Who are you and what have you done with Guru? Seriously, we go from the emotional rollercoaster ride of thinkin' we're gonna lose one of the game's greatest MCs to some sick pathetic soap opera involving a man of no blood or kin relation denying family members the right to see their loved one. Now yes Keith Elam may not wanna reconcile with folks he hasn't been on good terms with for the past seven years but that's his decision not yours. From the outside lookin' in, you seem really shady. And if Guru's nephew claim is true that you signed documents as Keith Elam's brother and your wife as his sister than that's just plain alarming. An abuse of power. Releasing statements to websites and official Twitter accounts in Guru's name when he doesn't appear to be able to speak on his own behalf is also misleading and completely wrong. Be clear: At this point the only thing relevant and important is the status of Guru's health. Nobody gives a fuck about you or 7 Grand. Guru's legacy is Gang Starr. DJ Premier and Guru made classics. You and Guru make crap. And you should get slapped for meddling in family business.
I'm not dissin' but you shoulda stayed missing. Everybody in the club get tipsy. Nobody in the club remember your name. Damn shame.RR Listening: Rihanna “Rated R”
Tuesday, November 10 2009 5:42 PM EST | Posted by: YN | Posted in: Album Reviews, Blog
Fuck holding your eye.
So this afternoon along with a selected handful of critics, YN got to sit in Antonio Reid’s plush office and listen to Ri-Ri’s new album out of his Genelec Speakers. My BB and Iphone stayed in my pockets and I had to go hand-to-hand with my notes. So forgive me if the future proves my observations wrong. Here we go.
Mad House
Intro interlude. Slow plodding. Brief. No lyrics. Dark. Sets tone for record which is really cohesive.
Wait Your Turn
Sounds good through L.A.’s speakers.
Hard
Sounds really good through L.A.’s speakers.
Stupid In Love
Wonder who this one’s about? Finger snapping groove. Mid-tempo. First verse, she goes “Don’t treat me like I’m stupid”. 2nd verse something about her being an idiot. Her friends have told her he is not one. 3rd verse, she talks about him “actin’ like a jerk”. Something about a “dunce cap”. Hook goes: “I may be young but I’m not stupid. I’m not stupid in love”.
Russian Roulette
Can’t believe some of y’all are still frontin’ on this.
Rockstar
Features Slash on guitar. “I told you baby”. She’s in full swag mode. Talkin’ about clothes she’s rockin’. She’s at a party with her girls and everyone’s clockin’. Got her “middle finger up”. She talks about the “big city. bright lights”. All she’s “missing is a guitar”? She’s a shit talkin’, six-inch heel wearer. Something about bra and panties. Hook goes: “Baby, I’m a rock star. Hey baby, I’m a rock star”.
Fire Bomb
First joint I’m not feelin’. This one actually has heavier guitars and more of a rock element than “Rockstar”. Heavy car metaphor throughout. There’s references to “lovers need to clear the road” and “where we’re goin’ we don’t need no breaks”. Ambulance talk. Gasoline. Revved up engines. One big flat tire if you ask me.
Rude Boy
Back to the fun Ri-Ri. She’s out on the town lookin’ for a new man. A rude boy who can “take it, take it”. Slightly different vocal tone in first verse. “Giddy up. Give it to me baby. Give it to me harder. Buckle up.” Yup a lot of car references. “I like the way you pull my hair”. Woah. Ok, I’m blushin’. Think she says “muthafuckin’”. Really potty mouth on this disc. She’s such a fuckin’ lady.
Photographs
A true collabo with Will.i.Am about missing past lovers. Hook goes: “All I got are these photographs. All I got is nothin’ without you”. Acoustic in the intro. Heavy bass. First verse she says, “It could’ve been you and me”. Drums kick in 2nd verse real BEP style. Will’s vocals come in on bridge addin’ a lil male perspective on the matter. He reminisces on he and a special lady on her “grandma’s sofa kissin’”. Ah, young love.
G4L
The title stands for “Gangsta For Life,” which takes a long time to reveal itself. This begins the real dramatic soap opera side of the CD. She sings about “guns in the air” . “I’m ready to roll”. “We don’t play that shit nigga”? Um, ok? Dramatic outro at end she purrs, “Revenge is sweet”.
