Rihanna, while being an enjoyable and consistent artist, has made a name for herself providing an incredibly palatable form of R&B.
ANTI is quite literally the antithesis to Rihanna’s previous works. I don’t mean in the sense that it devalues her back catalog, rather it is a peak adjacent to the one she may have been working at reaching on Unapologetic. While Rihanna has always had a Hip Hop flavor in her music, it came as a side dish to the R&B and Pop. On this record there is a conscious movement away from Pop, as Rihanna mixes in her vocal style with production that’s rooted in the “New Atlanta” sound. Travis Scott is a major cause of this sonic shift. While it’s most present on “Woo”, which he is credited for producing, the whole record is marked with his fingerprints.
The final part of the record is certainly closer to a clean pop sound, however it’s done extremely well, keeping Ri’s vocals and the production organic. When her voice breaks on “Higher” it adds nothing but passion to the momentum of the track.
It should be said that Rihanna isn’t pushing the envelope when it comes to this melodic, minimal, and gritty Hip Hop style that’s been kicking up a lot of attention. However, I don’t think that’s her intent. The record doesn’t come off experimental, rather Rihanna stepping into the current trend present in the Hip Hop community. That’s not a bad thing, especially because ANTI is most definitely enjoyable, and it does stand aside from the crowd of trend hoppers as Ri always adds in her own style.
You can purchase the record on iTunes.
art by your homie, Arthur Banach
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