Crystal C. Amaechi
Dr. Alice Sandosharaj
English 003-65
16 March 2013
Rihanna: Music Career
Rihanna stands as the envy of nearly every single person in the entertainment industry. She has made great leaps and has taken many risks in order to keep up with the fast pace life of being a pop star. (Thesis statement) I need a better one. With this in mind, I concede that Rihanna and her music have skyrocketed ever since her 2009 domestic violence incident between pop singer Chris Brown. The scandal was publicized throughout most of the media. (this paragraph is too shallow.. add some other useful info please if you can!)
(Can you give this paragraph relevance) After speaking out about her assault in her interviews she began to receive a lot of feedback and support. She made herself publicized even more when she decided to help charities that were against domestic violence. Rihanna herself, stood as a witness to her father abusing her mother when she was a child. With this, she instantly gained sympathy from the public.
In the New Yorker article "In the Rough," renowned journalist Sasha Frere- Jones argues just the opposite. In fact, Jones seriously contends that "It's very hard to find a consistent Rihanna in any of her music" (Jones, 143). I disagree with Jones' logic. I believe Rihanna has been pretty consistent in releasing consecutive studio-albums and the reinventing of music and style. She continues to invite her own flavor in her songs by giving her audience a taste of her Barbadian roots. For example she references her heritage in her songs "Pon de Replay" and "Rude Boy", In turn; this gives her hits an immense amount of uniqueness. If that does not scream consistency then what does? Then again, I can see how Jones would find it hard for Rihanna to be consistent because her style has in fact changed over the years, from good girl to bad girl. I believe the only way she has remained consistent is by reproducing the same sound over and over again. Oftentimes her songs can get pretty predictable because her audience has been so accustom to hearing just one sound. Now do not get me wrong, I am not saying that Rihanna is not consistent. I am actually saying that she has been consistent but mainly because she produces the same sound.
Now let us consider Rihanna's singing style. We all know Rihanna to be from Barbados, so we can assume that we may hear a West Indian twang in most of her songs. Of course, many will probably disagree with Jones' assertion that "Rihanna's voice isn't big or particularly compelling, and it works mostly by sounding relaxed and drooping, with a hint of a West Indian accent, a descending twang that sounds a bit like moaning. Her voice has a distancing effect, and it conveys not emotion but, rather, a position of powerful detachment" (Jones, 143). On the one hand I can agree with Jones' assertion because her voice can be quite annoying at times. But on the other hand, I still insist that most people are not able to closely relate to her West Indian accent or even recognize her emotional connections towards her songs for that matter. It is not reasonable to judge her by this because her accent does not mean she is incapable of clearly expressing herself vocally. Now do not get me wrong, I am not saying her voice has a distancing effect. I am actually saying that her accent is not vocally in tune with the mainstream music we are so accustomed to.
Moreover, in the article Jones frequently stresses that Rihanna stands disengaged and detached from her audience. Jones also corroborates that Rihanna "has an exceptional physical beauty married to an unexceptional, almost disengaged sense of performance--she may be the most successful amateur ever" (Jones, 143). Jones also argues that appreciating Rihanna's work may demand that we accept the idea that her disregard of herself is a source of freedom, or of power. (Only she knows.)" (Jones,143).
I agree with Jones when he says that Rihanna disregards herself because after her domestic incident with Brown Rihanna left a negative influence on her impressionable audience. Conversely, I disagree with Jones when he asserts that Rihanna's disregard for herself is a source of freedom and power. Countless members of her lady-audience can certainly identify with abusive relationships. Seeing that young girls follow in her footsteps she has not made any attempt to guide them, rather she misleads young girls by her willingness to fall back into a tumultuous relationship with Chris Brown. What message is she trying to send to her impressionable audience? Because of this, I believe Rihanna no longer stands as a positive role model in the entertainment industry. Nevertheless, this relationship between her and Brown is what keeps her in the public limelight.
Although Rihanna may not stand as a positive role model or may not be the best singer her career has still skyrocketed. The domestic violence incident seems to always come up in most of her interviews and that is what mainly keeps her albums selling. However, I am not saying that her music does not do the same; rather her ongoing relationship with Brown is what aids her music career.
