Free Yourself is the debut studio album by American singer Fantasia, released by on November 23, 2004. After winning American Idol, Fantasia signed to J Records with 19 Entertainment and began recording her debut album, working with a variety of writers and producers, including Louis Biancaniello, Craig Brockman, Bryan-Michael Cox, Clive Davis, Jermaine Dupri, Missy Elliott, Sean Garrett, Jazze Pha, Darkchild, Harold Lilly, Ric Rude, Soulshock & Karlin, The Underdogs, Sam Watters and Nigel Wright.
Music of the Sun is the debut studio album by Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released on August 29, 2005, by Def Jam Recordings. Prior to signing with Def Jam, Rihanna was discovered by record producer Evan Rogers in Barbados, who helped Rihanna record demo tapes to send out to several record labels. Jay-Z, the former chief executive officer (CEO) and president of Def Jam, was given Rihanna's demo by Jay Brown, his A&R at Def Jam, and invited her to audition for the label after hearing the song that would become her first single, "Pon de Replay". She auditioned for Jay-Z and L.A. Reid, the former CEO and president of record label group The Island Def Jam Music Group, and was signed on the spot to prevent her from signing with another record label.
Overloaded: The Singles Collection is the first greatest hits album of British girl group Sugababes. It was released on 10 November 2006—almost one year following the departure of founding member Mutya Buena and the introduction of her replacement, Amelle Berrabah. Overloaded features twelve of the group's singles, four of which reached number one in the UK; "Freak like Me", "Round Round", "Hole in the Head", and "Push the Button". The Sugababes collaborated with members from Orson to produce two new tracks for the album, "Easy" and "Good to Be Gone". Overloaded received positive reviews from critics, who generally praised it as a reflection of the group's success.
"Rehab" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her third studio album, Good Girl Gone Bad (2007). Def Jam Recordings serviced the song to contemporary hit radio in the United States on October 6, 2008, as the fifth and final single from the album. It was released in the United Kingdom as a CD single on December 8, 2008.
David Archuleta is the debut album by American singer David Archuleta. It was released first released in the US on November 11, 2008, by Jive Records. The album was certified gold by the RIAA on January 29, 2009. The first single, "Crush", was released to radio on August 1. The album was released in the UK on May 11, 2009. The UK album release was set to coincide with his UK tour with Rock/Pop band McFly in April/May 2009.
Rated R is the fourth studio album by Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released on November 20, 2009, by Def Jam Recordings and SRP Records. Recording sessions for the album began in March 2009 and took place at recording studios throughout United States and Europe. Rihanna was the executive producer of the album alongside Antonio "L.A." Reid and The Carter Administration. It features additional production by various record producers, including Chase & Status, Stargate, The-Dream, Ne-Yo, and Brian Kennedy. The record features several vocalists and instrumentalists, including Young Jeezy, will.i.am, Justin Timberlake and Slash, who played the guitars in "Rockstar 101".
"Russian Roulette" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her fourth studio album, Rated R (2009). It premiered on radio stations worldwide on October 20, 2009, and was released as the album's lead single on October 26 by Def Jam Recordings. Written and produced by Ne-Yo and Chuck Harmony, "Russian Roulette" is a pop, pop-rock and R&B ballad that contains dark, morbid, and tense atmospheric elements in its composition. Lyrically, the single is about an abusive romantic relationship that ended abruptly. Music critics noted the lyrical theme to be a response to the domestic violence case between Rihanna and her former boyfriend, singer and rapper Chris Brown.
"Hard" is a song by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna from her fourth studio album, Rated R (2009). The song features a guest verse from American rapper Young Jeezy, credited only as "Jeezy" on the album. The artists co-wrote the song with its producers, The-Dream and Tricky Stewart. "Hard" was sent to radio by Def Jam Recordings on November 10, 2009, as the second United States single from Rated R. It is a hip hop song and features military horns, hissing synthesizers, sharp beats and piano chords.
"Carry Out" is a song recorded by American producer and rapper Timbaland for his third studio album Shock Value II (2009). The song features guest vocals from longtime collaborator, American recording artist Justin Timberlake. Timbaland and Timberlake co-wrote the song with Timothy "Attitude" Clayton, Jim Beanz and Jerome "J-Roc" Harmon; with Harmon co-producing the song with Timbaland. Mosley Music Group, together with Blackground and Interscope Records, serviced the song to contemporary hit radio on December 1, 2009, in the United States, as the third single from Shock Value II.
"Rude Boy" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna, taken from her fourth studio album, Rated R (2009). It was released as the album's fourth overall and third international single on February 5, 2010, through Def Jam. Rihanna co-wrote the song with Ester Dean, Makeba Riddick, and producers Rob Swire and Stargate. "Rude Boy" is a clubby midtempo reggae, dancehall and R&B song which incorporates elements of raggamuffin. The song received mixed to positive reviews from critics; some have called it the highlight of the album, but others criticized Rihanna's "monotone" and "icy" vocal performance. However, opinion of the song has improved over time, and several critics have retrospectively ranked it as one of the strongest releases in her discography.
