The latest single off Rihanna’s upcoming album, “Bitch Better Have My Money” has jacked anticipation up to another level. The track is a hit that has been making noise through social media posts, tweets and conversations since she dropped a snippet just last week. Although it's performed by the Barbadian pop princess, it's heavily inspired by the hip hop tracks we all know and love. Along with acts like Omarion, Trey Songz and Chris Brown, Rihanna's music has helped the smooth sound of R&B/Pop grow to incorporate a substantial hip hop edge.
Back in 2005, a 16-year-old Rihanna released her first album under the legendary hip hop label Def Jam. Since then, her sound has grown and come a long way from her Caribbean/pop roots. Thanks to her mentor, Jay Z, she has become a staple in the hip hop community, collaborating with rap greats like Eminem, Kanye West, Nicki Minaj, and even Jay Z himself a few times. The hard-edged “Bitch Better Have My Money” has already got us thinking about Rihanna’s long history and love for the hip hop culture she surrounds herself with.
Spanning her entire career, we searched through all her albums to find the most hard-hitting, hip hop-driven tracks-- no, not just collaborations that she did with rappers over obviously pop beats. So don't expect to find songs like “Love the Way You Lie” parts one or two, “Umbrella," “Monster” or even “What’s My Name." However great those songs were, they weren't really hip hop. The tracks in this list focus on Rihanna actually rapping rather than singing, and basslines that take you back to the trap.
"Raining Men" ft. Nicki Minaj
Straight off of her 2010 Loud album, back when Rihanna was rocking the all-red long hair. A female-empowering anthem, the track takes inspiration from The Weather Girls' 1980s hit “It's Raining Men." Rihanna sings the hook and raps the verses. Nicki Minaj is also on the track, and they both talk about the disposability of men. As the hook says, “Men be falling like the rain so we ain't running out”
Starting off with a game of “Eenie, Meenie, Minie, Mo” that Rihanna sings, the track then has a clap sound effect that leads into the bass drop where the the hook starts. Light and playful, the female centric song is not so bad. Dropping as the third single off the album, the track was met with mixed reviews, earning it only number 10 on this list.
"G4L"
This track showcases the darker side of Rih Rih. Off of her fourth studio album, Rated R, the track was produced by Chase & Status (the same production duo behind Rita Ora’s "R.I.P." and Rihanna’s "Jump," both of which came out in later years). The heavy synth and dubstep influence is evident, but the track still has a strong hip hop flavor.
On this track, Rihanna raps about how she promises to be down for life and how she is willing to die for whoever she is close to. The cryptic alphanumeric title “G4L" stands for "Gangsta 4 Life."
"Cockiness (Love It)"
"Cockiness" is a track that's raunchy and gritty right from the start. Producer Bangladesh admitted that the song underwent numerous revisions and alterations before it was deemed suitable for release. The track was always meant for Rihanna, and with it being different than anything we had previously heard from her, it definitely made waves.
The track is laden with Caribbean-inspired dubstep and dancehall sounds. The looped vocal sample works well in tandem with the pulsing drum and horn baseline. The overtly sexual song is from Rih Rih’s sixth studio album, Talk That Talk.
"Phresh Out The Runway"
The first track on Rihanna’s last album, Unapologetic. Starting the album off with this much intensity, her verse sets the tone for what you can expect throughout the album. Producers David Guetta, The-Dream, and Giorgio Tuinfort mixed clips from Joey Beltram’s "Mentasim" to help paint the picture of a high fashion show. Couched in EDM, the track evokes images of the flashing lights, high-caliber celebrities and pure artistic fashion, but it's Rihanna’s fearless rhyming that solidifies its spot on the list.
"Rockstar 101" feat. Slash
Taking it back to 2009 on Rihanna’s Rated R album, this song really makes you feel like a rock star. With this track, Rihanna really leaves nothing untouched, talking about everything from “rocking this club with [her] middle finger up” to how rockstars “sleep all day, fuck all night." The track’s grandiose musicality and powerful presence makes you feel like you're front and center at a sold out stadium. As the song begins, the simple bassline is joined by the intricate sounds of a guitar played by the legendary Slash. The beat drops and you suddenly fall into the life of a rock star; after all this is ROCKSTAR 101.
"Talk That Talk" feat. Jay Z
Produced by StarGate, the track opens with Jay Z rapping about politely declining the advances of women in his global travels. A little different than his usual self, but after all he did say, “I got the hottest chick in the game wearing my chain." The song is the title track off of Rih Rih’s 2011 album and this marks the second single that the mentor and mentee have collaborated on. Sporting a more contemporary overall Hip Hop sound, the track warrants some rapped verses, and both Rih and Jay kill it. The pop princess even breaks down the bridge of the song Carribean style.
"Rude Boy"
This is definitely one of Rih Rih’s most raunchy and sexually-driven songs. The sexual innuendos are endless with the hook repeating “Take it," “Is you big enough?”, and “Can you get it up?”. From her 2009 album, Rated R, the song incorporates a lot of Caribbean flavor. Produced by StarGate and Rob Swire, the track is still fun and lighthearted even though it's filled with sexually provocative lyrics. "Rude Boy" is one of Rih’s hottest releases and hardest hip hop bangers, perfect for that summer BBQ.
"Birthday Cake"
Cracking the Top 3 is Birthday Cake. Yes, the track was more of an interlude than an actual song, since it's only 78 second long. But hey, it was one hell of a 78 seconds, not to mention that the whole hip hop world went crazy for it. The short, sexual hit was produced by Da Internz and The-Dream and released on her 2011 album, Talk That Talk. It wasn't long before everyone and their momma dropped a remix of the track, stretching it to over five minutes in some cases. School bells and basic 808 clap effects overlay the track’s strong horns and Caribbean-inspired bassline.
"Hard" feat. Jeezy
This one starts with a military-style call-and-response intro, deep horns, and then builds to the beat drop before Rihanna goes in. The song was rumored to be her way of spiritually absolving herself of Chris Brown, since Rated R was her first album after the incident. The song does go hard and Rih Rih is right there with it. With no holds barred, she raps this song like she meant it, earning it the well-deserved number two spot.
"Pour It Up"
Number one, as you already probably guessed, is “Pour It Up” because of its dead-on trap music-inspired vibe. Fresh from her 2012 album, Unapologetic, this track had everybody feeling like they were ready to make it rain at the strip club. The video was just as hot as the song, and the only track that could come close would be her latest, “Bitch Better Have My Money”.