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Discussion: #ANTIclimactic: A Fond Farewell to the Rihanna You Knew
Member Since: 6/3/2006
Posts: 51,724
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#ANTIclimactic: A Fond Farewell to the Rihanna You Knew
I found this article online and I was shocked at how it took every single word out of my mind. 'ANTI' is a good album but is it really all that? What are your thoughts on it?
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Originally posted by Pop Justice
At some point over the past three (or is it four now?) years, Rihanna‘s ANTI went from just another “hotly anticipated follow-up” to something of a myth.
By the time Sia revealed that Rih was still hitting the songwriter up for potential songs to record for her eighth studio album as recently as mid-December — in the middle of a reported $25 million Samsung deal involving a mobile site experience filled with mystery rooms and keys linked to incredibly involved in-person adventures — the album’s very existence seemed questionable.
Yet here it is, floating around the Internet after being accidentally uploaded a few hours early by Tidal (of course it was Tidal) — and it’s probably not what you were expecting.
For years, The Rihanna Machine worked without flaw: A lead single in the fall; an album of certified smash hits out just before the end of the year. “Russian Roulette” led directly into Rated R, “Only Girl (In The World)” lead into Loud, “We Found Love” into Talk That Talk and “Diamonds” into Unapologetic. With each era, she shifted the sound of radio. Promotional photos revealed a new Rih each time — the cold, metallic sheen of Rated R; the vibrant redheaded Loud island diva; the cocky, lip-licking brat on Talk That Talk. It was exciting. Fresh. In every aspect of the campaign, she never once dropped the ball.
ANTI is different, messy release execution aside: It’s drowsy. Dreamy. Pretty. Moody. Screechy. (Dear lord, “Higher.”) Stoned as hell. Boring. Forgettable. And above all, not a Top 40 pop record.
“That’s the point!” you yell. “It’s called ‘ANTI’!” Get it? ANTI-whatever you were expecting. Great. Heavy-handed message received.
To be clear, there’s nothing wrong with the fact that Rihanna wanted to break away from the pop machine she so expertly worked for years. Plenty of prolific pop icons have made the very same move in the past: Madonna, Janet Jackson, Beyoncé…Mandy Moore.
So, yes, Rihanna finally broke the machine.
But then what? What’s Rihanna The Pop Star without the radio-ready hooks and eh, eh, eh, na, na, na-ing on top of Caribbean pulsations? What’s the inverse of “We Found Love” or “What’s My Name” or “Hard” or “Disturbia” or “Umbrella”? What’s ANTI everything we loved about her music in the first place?
The answer, apparently, is a moody series of half-baked Tinashe mixtape demos, an interlude, an uninspired ‘cover’ of a Tame Impala song that isn’t even a year old which treats the original like an instrumental, a sprinkling of mumbly dancehall, an Amy Winehouse-y doo-wop moment and pretty piano ballads — all great background music for getting high, having sex or soaking in a bath, sure — but not the typical pop salvation of Rihsus.
ANTI is a fine album (“fine” at best), but forgive me for being slightly underwhelmed by the woman who once gave us “Rude Boy.” (And “Cold Case Love,” my God.)
Going left doesn’t necessarily mean the music is better, and none of these sounds are particularly groundbreaking or new — it’s just new for Rihanna. The Weeknd, Jhene Aiko, BANKS, SZA, Tinashe — they’ve all been doing variations of this (but better). Let’s also not make this about the album being too slow for a simple, impatient mind to process: Rihanna’s slowest moments are all prime Rih, from “Unfaithful” to “The Last Song” to “Stay.”
If her vision for this record was clear from the start, then she’s been purposely misleading the Navy for over a year, because all three songs she released prior to the album’s release — “FourFiveSeconds (feat. Kanye West & Paul McCartney),” “American Oxygen,” and, most disrespectfully of all, “Bitch Better Have My Money” — are nowhere to be found. Oh, and deluxe track “Goodnight Gotham,” the Florence + The Machine-sampling song that everyone was all excited about? Yeah, it’s just over a minute long and includes none of Rihanna’s vocals. The producer of the song is just as confused.
“I got to do things my own way darling,” she declares on opening track “Consideration” with SZA, who trashed Rihanna’s vocal skills only a few years ago.
It’s funny that Rihanna’s “own way” as an ANTI-pop star involves exactly the same amount of writing camps and high profile songwriter hands on deck: There are eight co-writers on “Work.” There are ten co-writers on “Needed Me.” DJ Mustard is still on the beat. So what’s really ANTI, aside from the fact that most of songs don’t feel finished?
Rihanna was our unfailing pop hero for years. Of course, she’s got every right to indulge in her ANTI-pop fantasy if she wants, but nobody on her team — especially not Rih herself — should be surprised if the reaction is tepid from a listening audience with “S&M” on their gym playlists. (But hey, at least “Kiss It Better” is great.)
Whether this is a brief detour or the start of formally leaving her commercial pop past behind, who knows? She’s Rihanna — she does whatever the ***** she pleases, which is one of the many reasons why she’s such an incredible pop star.
