Rated R [Explicit Lyrics]

Rihanna | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 23, 2009)
• Original Release Date: November 23, 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Label: Def Jam Recordings
• ASIN: B002UXRH10
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (125 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,301 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

The wait is ova - for one of the most hotly anticipated new albums in recent history, as multi-platinum, award-winning Def Jam recording artist Rihanna announces the completion of her fourth original studio album, Rated R, scheduled to arrive in the physical and digital marketplace on Monday, November 23rd.The "Russian Roulette" video, directed by Anthony Mandler, will premiere in prime-time on ABC.

"Russian Roulette" was written and produced by fellow Def Jam artist Ne-Yo, whose long track record with Rihanna includes the #1 hit "Unfaithful" (2006, from A Girl Like Me), their Top 10 duet "Hate That I Love You" (2007, from Good Girl Gone Bad), and #1 pop/ #1 R&B "Take A Bow" (2008, from Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded). In addition to Ne-Yo, other producers and writers on Rihanna's new album include the team of The-Dream and Tricky Stewart, Chase & Status, Stargate, Justin Timberlake and more.

Rated R is the long-awaited follow-up to Good Girl Gone Bad (May 2007), which contained the non-stop string of hit singles that began with the MTV VMA and Grammy Award-winning global #1 hit "Umbrella" (featuring Jay-Z), then "Shut Up and Drive," "Hate That I Love You" (featur­ing Ne-Yo), and "Don't Stop the Music." Good Girl Gone Bad spent 98 total weeks on the Soundscan chart, earned cumulative sales of more than 36-times platinum in at least 20 territories around the world, and spun off the CD+DVD package Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded (January 2009) - which continued the string of hits with the #1 "Take A Bow," and the #1 "Disturbia."

Good Girl Gone Bad was the third album release in less than two years by the 21-year old Barbados native Rihanna. It followed-up 2006's RIAA platinum A Girl Like Me, which contained the back-to-back hits, "S.O.S." and "Unfaithful"; and her RIAA gold debut from 2005, Music Of the Sun, featuring the world-wide smash, "Pon De Replay."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Caribbean Hip Hop meets Industrial Techno Rock, November 30, 2009

By 

Patricia E. Shannahan (Tampa, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rated R (Audio CD)

Wow! I bought this CD on a whim after reading a review by Mike Ragogna on the Huffington Post. He said this was the album Rihanna needed to make, not an album the record label would have necessarily chosen for her to make. It almost sounds like it could have been recorded in 1980's Eastern Europe with so many heavy techno beats and crunchy synths and simmering industrial arrangements. Apparently Rihanna's Caribbean accent is more present on this album than her previous work. I'd never been drawn to Rihanna's earlier work so I can't qualify that assertion, but I think her accent works for her and I hope she continues to brandish it in her future work. If you are a fan of blended musical genres and artist experimentation and still enjoy popular music, this CD is a goldmine. Not a single dud track and it flows nicely. It may take a while for people to realize it, but this is going to end up being a landmark CD for Rihanna. It's an amazing piece of work by a young person so early in their career. I can't wait to see where she goes next in her sound. This is a young woman firmly in control of her music and her life.

20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid, Emotional Album, November 29, 2009

By 

Pandaman - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rated R (Audio CD)

After a couple of years, the lovely Rihanna returns with a new album (not just a re-release--THANK GOODNESS!!!). After going through the domestic violence case this past year, she claims in interviews that she has grown a lot, and has transferred it into her work. And how did that turn out? Read on for the Track by Track Review.

1. Mad House - Nice Intro..dark tone and setting for the rest of the album (I'm not going to rate this track, though)
2. Wait Your Turn - Very reggae-feeling with Rihanna's voice. Not the normal RiRi that we all grew to know and love on GGGB. The minute I heard the F bomb I was really shocked (I don't really like vulgarity in music that much). The chorus is the best part for sure. 3.5/5
3. Hard (featuring Jeezy) - The beginning is a little awkward. But after that, it only gets better. The chorus, once again, is probably the most memorable part, along with the verses by Jeezy. Stellar production makes this a solid track that is definitely one of the better of the "new-Rihanna" tracks. At first listen, you may not like it (like I didn't enjoy it when I first heard it), but give it a second listen and you might like it. 4/5
4. Stupid In Love - Whew. Now that the gangsta-tracks are over, we hear a ballad by Rihanna. This track, aided greatly by a piano background, is a stand out track. I believe that this track exemplifies the emotions of Rihanna greatly. 4/5
5. Rockstar 101 (featuring Slash!!) - Back to rocker Rihanna. Something just seems to be missing from this track to make it epic. Oh well. Another example of the edgier Rihanna that everyone is talking about...and I'm not a huge fan. But another good track (where you should probably give it a second chance after you hear it for the first time). 3/5
6. Russian Roulette - Lead Single. Two words--simply spectacular. The dark, scary background piano gives this ballad an edge that truly, in my personal opinion, sums up her experiences from the past year. Oh, and just a SIDENOTE..the vocals are AMAZING. 5/5
7. Fire Bomb - A mid tempo song, the title of the song actually deceived me. I thought that it was going to be yet again another song about being a rocker, bad*ss, blah blah blah. But it's not this way, and this song is all about the lower registers of Rihanna's voice that are rarely heard in her music. "The lovers need to clear the road"...I really liked this song. The sirens and crackling fire at the end of the song topped the cake. 4/5
8. Rude Boy - With significant sexual innuendo throughout the song, the production give it almost a Jamaican vibe, most likely inspired from Rihanna's small island roots. A little repetitive, but still a nice track. 3.5/5
9. Photographs (featuring will.i.am) - A slower paced/mid tempo track, this is one of the better songs of the album. The auto-tuned track contributed by will.i.am truly makes it much more memorable. 4.5/5
10. G4L (Gangsta for Life) - Another "gangsta" track, this one gets very very repetitive. One of the weaker tracks on the album. But still enjoyable! 3/5
11. Te Amo - Just to preface/explain this song first. This song was written by a man from a man's point of view, and Rihanna decided to sing it. So this should clear any confusion...hopefully. The story of the song follows one of Rihanna's friends who has deep feelings for her (loves Rihanna), and Rihanna likes her as a friend, but as nothing more. On to the track. This song was leaked a while back in June, and its Latin influences are apparent. This is one of the best songs on the album. (and one of my personal favorites!!) 5/5
12. Cold Case Love - Starts out with old style, organ-like pipes. This is a rather lengthy song for Rihanna, but then again the whole album is about "breaking the rules" in a way. Very minimal backing track at the beginning of the song gives it a cool feel. At 1:30 or so, the backing leads way to quite gorgeous instrumentals and snaps. At around 3:45 then, production really takes over. A REALLY nice track!!! One of my personal favorites. 4.5/5
13 - Appropriately titles with giant vocals. This really just serves some more emotions from Rihanna. A solid track, but overall just an OK way to end an awesome album. 3.5/5

