After the lead single from Rihanna’s untitled 8th album, “FourFiveSeconds,” proved an uncharacteristic smash for the R&B chart topper, fans and critics alike proposed Rihanna had finally ditched the club anthems. With the controversial, “Bitch Better Have My Money,” however, the Rihanna Navy saw the return of their urban diva.
The trap single features hoarse, aggressive vocals and addictive drum fills that sound like outtakes from producer Kanye West’s Yeezus sessions. Between “machine gun ad-libs” and thin synth lines, the cut relies on Rihanna’s combative, yet rousing performance. The lyrics leave much open to interpretation, especially after considering the risque line, “Your wife in the back seat of my brand-new, foreign car/Don’t act like you forgot, I call the shots!”
Just days before the single’s rushed release, Rihanna told media outlets that she aimed to make “timeless music” that would still appeal to audiences 15 years later. The release of “BBHMM”, however, fell short of these ambitions. Toeing in line with previous singles such as Loud‘s “Man Down” and Unapologetic‘s “Pour It Up,” “BBHMM” lacks the hooks that jettisoned trademark singles such as “We Found Love” and “Only Girl (In The World)” to the top of the charts.The single capitalizes on the relatively new introduction of trap into mainstream R&B and relies on an all-to-brief sense of sensationalism. Despite a catchy drum outro, and a much publicized iHeartMedia performance, the track has yet to make a sizable impression.
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