Te Amo
Cute but cheesy. It’s real Mama Don’t Preach. “Don’t let love hurt you,” a wise woman warns her. She repeats the title plenty and often.
Cold Case Love
This is the Justin contribution. He does his best Timbaland impersonation with a overly-produced and arranged wall of electronic sounds. She’s on a “dark and burning road”. She’s most angry here. This is the big FU CB tune. “What you did to me wasn’t right?” Now that’s an understatement. “We lost in love”. Quality lyrics but too damn long.
The Last Song
I can’t stand this clunker. “Time to turn off the last song,” she keeps repeating. And I wish I coulda done just that. More wailing guitars. A bad ending to a good album.
Sounds like fuckery all in a CD
so…sounds like another Rihanna album to me…of course there is gonna be sum Chris Brown sublimnals but w/e..same old rihanna
Doesnt sound to good to me.
y does she have big boobs in dis pic?? lol she has small ones
Thx for reviewing even before release.
Thanks for the recap. I’m not her biggest fan but I am looking forward to this album based on what’s she been through.
yeah it looks like someone photoshopped an ass on her chest. why? let’s appreciate things for what they are. stupid business.
Sounds pretty bad, but like you don’t want to say it’s bad b/c we’re supposed to be sympathetic towards her.
Gangsta 4 Life? seriously? lol
okay on to the next one lol…..50 cent bisd best album of the year
If she was really ‘Hard’ she would of took them stilettos and banged ol boy on his head..I aint buying this non talent garbage
Is she some kinda of a slut nowa days??seriously whats with all these nude covers..its like she’s saying…he chris look at that..yeah u wont hit it again!!!Seriously!!!
oh word ? she using the N word now ??
dosent sound like a hit album but hey wth do i know? i still love riri but this new album eh (the songs i have already heard) idk
Still a confused bitch to me. Now she be a bitch with a bad album…And not bad meaning good, bad meaning fucking terrible. :- /
You kinda gave an overview of the album but you didn’t actually comment much on the quality. ..
I know this isn’t a name thrown around much on this website but with Lady Gaga pretty much holding down the Pop Thrown…Rihanna really needs to come out strong…Visually and Musically.
Her people better SERIOUSLY rethink this album campaign if they’re gonna get her on top of her throne again.
With Lady Gaga’s release of the music video “Bad Romance” today….she has to come back out the gate FOR REAL with something so so creative..like..Disturbia X10.
I know they’re both COMPLETELY different artists but that’s not the point. If she wants to support this new “swagga” she has..she really has to back it up now….
fuhq the album. rhi rhi a lil sexy muthfuhqa mayne. long ass legs, i jus wanna bust that tall azz missionary style like unnngh!!!!!
[...] revealing it all on these latest single artworks. I hope the next one is literally Rated R. Rap Radar’s YN got a chance to hear the lady’s new album and previewed it for everyone yesterday. The [...]
This album is gonna be soooo good ! I’m pretty sure of that. Rihanna’s the greatest singer ever, I’m sure I won’t be disappointed!
*reads the Blackout section on this site, then reads the only extensive album review this year on this site* Hmmm…somebody’s in luv with Ri-Ri! Bwhahaha….j/k
Now that we can get back to talking about her music..
I’m not anticipating anything new, interesting, ground-breaking, time-worthy or talented from Rihanna…
F4
[...] that poppy-bedroom-mirror-dancing music that I love at certain parts of the month : ) Meanwhile, Elliott/RR heard the whole album and posted a funny in-depth list of his song by song reactions… “The Last Song” I [...]
[...] RR Listening: Rihanna “Rated R” Fuck holding your eye. So this afternoon along with a selected handful of critics, YN got to sit in Antonio [...] [...]
[...] RapRadar The album ends with the bonus track, “The Last Song,” but not before the outstanding closer “Cold Case Love,” with its escalating production infused with a simple piano pattern, thumping bassline, violin strings and ultimately, electric guitar licks. [...]
[...] you saw in my previous Ri-Ri report, this is more my Twitter-like in-the-moment observations than a full-scale review. Burr! Be clear: [...]
[...] no denying the Jeezy collabo “Hard,” which still sounds as good to me as when I first heard it. Fly On > Cry On FTW. I don’t know about you but that crazy bitch on “G4L” [...]