TDN 10-Year Anniversary Series: Rihanna “ANTi”
The literal magnum opus of Robyn “Rihanna” Fenty. Ten years to date, our Barbadian queen dropped her most notable work to date. Coming after a four year hiatus after dropping four albums consecutively, her eighth studio album, “ANTi”, was a whole popular music culture moment that we truly did not deserve. The rebel Rihanna has always been seen as bringing that kind of energy to the industry. Always willing to push boundaries and bring something different with her sound, look and business.
“I gotta do things my own way darling. Will you ever let me? Will you ever respect me? No.
I gotta do things my own way darling. You should just let me. Why you ain’t ever let me grow?”
Album Rollout: For the initial album announcement, she literally broke the internet with a single Instagram post: upon her head sat a pair of $9,000 custom Dolce & Gabbana crown headphones (foreshadowing the album theme) that subsequently managed to completely sell out within minutes of the photo drop. No one can deny the “Bad Gal RiRi’s” impact. Second, she released an eight-part “ANTI diaRy” video tailer series, where she uses cinematography to give fans an abstract taste of themes and hidden messages throughout the album. A philanthropist through and through, she even featured her lyrics in braille to showcase her inclusion towards the deaf community. Her music is literally for everyone.
Tracklist: She gives a little something of everything to showcase her impressive sonic range: pop (“Pose”), R&B (“Kiss It Better”), country (“Desperado”), alternative (“Same Ol’ Mistakes”) and hip-hop (“Work”) just to name a few. Out of 16 tracks, SZA and Drake are the only features. RiRi shows off her vocals through ballads like “Love On The Brain” and “Higher.” Her musical themes speak of individuality, freedom, love, and sovereignty.
Reception: A critically acclaimed body of work, “ANTi” shot straight to number one upon release. Unfortunately, she was completely snubbed at the Grammy’s, which fans speculate is a catalyst to the singer’s indefinite hold on a project release. Now look at us. Begging Ms. Fenty for SOMETHING in every interview. We didn’t even know how good we had it.
At 6x-certified platinum, the Rihanna reign will never let up. Today is the day to definitely break out this album for a listen or re-watch the videos for hits like “Needed Me” today to celebrate.
Stream “ANTi” today and more of Rihanna’s music on all major streaming platforms.