Words do not begin to convey the measure of respect and admiration that I have
for this immensely talented young woman. Rihanna has come along way to be in the
position she is in today.
Prior to signing her record deal with the New York Based powerhouse Def Jam,
Rihanna had a very limited musical resume. Many of the locals from her native
country, Barbados, never knew of her existence. Very few of them had ever seen
her performed live or would have never heard any of her vocal recordings. In
theory, Rihanna was a nobody in the world of entertainment.
Taking this into consideration, Def Jam might have had great reservations about
signing the Barbadian singer. It was big ask for a Hip hop label known for its
conservativeness. Much to Rihanna's benefit, however, she had in her possession
a catchy upbeat single called 'Pon De Replay'. The track was her bargaining chip.
It was different from the type of music being released at the time by urban
singers. The vocals were sung with a highly pronounced yet understandable west
indian accent. The rhythm with it's pulsating bass line and intermittent hand
claps was also distinctively Caribbean. Compared with the repetitive watered
down rnb sound being released at the time by artists like Ashanti, Ciara and
Beyonce, Pon DE Replay was refreshing.
The song not only allowed Rihanna to secure a record deal with Def Jam but also
allowed her production company Syndicated Rhythm Productions to secure a
production deal with the same company. Released to the masses in 2004, Pon De
Replay skyrocketed up the billboard charts eventually peaking at N0. 2. The song
was a breakthrough and signalled the beginning of Rihanna's dominance.
To this day, Pon De Replay has not lost its appeal and has stayed in rotation in
nightclubs and on radio stations across the Caribbean and the wider world. It's
title pretty much typifies Rihanna's treatment by popular media.
Today, each single Rihanna releases becomes a top ten hit. Her new album "Rated
R" is scheduled to be released in November and within few days of its release
the lead single "Russian Roulette" has become a major hit on international
airwaves. Such is Rihanna's impact, her music is always in frequent rotation.
She is always "Pon the Replay".