Perhaps she’ll go ANTI-ANTI and make game-changing pop once again with R9. Cheers..I’ll drink to that.
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Member Since: 3/5/2011
Posts: 8,561
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what website, this is an okay review. the writer could have used a college education, but it's still okay
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Member Since: 11/3/2010
Posts: 14,422
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Some of ya'll just love complaining.
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Member Since: 1/6/2014
Posts: 19,122
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Quote:
The answer, apparently, is a moody series of half-baked Tinashe mixtape demos, an interlude, an uninspired ‘cover’ of a Tame Impala song that isn’t even a year old which treats the original like an instrumental, a sprinkling of mumbly dancehall, an Amy Winehouse-y doo-wop moment and pretty piano ballads
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Member Since: 9/16/2011
Posts: 6,130
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Who gives a ****!!! Let the bitch do what she wants. She's given you an entire discography of dance bops. Let the bitch grow & breathe. People are being way too extra about hating this album already.
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Member Since: 2/18/2012
Posts: 25,853
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Popjustice is always on point. This is my exact feelings. Fobbing off pop music for what you think is "anti-pop" doesn't automate a good album. Rihanna not wanting to be a corporate bot is totally fine and fair, but there's better ways around showing that, than putting out an album of songs (which she still didn't write the core of) that she believes to be to the left of the centre and artsy, to show artistic credibility. I'd almost argue her way around it makes the point of ANTI a bit null-in-void.
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Member Since: 2/5/2014
Posts: 29,111
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I hate the mentality that she should just record good time top 40 friendly songs. That mentality, and writing music off as boring if it doesn't look click on the first listen is how we end up with terrible biller plate music like today.
People complain that music sucks now and then they go and criticize whenever anyone does something different and call it boring without willing to put in the effort and time and listen to something new. This article is dumb.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 15,535
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Its an amazing album, the acclaim will compensate for the album's lack of radio appeal, and she'll come back in November with an album of bops.
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Member Since: 2/6/2014
Posts: 41,074
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I read this article earlier and it reminded me of most of ATRL.
Now with her releasing Anti they "miss" Pop Rihanna so bad but yet when she was releasing back to back albums and singles, y'all dragged her for being manufactured, basic, generic, and making albums just for hit singles.
So i'm actually surprised at the sudden sadness of Pop Rihanna not being present.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 10,195
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I agree with some parts, but i think the negative receptions are from people who have only listened to it once or twice.
Im still warming up to the album, its been out for barely a day. It isnt as easy to soak in this album compared to her others, im appreciating each track more with each listen.
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Member Since: 8/19/2013
Posts: 5,711
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tl;dr that whiny complaining ****
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Member Since: 5/15/2009
Posts: 8,461
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Most of these thoughts have crossed my mind as well. We all fell in love with Rihanna for her consistency when it came to releasing quality music that turned out to be worldwide smashes. So it leaves us asking...Who is Rihanna without her superstar persona and worldwide smashes that we know and love her for?
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Member Since: 6/3/2006
Posts: 51,724
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Quote:
Originally posted by Ice Cream Skies
Who gives a ****!!! Let the bitch do what she wants. She's given you an entire discography of dance bops. Let the bitch grow & breathe. People are being way too extra about hating this album already.
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You know, I did enjoy 'ANTI' as an album and I am all for her doing whatever she wants. But taking in those bold words, what would you call 'Rated R'? That is actually one of the best albums of all time and eventhough I do like 'ANTI' it comes nowhere close.
Quote:
Originally posted by Homebrand
I agree with some parts, but i think the negative receptions are from people who have only listened to it once or twice.
Im still warming up to the album, its been out for barely a day. It isnt as easy to soak in this album compared to her others, im appreciating each track more with each listen.
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I agree! First listen was ok, second was good and third was very good BUT I know I am not going to love it the way I did love some of her past works such as 'Rated R', 'Good Girl Gone Bad' or 'Talk That Talk'... Or even 'Unapologetic'.
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Member Since: 11/2/2011
Posts: 9,796
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She will probably release a more pop album later in the year.
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Member Since: 2/6/2014
Posts: 41,074
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And i bet if she goes back to pop with the next album, y'all going to drag her for not having artistic growth.
This shows that when it comes to Rihanna none of you aren't pleased with anything she does.
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Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 3,156
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Only the female Elvis Presley
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ATRL Contributor
Member Since: 1/1/2014
Posts: 22,001
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Poor girl. Yelled at for being trapped inside the box, but when she tries to get out she gets yelled at even more
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Member Since: 3/21/2012
Posts: 55,134
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Quote:
Originally posted by HausofNiko
Poor girl. Yelled at for being trapped inside the box, but when she tries to get out she gets yelled at even more
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Mess so true
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Member Since: 8/7/2015
Posts: 1,570
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TBH she's always been better suited for Urban. Poor Tinashe?
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Member Since: 9/22/2010
Posts: 238
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I love @muumuse but I don't think he got it right this time. Yeah ANTI is not a poppy album full of poppy anthems that you can dance to, but this is still a GREAT album.
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