"Rockstar 101" is a song by Barbadian singer Rihanna from her fourth studio album, Rated R (2009). The song features the British-American guitarist Slash of the rock group Guns N' Roses. It was released on May 18, 2010, as the fifth single from the album. Rihanna wrote the song in collaboration with the producers The-Dream and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart; vocal production was carried out by Makeba Riddick. The album version is a grunge-crunk and hip hop song, while the remix EP's consist of dance, dubstep and electronic music adaptations, some of which were remixed by Dave Audé and Mark Picchiotti.
"Stupid in Love" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her fourth studio album, Rated R (2009). The song was written by R&B singer Ne-Yo and pop producer duo StarGate, with the duo also handling production. Ne-Yo served as the assistant producer, and Makeba Riddick as vocal producer. It was written two days before Rihanna and then boyfriend Chris Brown's altercation on the night of the 2009 Grammy Awards, which occurred on February 8, 2009. The lyrical content, which describes an abusive relationship, led Ne-Yo to describe the song as a "premonition".
Loud is the fifth studio album by Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released on November 12, 2010, by Def Jam Recordings and SRP Records. The album was recorded between February and August 2010, during the singer's Last Girl on Earth tour (2010-2011) and the filming of her first feature film Battleship (2012). Rihanna and L.A. Reid were the executive producers of Loud and worked with various record producers, including Stargate, Sandy Vee, The Runners, Tricky Stewart and Alex da Kid. The album features several guest vocalists, including rappers Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Eminem, who is featured on the sequel to "Love the Way You Lie", titled "Love the Way You Lie ".
Talk That Talk is the sixth studio album by Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released on November 18, 2011 by Def Jam Recordings and SRP Records. Talk That Talk was recorded during the Loud Tour between February and November 2011. It was originally planned to be a reissue of her previous studio album Loud (2010). As executive producer, Rihanna enlisted a wide range of producers including Alex da Kid, Calvin Harris, Chase & Status, No I.D., and Stargate to achieve her desired sound. Following in the same vein as Loud, Talk That Talk is a dance-oriented pop/R&B crossover album that incorporates elements of hip hop, dubstep, electronic and house music. The album also contains subtle dancehall influences while its lyrical content and themes revolve around a nihilistic, romantic, and lascivious lover.
"Jump" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her seventh studio album, Unapologetic (2012). It was written by Kevin Cossom, M. B. Williams, Stargate and Chase & Status, with production done by the latter two and Kuk Harrell. It samples the lyrics of the 1996 single "Pony", performed by Ginuwine. Its composition and structure received comparisons to not only Justin Timberlake's song "Cry Me a River" and Magnetic Man's "I Need Air", but also to some of Rihanna's previous songs, including "Rude Boy" and "Red Lipstick". A remix of the song called "Jump " by rapper Theophilus London was leaked onto the internet. "Jump" was serviced to Australian radio on January 24, 2014 as the album's sixth single.
Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded is the reissue of Barbadian singer Rihanna's third studio album Good Girl Gone Bad (2007). It was first released digitally in selected countries on June 2, 2008, by Def Jam Recordings and SRP Records. Launched to mark the first anniversary of the original album, Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded features three newly recorded songs and a DVD showing exclusive behind-the-scenes footage of Rihanna's worldwide tour, the Good Girl Gone Bad Tour (2007–2009). For the new material, she worked with past collaborators Ne-Yo, Stargate, and C. "Tricky" Stewart, as well as Brian Kennedy, Mark Endert, Mike Elizondo, Mark "Spike" Stent and Maroon 5.
"Cold Case Love" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her fourth studio album, Rated R (2009). It was written and produced by The Y's. Following Chris Brown's assault on Rihanna, she started working on the sound of her new album. Timberlake, who co-wrote "Cold Case Love", labeled the sound of Rihanna's new project as a step forward for the singer. In February 2010, Rihanna admitted that the song's lyrics are about her complicated relationship with Brown.
Never Been Better is the fourth studio album by English recording artist Olly Murs. It was released through Epic Records on 21 November 2014 in Ireland and 24 November in the United Kingdom.
"Desperado" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her eighth studio album, Anti (2016). It was written and produced by Mick Schultz with additional writing by Krystin "Rook Monroe" Watkins, Rihanna, Iman Jordan, James Fauntleroy and Derrus Rachel. During the recording process of Anti, Rihanna rented a house in Malibu over several months and started extensively writing and composing music with her team consisting of various musicians. One of the songwriters in the house was Krystin "Rook Monroe" Watkins. He together with American producer Mick Schultz worked on the song. Their efforts resulted in the mid-tempo indie rock song featuring deep synths and vocal samples.
"Sex with Me" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her eighth studio album, Anti (2016); it is one of three bonus tracks included on the deluxe edition. She wrote the song in collaboration with PartyNextDoor, Chester Hansen, Boi-1da, Frank Dukes and Vinylz, and it was produced by the latter three. Kuk Harrell was also enlisted as Rihanna's vocal producer. On February 3, 2017, Rihanna released a five-track EP which included remixes of "Sex with Me" by MK, Salva, John Blake, Addal and DEVAULT.
