Rihanna - Anti -deluxe- -2016-album- Now
Aggressive, industrial, and weird. Rihanna uses her lower register to taunt an ex. It’s unsettling and brilliant—the sound of someone burning a bridge with gasoline.
More importantly, the Deluxe tracks had a second life. "Sex With Me" went viral on TikTok years later, and "Love on the Brain" (standard track) became a wedding staple. The album is consistently ranked by Rolling Stone and Pitchfork as one of the best albums of the 2010s. Ten years later, the Rihanna - ANTI -Deluxe- -2016-Album- sounds timeless. It doesn't sound like 2016. It sounds like a classic record from 1973 that was beamed into the future. In an era of 10-second TikTok songs and generic pop lyrics, ANTI is a full meal. The Deluxe tracks, specifically, capture the "no f*cks given" attitude that modern pop stars try to mimic but fail to achieve. Rihanna - ANTI -Deluxe- -2016-Album-
This track feels like a runway. It’s brash, club-ready, and lyrically simple: "Pose, and let me see you get low." It sounds like a leftover from the Unapologetic sessions, but placed here, it acts as a jolt of caffeine after the slower "Close to You." The Rihanna - ANTI -Deluxe- -2016-Album- uses "Pose" to remind you that despite all the art rock and ballads, Rihanna can still make you move your hips. Aggressive, industrial, and weird
"Sex With Me," "Kiss It Better," "Love on the Brain." Skip: Nothing. Even the interludes are essential. Verdict: Essential. The last great rockstar album of the streaming era. Have you listened to the Rihanna - ANTI -Deluxe- -2016-Album- recently? Drop a comment below with your favorite deep cut. More importantly, the Deluxe tracks had a second life
This is the strangest and most beautiful Deluxe exclusive. It is a 1-minute, 28-second reinterpretation of Florence + The Machine’s "Only If For a Night." Rihanna pitched the vocals down, added heavy 808 bass, and an air raid siren. It sounds like the end of the world at a gothic disco. Why is it called "Goodnight Gotham"? A nod to Batman? To the dark city she feels trapped in? It closes the Deluxe edition not with a resolution, but with a haunting, ambiguous echo. Visual Aesthetics and Legacy The cover art for the Rihanna - ANTI -Deluxe- -2016-Album- is iconic. Shot by Roy Nachum, it features a childhood photo of Rihanna wearing a crown, with a black bar covering her eyes (a symbol of blindness to prejudice). The embossed braille on the physical cover translates to a poem about being "anti-everything."
A folk-pop guitar ballad. It slows the tempo down to a crawl. For an artist known for "S&M," singing about the quiet pain of solitude ("I try to find a heartbeat... I'll be waiting") shows immense growth.
Published: May 2, 2026