Rated R
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Rated R Image
Metascore
75

Generally favorable reviews - based on 21 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.2

Universal acclaim- based on 645 Ratings

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  • Summary: The fourth studio album for the R&B singer from Barbados features Slash, will.i.am, and Young Jeezy as guest artists.

Top Track

Russian Roulette
Take a breath, take it deep Calm yourself, he says to me If you play, you play the key Take the gun, and count to three I'm sweating now, I'm moving... See the rest of the song lyrics
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Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 15 out of 21
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 21
  3. Negative: 0 out of 21
  1. Los Angeles Times
    100
    A complex and fascinating portrait of a young woman's emotional process after enduring abuse.
  2. Chicago Tribune
    88
    Nothing else on the album can top 'Russian Roulette,' but they certainly complement it, and make its startling conclusion feel sadly inevitable.
  3. Slant Magazine
    80
    When Rated R ends on an unresolved chord, the sentiment carries over into Rihanna's pop persona. Let's hope that this doesn't mean she's about to back off and start working on her All for You.
  4. Entertainment Weekly
    75
    Rated R rarely delivers Top 40 fodder. Instead, it's a raw, often unsettling portrait of an artist who is, she insists, no longer a Girl at all.
  5. Boston Globe
    70
    What works as therapeutic psychodrama for the singer doesn't always work quite as well as pop music, which, from the shiny surfaces, it's clear everyone here is still striving for.
  6. Pitchfork
    61
    Based on Rated R, Rihanna's artistic aspirations are currently loftier than her abilities. Then again, her tenacity in the face of the unimaginable public humiliation this year is beyond brave.
  7. PopMatters
    50
    She brings hints of techno, R&B, disco, hard rock, hip-hop, and pop-punk to this album, but rather than feeling like a masterpiece, it just feels undercooked.

See all 21 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 98 out of 122
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 122
  3. Negative: 15 out of 122
  1. CZRAFAEL
    Jun 2, 2020
    10
    Vulnerability, strength, power and an incredible voice being exposed. Rihanna shows once again that she can sing what she wants to sing well.
  2. DammyA
    Nov 25, 2009
    10
    I love it. Very unique, she has carved her own genre...no other Cd or artist sounds remotely like her.
  4. JarvsH
    Nov 24, 2009
    10
    Her best album so far, and probably the best pop record in years.
  5. MoniqueS.
    Dec 6, 2009
    9
    Her best album yet, Personal favorite 'Fire Bomb'.
  6. I_Am_F
    May 26, 2011
    8
    Definitely her best album, very dark and personal. It's a shame she put out such a generic album (LOUD) once this wasn't that successfulDefinitely her best album, very dark and personal. It's a shame she put out such a generic album (LOUD) once this wasn't that successful commercially though.… Expand
  7. JimJ
    Nov 23, 2009
    8
    This album shows progression and perfect steps that an artists takes in the turning point of their career. Pitched perfect, and with her This album shows progression and perfect steps that an artists takes in the turning point of their career. Pitched perfect, and with her Caribbean-tint in full effect, Rated R is unstoppable and sure to bring Rihanna critical acclaim. Gear up & get Ready.… Expand
  8. KateS
    Nov 23, 2009
    0
    Awful and overrated album.

See all 122 User Reviews

Awards & Rankings

5
#5 Most Discussed Album of 2009
8
#8 Most Shared Album of 2009

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