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Raining Men (Rihanna song)

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For the 1982 song by The Weather Girls, see It's Raining Men.
"Raining Men"
Song

"Raining Men" is a song performed by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna, taken from her fifth studio album Loud (2010). The song was solicited to urban radio on December 7, 2010, as the third single from Loud in the United States. The up-tempo record features rap vocals from Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj. "Raining Men" received mixed reviews from critics, who praised the chemistry between Rihanna and Minaj but criticised the song for failing to create anything new or original. Even though the song received no promotion apart from urban radio adds, it managed to peaked at number forty-eight on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song is also included on the set list of the Loud Tour (2011).[2]

Background and release

The track features rap vocals from Trinidadian rapper Nicki Minaj, who also worked with Rihanna on Minaj's song "Fly", from her album Pink Friday (2010). In an interview with MTV News, Rihanna spoke about the collaboration with Minaj, saying "[It's] a really fun song. No, nothing like the original. It's quite uptempo but kind of quirky and funny."[3] In an interview with BBC Radio, Minaj spoke of how the concept of her lyrics came about, saying:

"I just wanted to be crazy, I wrote that track in bed actually. I had an off day, they sent me a record and said they needed it back in 24 hours and I wrote  ...  saying craziness", she said. "I wanted to make it more melodic and crazy. On the last line of 'Raining Men' I say 'It's raining men, fat bitches'  ...  I just said it and I couldn't take it back  ...  Then when I was at Yankee Stadium, I ran into [Island Def Jam Music Group Chairman] L.A. Reid and he repeated that line back to me. And I was like 'Did L.A. Reid just say 'fat bitches?' I wanted to pass out."[4]

In an interview with Capital FM Radio, Rihanna further explained the collaboration, saying:

"You know I worked with her before on Rated R and she was just writing me some really good ballads and I couldn't wait to work with her again and finally have her on my record  ...  I'm really amazed that she can write like that. [Nicki] not only raps but she can write songs too. It was really easy actually. We were going back on forth with the texts on how we were going to get to do it because we were in two different places and had two opposite schedules."[5]

"Raining Men" was sent for urban radio adds as the third single from Loud on December 7, 2010.[6]

Composition and critical reception

"Raining Men" draws influence from the musical genre of of hip hop song.[7] The song met with mixed reviews from music critics. Jon Pareles and Jon Caramanica of The New York Times commented that "Rihanna shares the mechanized, chattering beat of “Raining Men” with Nicki Minaj, singing and rapping about an endless supply of available men".[8] Stacey Anderson of Spin commented that the song is the highlight of the album, calling it "a gloriously eccentric collaboration with Nicki Minaj that entwines their minor-key hyperventilating, air sirens dissolving into mind-melting bass, and the scene-stealing Minaj's breathless contortion of the simple word 'really' into its own fully demented sideshow".[9] BBC Music also commended Minaj's presence on the song, saying that "Nicki Minaj makes for a superb partner in crime on Raining Men, her wild, kinetic flow complementing Rihanna’s steely delivery to wicked effect".[10] Jim Farber of the New York Daily News said that "Rihanna pairs just as well with Nicki Minaj, on a complete tear-down on the old Weather Girls disco standard 'It's Raining Men.' Here it's not a gay song of lust but a statement of assurance that no man should incite too much worry, considering their sheer numbers".[11] Chris Richards of The Washington Post said that "Nicki Minaj, a quick-witted rapper able to assume the voices of a dozen characters in a single song, fails to impart any wisdom on her colleague with "Raining Men".[12] Emily Mackay of NME said that "Raining Men" is a bold collaboration between Rihanna and Minaj, which plays to both of their strengths in the "hip-pop" collaboration.[13]

