Rihanna’s New Video Only Gives Commercially Disappointing Single A Small Boost
On the stroke of midnight Friday, Rihanna released her video for “Bit*ch Better Have My Money.” Unfortunately, the video didn’t have the effect on sales of the song that Rihanna probably wanted. “Bit*ch Better Have My Money” was already considered disappointing by Rihanna’s standards by only peaking at No. 17 on Billboard‘s Hot 100.
After the release of Rihanna’s new video, the song rushed back in the top 20 on iTunes. However, that rush was short lived as “Bit*ch Better Have My Money” has fallen to No. 25. However, hope is not lost. The video has over 14 million views just after two days. With the temporary increase in sales and the millions of streaming views, Rihanna could find herself back in the top 20 next week on Billboard’s Hot 100. In a long shot, the song can rise to the top ten eventually and would reinvigorate Rihanna’s reputation for making hit singles.
Perhaps the reason Rihanna released the controversial video was to help the chart position. Perhaps she knows that the more controversial something is, the more people view it. The video for “Bit*ch Better Have My Money” has actually garnered Rihanna some favorable reviews.
Peter Vincent from the Sydney Morning Herald is one of the critics who is giving Rihanna’s latest a big thumbs up.
“Every frame is a reminder of how damn cool Rihanna is (Madonna take note, this is how you do it in 2015). Every shot looks worthy of a spread in some so-hip-it-hurts French fashion magazine.”
However, the video, which features Rihanna brutally murdering a blonde white girl, has caused a lot of controversy. The Guardian details the fallout.
“Depending on which commentator or social media spat you choose, the video – viewed 12 million times since its release – is either an empowering challenge to music industry stereotypes or a racist and gory piece of misogyny.”
The Guardian goes on to note that a headline of one site read “Not Safe for Work or Feminists,” while Twitter said Rihanna was glorifying violence against women. There are also a lot of people on Twitter who think Rihanna’s video is racist.
#BBHMM @rihanna your video is "dope AF"? No, try hateful, violent, bad example, racist… Can you imagine if a white male made this video??
— Josiah (@panda0ftrash) July 3, 2015
Of course, people who are calling Rihanna out for being racist are also being called racist. It’s a win-win situation for Rihanna, who has failed to create any major type of buzz with the singles released off of R8, an album that has been delayed many times due to what some believe is Rihanna’s failure to create a huge and memorable hit. What do you think of the “Bit*ch Better Have My Money” video? Let us know in the comments section.
[Photo Credit: The Guardian]
