[Album Review] Rihanna-Loud [Music Video] Rihanna What's My Name Feat Drake

Like Jersey Shore, wearing pajamas all day, and overpriced frozen yogurt, Rihanna is one of my guilty pleasures. I'm not a huge fan, I just enjoy listening to "Good Girl Gone Bad" when cleaning or working out, but I was extremely surprised when I become hooked to "Loud" and have been listening to it non stop this week. Many people said her last album, "Rated R" was a departure from her usually upbeat songs and a misstep, but I think "Loud" is a step in the right direction. It is filled with party songs and banging beats, which is Rihanna strength. Current song stuck in my head is "What's My Name feat Drake" but the album starts out fun with the song "S & M" and despite a few slower songs, is a party non stop. Stand out songs include "Cheers (Drink To That)" which samples Avril Lavigne "I'm with you," "Complicated" and "Raining Men feat Nicki Minaj". Rihanna even brings some island flavor with "Man Down". A song that seems out of place though is "California King Bed" which is a strange attempt at a ballad. The album is kinda short with only 11 songs, but it ends well with "Love the Way You Lie Pt. 2 feat Eminem." Sure, Rihanna might not be known for her voice like other artists are but the combination of her, the producers, and songwriters make hits. Overall, its a surprisingly fun escape from these cold fall/winter days.

Chick Fight

In a recent interview I found on Perez Hilton from NME M.I.A. slams Lady Gaga

Do we still need record labels?
Are they even interested in making money from music anymore? Lady Gaga plugs 15 things in her new video. Dude, she even plugs a burger! That’s probably how they’re making money right now - buying up the burger joint, putting the burger in a music video and making loads of burger money.
Do you think those programmes and the internet have destroyed the mythology around popstars?
I don’t know. Again, there’s Lady Gaga - people say we’re similar, that we both mix all these things in the pot and spit them out differently, but she spits it out exactly the same! None of her music’s reflective of how weird she wants to be or thinks she is. She models herself on Grace Jones and Madonna, but the music sounds like 20-year-old Ibiza music, you know? She’s not progressive, but she’s a good mimic. She sounds more like me than I fucking do! That’s a talent and she’s got a great team behind her, but she’s the industry last stab at making itself important - saying, ‘You need our money behind you, the endorsements, the stadiums’ Respect to her, she’s keeping a hundred thousand people in work, but my belief is: Do It Yourself.
How important are image and visuals to your music?
Very. But it’s not like “Haus of Gaga” (laughs). Me blindfolded with naked men feeding me apples and shit.

Would you ever make a record for a Twilight soundtrack?
They asked me. Luckily Jimmy [Iovine, chairmen of M.I.A.’s US label Interscope] had beef with the Twilight people, so he stepped in and told them to fuck off.

I'm going to have to agree with MIA on some points, but is she just being a hater because Lady Gaga is more popular?  And what about Rihanna copying here? I'm surprised she didn't mention that  "Rude Boy" is basically a carbon copy of "Boyz."