Rihanna‘s ninth studio album is proving to be quite the enigma.
Shroud in secrecy, production on the project has been a tight-lipped affair – much to the frustration of fans, who’ve not received a full length LP from the star since 2016’s ‘ANTI.’
Promises of a 2019 arrival came and went undelivered and those hoping for a drop this year, may still have some wait time on their hands.
Find out why below…
The Cut were on-hand at Rih’s FENTY launch at Bergdorf Goodman in New York this week and caught up with the Bajan sensation.
During the brief exchange, the entrepreneur intimated that recording on R9 is on-going.
Because when asked what she’d be doing on Valentine’s Day (which we imagine was an attempt to snatch a response about her reported break-up with Hassan Jameel), Rih responded:
“I’m going to be in the studio. I’m so excited actually. I can’t say who I’m working with, but it’s somebody I’ve been wanting to work with him for a long time.”
She went on to laugh and added:
“Okay, I’ll tell you. [It’s] Pharrell.”
No definitive word on whether said session is for R9, but we can’t see it being for anything else. In any case, what are…
This album better bring it!
Right!!!
Rihanna I’m beginning to get annoyed AF. I like for you, but if you’re trolling all of us and don’t care, why should we? Once again, I love you, but as a fan, she’s played with my emotions too much over all of this.
I live for you**
Realistically speaking as a “fan” you should know that she has released an album every year since she dropped Pon De Replay ….
This is the first time in her career she’s gone this long without an album! Let her breathe and venture in other outlets and build her brand! The album is coming but it’s she’s pretty much setting up life after music
Uhm it’s the second time.
Unapologetic 2012 – Anti 2016
The wait for this album makes the wait for ANTi feel like child’s play though.
Who cares
We do NOT want Pharell anywhere this album. Only person I’m interested is a Beyoncé collab
Speak for yourself sis, Pharrell is a musical genius.
Lemon was a BOP.
Don’t hate on Pharrell just cause little miss Grande didn’t have enough swag to make his productions work on her album ?♂️
A Beyoncé collab? In 2011, yes.. it is too late for that holy trinity mess.
What is Beyonce and Rihanna gon do om a song together?
I totally understand her wanting to take the time to deliver a great body of work…but girl…she’s been talking about this album for the past 3 years and even promised her fans to release it in 2019. My patience is slowly coming to an end…
long enough to have a boyfriend be pregnant for 9 months, now she ready
I’m sure she’s adding heartbreak and/or F U songs. Be glad her breakup occurred before the album release. Gives her time to heal and tour. Jameel made her lazier and heavier (even if I suspect his influence behind her sudden business savvy new ventures). Now she’ll get back to smoking weed and losing weight and going back to her bad gal self.
Artists need time to live their lives to make quality albums. I think it’s great rihanna isn’t releasing music super frequently, that’s literally the reason why the music industry is so bland right now- the lack of artistry in music. I think Rihanna is at a point where she knows she needs to up her quality of music beyond just being visual and trendy and for that to happen she needs to take her time. Not churn out McMusic to appease twitter
?
People have given Rihanna flack for making microwaveable music, now that she has decided to take her time and venture into other territories everyone has a problem. Give her a chance to create, and enjoy her life in the process. The album will be released when it is ready, and I am sure it will be worth the long wait.
The problem is not her taking her time though.
The problem is her giving release dates, not keeping them and even having the nerve to troll her fans about it.
Rihanna is never gave any release dates. The only thing she said was last year.
Well, she said it would come out in 2019 and yet here we are.
People are really acting like she’s Whitney Houston and there’s no other good music to listen to. It’s like a cult.
Watch it be a disappointment the way people are hyping it up.
Rihanna’s music has never been disappointing. And it wouldn’t start now.
you can’t rush art. It’s nice to hear people can’t wait but, she needs time to be creative and to do her best work. That goes for her and her creative collaborators.
I NEED a reggae / dancehall Rih album in the vein of:
– Rude Boy
– Te Amo
– What’s My Name
– Man Down
– Watch’N’Learn
– No Love Allowed
– Work
– Wild Thoughts
Especially Rude Boy, Te Amo & What’s My Name (Basically anything Ester Dean written track) is what I consider THE Rihanna sound. Kinda like what CIL & Deja Vu is to Beyoncé.
Who agrees?
Nobody. Those are all old music. Who wants an artist to do what they’ve already done? Nobody. Especially not an artistic person who understands art and music. Redundant Lol.
BTW wasn’t the album finished according to Shaggy?
Now that I think about it I actually think the album is as good as finished and the Pharrell record she’s going to record the next days will actually be the first single.
Rih always records them at the end of the whole recording process. I also think she spilled the tea on Pharrell for a reason. She wouldn’t have said anything if it wasn’t the first single IMO
Rihanna gurl you better be careful cause it is them same fans who you are trolling will determin if your album sucess. If the gp geys tired of you and your antics then ypur album will be doom to failure.
Those pesky, impatient fans are akin to somebody telling you to hurry up outta the bathroom when you’re constipated and only half your stools are hanging.
Y‘all be carrying on like she’s the second coming of Christ ? What this impatience signifies if that people want fast food music and quick highs so they can move on – Rihanna did this to herself and is now a victim of her own creating – Ari Sped it up even more with the back to back albums in a 12 month period. At this point Rhi should be releasing a solid body of work that she promotes for the next two years – that takes time and frankly if all you have to look forward to in your life is R9 there is a problem ????????
Hope it’s good! Pharrell been hit or miss for me. Monica just hinted at working with the Neptunes as well but y’all late asses yet to post it lol
I think she will do a surprise release at the same time Nicki releases her next album.
Oooh, I hope thats what happens. I live when nicki gets the block.
Hopefully more S**** 4 U and less Sweetener
I was thinking of how to say this and you said it perfectly ?
Sweetener was Pharrell, S**** was Neptunes. Pharrell has a very distinctive style that differs from Neptunes. I pray dear god it’s the neptunes she’s working with. I heard they are back together. I need beanie man and Janet “feel it boy vibes”. And beanie man feat mya vibes.
Ok? Sweetener was a turd but he has had more hits than misses, so I will stay hopefull
true https://youtu.be/TzyYbtwtKgc
Monica was just in the studio with pharrell and I’m extremely excited for that.
I’m not sitting around waiting for a new Rihanna album. She has eight albums worth of material if I want to revisit her catalogue. I’m still listening to “ANTI” four years later. Long story short, I have a life and better things to worry about. The music will come whenever it comes.
Well said. Ditto. Spotifying now.
is it pharrell or is it the Neptunes.
She happy to work with pharrell like she said she was a beyonce fan when it’s Mariah Carey songs she practiced.