other version of events is fantasy and blatant revisionism.

[Deleted]

"Talk That Talk" is her most strongest album to me as well, with the most replay value. It's crazy how much of a club staple "Watch N Learn" is here in Atlanta, and EVERYONE goes crazy and sings along when it plays.

[Caviar]

Besides the obvious WFL, "Do Ya Thang" was HOT.

[wavey.]

Watch N Learn & Do Ya Thang are missed opportunities.

[Normi]

There are so many wasted opportunities

'Rush' wouldhave established her even earlier
'Kisses Don't Lie' fit perfect at the time; 'Final Goodbye' was also strong but 'Unfaithful' already was a thing
No word on GGGB
'Photographs', 'G4L' and 'Fire Bomb' would have been much better choices than 'Rockstar 101' and 'Wait Your Turn'
Loud was really smooth; 'Man Down' should have been bigger (more promo)
'Drunk On Love' could have been huge and 'Farewell' could have been like 'Stay'
'Lost In Paradise'...
And well... 'Desperado' (still crossing for it to be performed at an Award show and released to iTunes as 'Desperado (remix) ft. Justin Bieber' (lol I'm really desperate with this song )

[Deleted]

^"Rush" would've been better than IILTYW sure, but Let Me would've done the job even better. Things have a funny way of working out though, because if she had stronger singles during her debut, AGLM might have never happened, and that obviously lead the mainstream direction of GGGB.

What's crazy is that despite with the obvious missed opportunities (and I'd say Breakin' Dishes is probably the biggest), her career has turned out pretty much perfect. There were obvious hits that she could've had, but she already has so many that tower over majority of her peers that it kinda doesn't matter.

[Deleted]

Jul 10, 2017 12:00:35 GMT -5 Glove Slap said:

Loud was where she truly became a megastar, any other version of events is fantasy and blatant revisionism.

Just because I live to be argumentative and petty, I'm going to insist the Rude Boy-LTWYL stretch was when she really became a megastar. Technically RB is Rated R era but it flowed so naturally and quickly into LTWYL's run (which in turn flowed right into Only Girl) that it was kind of like one smooth brushstroke to me.

[Choco]

Only real mistake between Rude Boy and Stay was You Da One. What a wasted opportunity, following her biggest hit.

[koolthing]

Jul 10, 2017 15:34:42 GMT -5 Choco said:

Only real mistake between Rude Boy and Stay was You Da One. What a wasted opportunity, following her biggest hit.

Omg I'm cringing remembering the video

[NeRD]

Jul 10, 2017 21:29:52 GMT -5 koolthing said:

Jul 10, 2017 15:34:42 GMT -5 Choco said:

Only real mistake between Rude Boy and Stay was You Da One. What a wasted opportunity, following her biggest hit.

Omg I'm cringing remembering the video

Lmao she was such a hot mess during that time. Clearly overworked and no f**ks given mode. I remember the behind the scenes video for it and I cringed the whole time. And that Birthday Cake remix...

I could write an essay for each and every era, the highs and the lows. But you guys have done a pretty good job summing everything up.

On a side note; I believe Cheers would have been a #1 contender had it been fourth and had an official video.

[Glove Slap]

Jul 10, 2017 15:33:17 GMT -5 @antigonerising said:

Jul 10, 2017 12:00:35 GMT -5 Glove Slap said:

Loud was where she truly became a megastar, any other version of events is fantasy and blatant revisionism.

Just because I live to be argumentative and petty, I'm going to insist the Rude Boy-LTWYL stretch was when she really became a megastar. Technically RB is Rated R era but it flowed so naturally and quickly into LTWYL's run (which in turn flowed right into Only Girl) that it was kind of like one smooth brushstroke to me.

I disagree. I think Rude Boy is certainly one of her most important releases because it showed she could still get a huge hit at after a period when things were cooling a bit (though Run This Town certainly helped keep her out there hit-wise in '09 in some form), but it didn't move her to any ground she hadn't been to prior. At the time, LTWYL went down more for being part of Eminem's big comeback (after perceivably mixed results and reception the year prior) than for her. And a part of it was that at that point, she still wasn't a huge persona on a similar level. She sang the hook, and yeah some made the Chris Brown connection, but it still counted more for him. This is where some of the revisionism kicks in, but when it was occurring, she wasn't as big as she'd become a short while later.

