1.9.13 - New Music - Rihanna

Rihanna is a fan of releasing more than one single at a time, and the promotion of ‘Unapologetic’ is no different.

Her label has decided to send out two singles – the emotionally-tinged and piano-driven “Stay”, along with the club-ready “Pour It Up”.

The song is sure to be a banger in certain circles, but don’t expect to hear it on your local Top 40 station. Instead, a hip-hop hotspot might give it a few minutes per night, but I can’t hear a big smash on this. The production makes you move, though it is rather bare and uninspired. I don’t think it would get a moment’s notice if it were on any one of the popular-at-the-moment hip-hop impresario’s latest mixtapes. Since it’s a Rihanna track though, it’s getting some play.

I am going back and forth in terms of my thoughts here. Part of me likes the fact that this is RiRi’s “fuck the men, I’ve got my money” anthem. I imagine her grabbing her crotch and snarling through this performance. But then the other half of me realizes that it really is just a simple handclap beat with someone talking about how much cash they’ve got, and I’m unimpressed.

I think she does better when we hear a more interesting hip-hop beat, such as on “Cockiness (I Love It)”.