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Beyoncé’s Lemonade, Frank Ocean’s Blonde, Solange’s A Seat at the Table… Say what you will about 2016, it was a fantastic year for The Album™. One of those LPs that changed my world? Rihanna’s ANTI, the Bajan’s eighth studio album and her (temporary, we hope?) musical farewell. Soon after, she would become a cosmetics industry mogul, a mother of three, fashion catnip, oh, and a billionaire. Anyway.
ANTI was borne in the era of the surprise drop, yet, it’s arrival was no surprise. In fact, it was long-awaited. Rumours had been bubbling for months, with leaks and artwork reveals and a string of singles that didn’t even make it onto the album all swirling around in a feverish roll-out. Yet, the album defied the odds. Over 16 tracks, RiRi cemented her status as a pacemaker on an album that, I think, is simply her finest piece of work. There are big declarations of love (“Higher”) and even bigger declarations of hatred (“Needed Me”); instant-classic floor fillers (“Work” featuring Drake) and curveball samples (Tame Impala, what are you doing here?).
It’s an album that has remained steadfast in my regular rotation during its 10-year life span. Now, on the anniversary of its release, read on my thoughts revisiting the album in its entirety.
- “Consideration” is still one of the best album openers, ever.
- This song was my first introduction to SZA all those years ago. For a while I genuinely thought she was a British babe.
- “Let Me Cover Your Shit In Glitter I Can Make It Go Gold” was my Instagram bio for a minute.
- “James Joint” is one of the most romantic songs ever written.
- I can’t listen to “Kiss It Better” without a trigger warning.
- Someone should make a Heated Rivalry fan-cam to this song.
- I was near-crying mere seconds ago and now I’m shaking ass to “Work”
- Unfortunately, Rihanna and Drake are an unbeatable duo. Bite me.
- I should revisit Drake’s Views after this.
- This album is too short.
- Brief interlude: I don’t want Rihanna to come back to music. This album is a perfect bookend
- Hearing “Desperado” is like seeing a ghost.
- Instantly remembers singing this with the windows down… in the passenger seat of my mum’s car.
- “Woo”. No words.
- Honestly, I need to know what was going down in the studio when they wrote this.
- Oh and enter the baddest bitch of them all. “Needed Me” needs to be studied for years to come.
- This song singlehandedly improved my confidence as a 17-year-old.
- I’m writing this article from the British Vogue office and it’s taking every ounce of my strength to not sing out loud.
- “Yeah, I Said It” is easily one of my favourite Rihanna songs and also criminally underrated.
- Oh my gosh, how could I forget about this Tame Impala cover?
- Brb… levitating.
- “Never Ending” is possibly the only skip…
- Did you know that Ri sampled Dido’s “Thank You” on this track?
- Okay, we are heading into the deep end.
- Instantly thinking about that performance of “Love On The Brain” at the Billboard Music Awards.
- Perhaps an unpopular opinion: “Higher” is a better song than “Love On The Brain”.
- “Close to you” is the saddest song on this album.
- Oh, I’m crying again. That’s good then.
- Goodnight Gotham <3
- Pose bitch! Yaaaaaaaaas bitch!
- The song that birthed a generation of Voguers…
- Could you imagine if this album came out today?
- Looking back, the critical reception to this album was harsh. The Guardian called it “confused”, Pitchfork said its release was “meek”. If only they knew she was about to be wiping her hands with the industry all together.
- I’m done. It still holds up. She was ahead of her time.
- Everybody, say thank you RiRi.