Overall -

Although not as consistent as GGGB, this album is probably stronger overall. It is really about breaking the status quo and using music as a platform for emotional expression (which i thought was the original purpose of music in the first place!!) A great effort from Rihanna. A MUST buy.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 'Rated R' Grittier, Darker but Good, November 23, 2009

By 

Antoine D. Reid "80sforever" (Durham, NC United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rated R (Audio CD)

This is an album that grows on you. Upon first listening to it, I definitely felt somewhat let down by 'Rated R'. The music is not as catchy; nothing leaps out as a Billboard hit like her signature songs "S.O.S" or "Umbrella". In fact, Rihanna ditches the pop/dance track and takes on a hip-hop/rock vibe instead. 'Rated R' is a page turner in Rihanna's career; just like the title, this isn't something for kids. There's cursing, there's violence and in many songs it feels as if this is Rihanna's therapy album, featuring moments of the old, sweet, and innocent pop star being hushed and silenced by a vulnerable, angry woman.

The Good: After a few listens, 'Rated R' is definitely not a bad album. I heard (like many) the preview samples and clips. Those did nothing for many of these songs. After being able to slip in this disc and listen to each song in its entirety, I can say there's a lot more depth and personality in this than in Good Girl Gone Bad or in Music of the Sun. Considering how much Rihanna has been through over the past year personally, I felt like the 'Rated R' tracks were far more realistic and authentic than her previous hits. There's a lot of variety here and defintely an experimentation with genres and music that hasn't happened before with Rihanna; "Wait Your Turn" felt like Rihanna's first foray into the hip-hop realm; there's cursing, the beat is driven more so by the beat than the singing but still has elements of a good pop song with a catchy chorus; "Hard" was Rihnna's attempt at ditching her pop star image for something more hardcore and coarse; "Fire Bomb" is a violent situation tucked away in a ballad. Not at all what you'd expect from the title. It's very pop and addictive even though it's about revenge. Interesting blend of urban/hip-hop and some hints of 80s music with synths. On many tracks, I could see where life came to influence the music but rather than something whiny and melodramatic, Rihanna dished out some really hard-hitting, unapologetic songs.

The Bad: The only real bad thing about 'Rated R' is how starkly different it is from the Rihanna we've come to know up to this point. The album is heavy; it's darker, it's expressively angrier and moodier, it has her cursing and at points being very sexually provocative. It is in many ways ab album about, "a good girl gone bad." The change in the image and style was something of a turn-off. While the new image and personality shines through on songs like "Stupid in Love" and "Rude Boy", I felt she was trying way too hard to be as far from good and pop star-like on tracks such as "Rock Star" and "Russian Roulette". There is some imbalance at play on 'Rated R' that takes it from being entertaining and and interesting revealing of her damaged psyche from being either dull or over-the-top. Certain tracks just felt uninteresting after a few listens including "G4L", "Cold Case Love" and "Te Amo".

In all, 'Rated R' is good. There are some weak points to it and a vibe that she was trying a bit too hard to be different from the Rihanna everyone knew and praised before the Chris Brown situation, but the change did her music some good and leaves her at an interesting situation as an artist. 'Rated R' will probably divide the fans; some are really going to like it because it's very different (musically) from anything Rihanna's done before and the chances taken pays off in positive and big ways on some tracks. Some are going to listen to 'Rated R' and want the pop star back who sang sweet and innocent songs like "Take a Bow" or "Unfaithful" because that Rihanna is definitely scaled back on this album. I though liked the end product. Not flawless or perfect but it's good. Give 'Rated R' a chance.

Listen to These: "Rude Boy", "Fire Bomb", "Hard"