It was specifically in the build up to and release of Loud when Only Girl and WMN hit near simultaneously when she started to finally break through the barrier that had been there prior and start to establish herself as an out-and-out megastar and persona. It was after that point where she had truly arrived in a way that she hadn't prior. To illustrate my point, I think if she'd run her career the way she has post-Loud (well WFL to be exact) before that point (relying strongly on her name/brand, and focusing more on other things than her music career than the constant hard-hitting promo runs she was doing through WFL, as well as the more out there/abrasive/"edgy" image), it wouldn't have worked. Afterwards, she was a big enough name and brand that the work she'd done prior had established her solidly to the point where she didn't have to push her product to the same extent as a newcomer. Things do line up in a clear line for RB-LTWYL-OG/WMN-S&M, but late 2010 was the specific point when the last wall to Megastardom shattered for her.

I think on internet/fan forums, any period that is consciously marketed as some sort of deeper/artistic gets auto-support (like people scrambling for positive points for My December or Witness), but in the real world, the Rated R era didn't do anything for her in the long run, aside from giving the starting arrows to her mega 2010-2013 run with RB. And even that one song isn't even that much since its run ended, but it was important (Rude Boy, not Rated R) in her hit catalog.

[Choco]

Jul 11, 2017 18:20:45 GMT -5 NeRD said:

Jul 10, 2017 21:29:52 GMT -5 koolthing said:

Omg I'm cringing remembering the video

Lmao she was such a hot mess during that time. Clearly overworked and no f**ks given mode. I remember the behind the scenes video for it and I cringed the whole time. And that Birthday Cake remix...

I could write an essay for each and every era, the highs and the lows. But you guys have done a pretty good job summing everything up.

On a side note; I believe Cheers would have been a #1 contender had it been fourth and had an official video.

Cheers is one of her most underrated singles. I'm glad it at least cracked the top 10. I remember being pissed at them for killing it quickly in favor of WFL (and then WFL ended up being my favorite Rihanna song so I wasn't mad for long).

[Caviar]

Jul 11, 2017 19:25:52 GMT -5 Choco said:

Jul 11, 2017 18:20:45 GMT -5 NeRD said:

Lmao she was such a hot mess during that time. Clearly overworked and no f**ks given mode. I remember the behind the scenes video for it and I cringed the whole time. And that Birthday Cake remix...

I could write an essay for each and every era, the highs and the lows. But you guys have done a pretty good job summing everything up.

On a side note; I believe Cheers would have been a #1 contender had it been fourth and had an official video.

Cheers is one of her most underrated singles. I'm glad it at least cracked the top 10. I remember being pissed at them for killing it quickly in favor of WFL (and then WFL ended up being my favorite Rihanna song so I wasn't mad for long).

Exactly. They quickly killed "Cheers" for WFL and tried that shit again by releasing "You Da One" but it backfired and they got their asses handed to them on a platter. Everything after that was overshadowed but had they waited to after the new year (and picked a better follow up), TTT would've been bigger. No reason why "Watch N Learn" wasn't released second.

[wjr15]

We Found Love was such a jauggernaut of a single, it cut the chart life of Cheers short, completely overshadowed You Da One, and never let Talk That Talk truly take off

[Dylan :)]

My favourite song from her is and always will be Stay. After that is Take A Bow and Unfaithful. I didn't have any time for anything since Work but I am still excited for this - hopefully there is at least one Stay 2.0. She has always been one of those artists that I like but generally don't have a list of songs from her that I would listen to regularly. She just has a great voice and I like her being on the charts. Seeing as people were talking about Eminem in the Hot 100 thread, a new Love The Way You Lie/The Monster would be great! :)

[Normi]

I just rewatched 'Where have you been' and read through the comments
Seriously, if memes were really big back then this would have hit #1

[It's me, bitch.]

Jul 5, 2017 20:51:48 GMT -5 kmbgs said:

I'd love a collection of glossy pop tracks a la Loud or even TTT. I know that will never happen so I'll keep drinking my protein shake and watching the real housewives.

I miss pop Rihanna as well.

[Caviar]

Jul 12, 2017 10:49:24 GMT -5 It's me, bitch. said:

Jul 5, 2017 20:51:48 GMT -5 kmbgs said:

I'd love a collection of glossy pop tracks a la Loud or even TTT. I know that will never happen so I'll keep drinking my protein shake and watching the real housewives.

I miss pop Rihanna as well.

"This Is What You Came For" was a breath of fresh air coming from her.