MUSIC | ANTI - Album Review

Hello Creatives, what's the tea ? 

The first quarter of 2016 has been BOOMIN' with music from a variety of genres. I know I am long overdue with this review, but let's begin with ANTI. Rihanna's very-long-awaited eighth project which arrived tentatively, almost meekly. The anticipation and build-up, of course, was extraordinary! On a late Wednesday afternoon, January 28th to be exact, a track listing appeared, followed by the announcement that ANTI would be streaming exclusively on Tidal for its first week of release.

ANTI is an interesting, rich and contrasted pop record, it is sort of a departure from her previous sound.  It’s not crammed with dance-oriented jams and feels distinctly smaller, more inward-facing sounds . Her grainy, mesmerizing voice is paramount here, with influences of her island roots, blues, rock, jazz and soul. With only two major features from SZA in "Consideration" and Drake in "Work" (have y'all seen the videos for "Work"" yet?).

The album conveys a fuck-off, broad-strokes empowerment theme. It is an experience built on vibes -- every song gives off a fantasy of Rihanna; a carefree island girl, lounging and asserting a brand of independence. Her voice throughout most of the album is deep and crackly like how she sings on "Desperado". ANTI's beats consist of more muted than flashier productions compared to her previous work. Rihanna sings more powerfully and deeply emotional especially in "Higher" with clear-cut influence of jazz and blues.

ANTI forces us to question the boxes we might have placed Rihanna in. Is she the pop queen, a break-up balladeer, club music with some hip hop? The answer might be all of the above. She is taking charge of her own sound, redefining these genres on her own terms. As she says in "Consideration" "I got to do things my own way, darling..."

My favorite songs are: "Work" featuring Drake,  "Higher", "Consideration" featuring SZA, "Pose" and lastly "Sex with Me".


Thank you Creatives for sticking with me even during my absence. I luuhhhh y'all!

Stay Creative
xo, Zaddy