BANGERZ was risky for Miley's image.

BEYONCÉ was far from risky. She surprise released after delaying and building her hype for a full year. She went urban, which is the route that music is headed in. Haunted is risky though, for Bey I guess.

Blackout for brit brit

Born This Way and Blackout.

Catering to a young female demographic is where the money is at. Catering to a niche population, such as the gays, isn't always a smart move to add in your music. In addition to that, Gaga was expected to make dance music with less serious topics and more along the lines of her evolved TF self. She did not record something for the majority of her fans. Young gays didn't want disco music from her, don't you lot claim BTW killed her career? It isn't so much about the message either as it about the music itself. People were expecting a lighter, EDM high Gaga. Not a Gaga inspired by the 70s/80s with rock, disco, and slight traces of RedOne/Gaga pop. You're underestimating the demographic by assuming her gay fans had that much sway on her material.

Whoever said Bangerz One of the few logical answers.

My December!!!!

Born This Way, and it payed off.
When she released ARTPOP she played it safe and it flopped

1. Erotica
2. My December
3. Born This Way
4. Rated R - because Rude Boy was not anything different, there was nothing risky about it and it was a single.

not my ass running in here to say the same the thing lmao

Rated R was not risky

Have you listened to it?
All the tracks on that album aren't what you would expect on the 2009-2010 charts minus photographs
The people saying rude boy
Show me another similar track by another pop girl that sounded like it.
Rihanna's image as well as the themes in her song were risky no one expected a lead single alleging to suicide or a song on the album that has homicidal imagery
The album itself boasts of Influences from hip-hop (Hard, the wait is ova) to dubstep (G4L) to flamenco (Te amo) to RnB (Stupid in Love) to Caribbean (Rude Boy) as well as electronic sounds (photographs) and pop-rock (rockstar101, firebomb) and ballads (cold case love and the last song).
She experimented with different sounds, delved into deeper themes and used bold symbolism and imagery. No one was expecting a record like Rated R after a record like GGGB and every single review praises the growth and maturity of the album.

This. M!ssundaztood really did bring the rock back into pop and started the pop-rock trend. Not to mention, people wanted to snag her writers/producers to have their very own "M!ss" record.

Try This was way way way different. More punk and garage and just something not radio friendly.

Quit writing these essays. RR was not risky and that's it. it was very safe after all that controversy, actually.

thats complete ********
first of all she released the album so quickly after one of the most controversial moments in pop music history
the media was NOT rooting for her as she got back together with him
secondly the album itself was released when kesha and lady gaga and other dance pop tracks were ruling the charts. are you forgetting rihanna is a pop superstar who is expected to create pop music to cater to everyone. i mean compare her artistic response with katy perrys response to her breakup (she continued that extremely generic pop sound despite being in a dark stage of her life).
The album itself was filled with new sounds that had not reached the mainstream yet (dubstep, etc). And when you place emphasis on the lyrics they're extremely sexual, violent ( like she has army beats, gun references and a lot of explicit lyrics) and confrontational. they are so over bearing and melodramatic it was too much for some critics. dont you remember that entire controversy surrounding the suicidal lyrical content of russian roullete? critics however agreed that she was the only pop star staying original.
Even rude boy, that Caribbean influenced pop trend wasn't a thing until rude boy and it acclaim from alot of critics as well as criticism because she was a controversial female figure singing so vividly about sex and a mans penis. when i first heard it i was shocked. And te amo's video was so extremely sensual and suggestive. like compare it to i kissed a girl which is more flirtatious.
Dont forget rihanna is a black woman and will be criticized 3X more for her antics (especially her aggressive sexual imagery during the era).

thats ********
how was it safe, the safe option would have been taking a katy perry or beyonce approach and continuing to write the same lyrics and make the same music.
critics even compared the album to velvet rope

Yes a song about killing yourself and another about killing someone else is very safe
If you're going to give a point at least explain it, what controversy? An abuse that wasn't self-inflicted? Yes she was abused and yes she was hurt but that doesn't make the record something expected because of it
And that was hardly an essay, it had a max. of 6 sentences I think

My December.