Curated Playlist: Exploring the Music of Robyn "Rihanna" Fenty
Description: In this Curated Playlist, we will delve into the music of the English Caribbean. With that, we will focus specifically on the music of Barbadian singer and businesswoman Robyn Rihanna Fenty, born in February 1988. She is known specifically for her distinctive voice and unique fashion sense. Most of her early work can be described as Caribbean Pop.
Playlist:
We will begin with a work by our featured artist. This song was mentioned in the lecture video, but i am mentioning it because it is arguably one of Rihanna's most famous songs. The Caribbean Pop song Work. This song Featuring Canadian Rapper Drake was from Rihanna's 8th studio album called Anti. This song can be best described as dancehall with a fusion of Rhythm and blues and Reggae. There was some micro aggression tied to this song as some found it easy to criticize the use of Patois throughout the song. However that did not stop this song from being number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for 9 consecutive weeks.
Next up we have the song Pon De Replay. This song was featured on Rihanna's debut Album Music of the Sun (2005). This song is a fast paced song with catchy lyrics that is essentially about dancing in the club while listening to good music. This song is a Fascinating mix of Pop, dancehall and RnB with elements of Regae and Reggaeton that cannot be denied. The title of the song is Bajan Creole (a primarily spoken language used in Barbados) and can be translated to "Play it again" in English. This song spent 14 weeks at number 1.
The next song in this playlist will be a two for one. The previous song used a sample from the song Dewali Riddim which was created by a Jamaican producer named Steven "Lenky" Marsden. This Dance Rhythm with a Reggae fusion was a popular soundtrack used in many songs, most notably Sean Paul's Get busy. Here we have the sample of the riddim and the song by Sean Paul. Can you hear the influence on Rihanna's Pon de Replay?
The next song in this playlist is Rihanna's Man Down. This song was from her fifth studio album Loud. Man down is a song that incorporates Raggae, Dancehall and Electronic Music. The video depicts Rihanna as a fugitive as she shoots a man and later regrets it. Her west Indian accent is very prominent in this song.
Rihanna, Fellow Bajan singer Shontelle and R. City (a production duo) wrote Man down with its main producer being Sham "Sak Pase". The song was inspired by Bob Marley's 1973 song I Shot The Sheriff. Bob Marley is a Jamaican singer, song writer, guitarist and a Pioneer of Reggae music. He masterfully blended elements of Ska, Rocksteady and Reggae into his music with a Rock inspired sound. The intention behind Man Down was to explore Marley's hit from a female perspective. Rihanna and her team wanted to Tap into the song in a way that expressed her island origin in a way that sounded authentic and original.
The final song in this playlist is Rihanna's Rude Boy. This song was released on her forth studio album Rated R. The incorporation of Hip-hop, Rhythm and blues, Reggae, Dancehall and Electronica creates a sound that is unique and dance inspiring. The song is among one of her more explicit songs but arguable, this song captures the spirit of the Caribbean more than any of her other songs. The lyrics on their own sound risky and vulgar. However, with their attachment to clubby midtempo beat, the catchy lyrics are quite honestly, belt worth. The dance moves portrayed also broadcast Caribbean inspiration with Rihanna herself doing dances such as the "dutty wine" and "nuh linger". There is also a gentleman in the video doing a dance called the "heel n toe". There are so many others. The music video for the song also broadcasts Bajan inspiration, imagery and colors that are directly related to the Caribbean culture.
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