As Rihanna celebrates her 35th birthday today, February 20, we take a look back at the times the Bajan billionaire dabbled in Dancehall and Reggae music.
The singer, who hasn’t put out a body of work since 2016, says she wants to release a new album, “this year,” she told British Vogue last week. “Like, honestly, it’d be ridiculous if it’s not this year.”
Until then, here are ten of her songs inspired by her Caribbean roots.
Pon de Replay
Pon de Replay, Rihanna’s debut single from her debut album, Music of the Sun, is the Dancehall, Hip Hop, and R&B-infused track that introduced the Bajan icon to the world. The song’s catchy and infectious lyrics, as well as the fact that it makes use of well-established Dancehall tropes, like using specifically named dances throughout the track’s duration (‘Give dem a run’ for example), makes it a standout classic in the singer’s extensive catalogue. The song peaked at No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 2005, and in 2012, it was certified 3X Platinum by the RIAA.
Released: May 24, 2005
Album: Music Of The Sun
Producer(s): Vada Nobles, Carl Sturken, Evan Rogers
Work (ft. Drake)
Rihanna’s Caribbean heritage almost certainly plays a factor in how she’s able to dig into Dancehall, and come out with a hit almost every single time. That was the case with Work, the 2016 single featuring the OVO Boss, Drake. The track is unmistakably Dancehall, from the song’s overall feel to fashion choices and lyrics, and represents another successful experiment from the Bajan singer’s eighth studio album, Anti. Work was nominated for Record of the Year at the 59th Grammy Awards. It also peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and is currently certified 9X Platinum in the US, and multiple-times Platinum in several countries.
Released: January 27, 2016
Album: Anti
Producer(s): Boi-1da
You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No) (ft. Vybz Kartel)
Produced by Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers, Rihanna’s 2005 track, You Don’t Love Me, which features Dancehall artist Vybz Kartel, samples Dawn Penn’s 1994 original of the same name. The track follows the original story of a woman finally realizing her worth, and finally accepting that the love she had with a particular lover no longer exists.
Released: Aug. 19, 2005
Album: Music Of The Sun
Producer(s): Carl Sturken, Evan Rogers
Man Down
This dark, dramatic tale of love, murder and regret is a staple among Rihanna lovers whenever they’re confronted with a karaoke mic. With catchy lyrics and a music video that perfectly captures the story, Man Down is one of Rihanna’s more popular songs. It was released in 2010 as a single from her album Loud. She had also described the song on BET 106 & Park as “a song about a girl who committed a murder that she regrets and is completely remorseful about.”
Released: May 3, 2011
Album: Loud
Producer(s): Sham, Kuk Harrell, Bobby Campbell
Break It Off (ft. Sean Paul)
Rihanna and Sean Paul combined to create this chart-topping, up-tempo Dancehall and pop classic. Produced by Don Corleon, the song was a top 10 hit in several countries. The track provided the space for the Bajan songstress to flex her singing and dancing chops, all while serving as the backdrop for a number of viral dance videos upon release.
Released: November 13, 2006
Album: A Girl Like Me
Producer(s): Don Corleon
Kisses Don’t Lie
The strum of the guitars on this track, interspersed with percussive instruments throughout, made this 2006 song an underrated Reggae offering by Rihanna. With Carl Sturken and Evan Rogers on the production side of this one, Rihanna had familiar company in making this one feel like a throwback to Bob Marley-esque sounds, all while clearly being its own thing, and being something different. The track was a single from Rihanna’s album A Girl Like Me.
Released: April 10, 2006
Album: A Girl Like Me
Producer(s): Rogers, Sturken
Rude Boy
Easily one of Rihanna’s most influential and widely-listened songs, Rude Boy was a throwback to the Dancehall ‘Rude Bwoy’ – and was an ode to the genre’s impact on Rihanna’s style and success. She manages to keep the Reggae and Dancehall roots of the song while making it fit for Pop consumption – a strategy that paid off well for Barbados native. The song peaked at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 Chart, and No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart. It was also certified 5X Platinum in the US. It’s the fourth single from Rihanna’s Rated R, and was produced by Rob Swire and StarGate. She told Q magazine of the song: “This is about the kind of street, bad boy that girls sometimes like. There’s a danger and a swagger there.”
Released: February 5, 2010
Album: Rated R
Producer(s): Stargate, Rob Swire
Dem Haters (ft. Dwane Husbands)
Dem Haters wastes no time establishing what it is – a Reggae track that made the genre’s signature one-drop strumming style the vehicle through which it delivered its message of purging one’s circle of ‘haters.’ Even the song’s very theme of morality and fostering good relationships borrows from tropes often explored in Dancehall and Reggae. The song was produced by Mike City and featured Dwane Husbands.
Released: April 10, 2006
Album: A Girl Like Me
Producer(s): Mike City, Rogers, Sturken
Music of the Sun
A love letter to Caribbean life and culture, Music of the Sun is the title track of Rihanna’s debut album of the same name. The song is a deliberate attempt by the Bajan star to highlight the side of Caribbean culture that makes it unique, from its one-of-a-kind music and vibes, all the way down to how the atmosphere invites you to forget your troubles. The song is a heartfelt attempt by the superstar to ground the album to something true – to something she will always be – a Caribbean native. She reiterated that in an explanation she gave in 2006, sharing, “The word sun represents my culture where I’m from, the Caribbean. It represents me. So, the album consists of music of the sun.”
Released: August 29, 2005
Album: Music Of The Sun
Producer(s): Rogers, Sturken
Watch n’ Learn
Feeling like a throwback to early 90s Dancehall, Watch n’ Learn, a single from Rihanna’s Talk That Talk album, was a track dipped in Dancehall and Reggae nostalgia, even as it employed the use of Hip Hop and Pop elements. The song, produced by Hit-Boy, is a sexy and honest display by Rihanna, who takes the track as an opportunity to teach her lover how to further please her.
Released: 2011
Album: Talk That Talk
Producer(s): Hit-Boy, Kuk Harrell
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