August Brown of the Los Angeles Times said that "'Cheers (Drink to That)' and 'Raining Men,' as foamy and spunky as they may be, are such a dogleg turn from Rated R that they come off as little more than image recalibration. That's her prerogative as an artist, and it's certainly earned. But it underscores the one thing we've always wondered about Rihanna — what is she really feeling?".[14] Ryan Dombal of Pitchfork Media was more critical of the song, commenting that "Raining Men is a shameless Beyoncé rip-off that would be quickly dismissed if not for the fact that it's a pretty-damn-good Beyoncé rip off with a characteristically scene-stealing guest verse from Nicki Minaj".[15] James Reed of The Boston Globe also noticed the similarity between the song's composition and the work of American R&B recording artist Beyoncé Knowles, saying "'Raining Men', borrowing a digitized riff from Beyoncé's 'Diva', features rising rapper Nicki Minaj on a typically manic guest rhyme. The song’s message doubles as the album’s mantra: Some cats really do have nine lives".[16]

Credits and personnel

Source:[1]

Charts

Chart (2010–11) Peak
position
Deutsche Black Charts[17] 13
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[18] 48

References

  1. ^ a b (Media notes). {{cite AV media notes}}: Missing or empty |title= (help); Unknown parameter |Format= ignored (|format= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Publisher= ignored (|publisher= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Type= ignored (|type= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |Year= ignored (|year= suggested) (help)
  2. ^ Stevenson, Jane (2011-06-071). "Rihanna is loud, sexy and larger than life". Toronto Sun. Sun Media. Retrieved 2011-06-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ Vena, Jocelyn (2010-10-12). "Rihanna Sings Praises Of Loud Collaborator Nicki Minaj". MTV News. MTV Networks. Retrieved 2011-07-28.
  4. ^ Crosley, Hilary (2011-01-21). "Nicki Minaj Says 'Raining Men' Duet With Rihanna Was Written 'In Bed'". MTV. MTV Networks. Retrieved 2011-07-28. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  5. ^ "Rihanna: 'Nicki Minaj collab was fun'". Digital Spy. Hachette Filipacchi (UK) Ltd. 2010-10-11. Retrieved 2011-07-29. {{cite web}}: |first= missing |last= (help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help); Text "lastCopsey" ignored (help)
  6. ^ "R&R Going For Adds: Urban". Radio & Records. 2010-12-07. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
  7. ^ Vena, Jocelyn (2010-11-08). "Rihanna Dishes On Nicki Minaj Collabos". MTV News. MTV Networks. Retrieved 2011-07-31.
  8. ^ Pareles, Jon (2010-11-15). "Critics' Choice: New CDs". The New York Times. The New York Times Company. Retrieved 2011-01-19.
  9. ^ Anderson, Stacey (2010-11-16). "Rihanna, 'Loud' (Def Jam)". Spin. Spin Media LLC. Retrieved 2011-01-03. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  10. ^ Skinner, James (2010-10-15). "Music – Review of Rihanna – Loud". BBC Music. BBC. Retrieved 2011-01-03. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  11. ^ Farber, Jim (2010-11-16). "Rihanna's 'Loud' review: Only girl in the world trades pain for carbonated pleasure". New York Daily News. Mortimer Zuckerman. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
  12. ^ Richards, Chris (2010-11-16). "Rihanna's new albums: 'Loud,' yes, but what's clear?". The Washington Post. Katharine Weymouth. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
  13. ^ Mackay, Emily (2010-11-12). "Rihanna – Album Review: Rihanna – Loud (Def Jam/Mercury) – Album Reviews". NME. IPC Media (Time Inc.). Retrieved 2011-01-03. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  14. ^ Brown, August (2010-11-16). "Album review: Rihanna's 'Loud'". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
  15. ^ Dombal, Ryan (2010-11-24). "Album Reviews: Rihanna: Loud". Pitchfork Media. Ryan Schreiber. Retrieved 2011-01-03. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  16. ^ Reed, James (2010-11-15). "On 'Loud,' Rihanna explores kink and drink, then returns to the dance floor – The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe. Christopher M. Mayer. Retrieved 2011-01-03.
  17. ^ Die Deutschen Trend Charts (2009-07-17). "Die Deutschen Trend Charts" (in (In Dutch)). Trendcharts.de. Retrieved 2011-05-09.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
  18. ^ "Rihanna Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved 2011-02-09.
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