Rihanna, ranked: 'ANTI' antis, go home

Rihanna has been gracing our ears, screens and hearts for close to two decades. Throughout her 16-year-long career, she's released eight studio albums, gone on a multitude of concert tours and founded a beauty brand and a lingerie line, becoming a self-made billionaire from the ground up.

Robyn Rihanna Fenty, better known as Rihanna or Riri, has solidified herself as a cultural icon in all sectors of the entertainment industry. She’s an extremely talented singer, dancer, actress, businesswoman and a certified style icon.

It was recently announced that she will be performing at the 2023 Super Bowl halftime show, and most of the world freaked out over this news — rightfully so. It’s honestly shocking that she hasn’t already headlined the most famous event of her career yet.

Rihanna’s discography spawns a decade, and she has truly blessed us with an amazing mix of styles and genres throughout her time in the industry.

From R&B, to dance pop and electronic music, let’s take a look at all of Rihanna’s albums, ranked from worst to best.

“Music Of The Sun” (2005)

“Music Of The Sun” was Rihanna’s debut into the music world, and it works well as just that. This album came and delivered what it had to do, but it definitely does not live up to the rest of her discography by a landslide.

This album contains the iconic track “Pon de Replay,” which was a staple in my personal music catalog at the time. It’s fun to listen to occasionally, but Rihanna has done much better over the years.

“A Girl Like Me” (2006)

Another fetus Rihanna moment, “A Girl Like Me” delivered what it needed to give at the time. This album stepped it up in terms of general vibes and singles but still is not even in the same league as her more recent musical endeavors.

This album features two unforgettable tracks, “SOS” and “Unfaithful.” These have both aged so well over the years and are songs that I would gladly put on to blast in the car with some friends. Do I listen to this album frequently in comparison to her others? No. But is it good for an occasional listen? Absolutely.

“Rated R” (2009)

This album was definitely a cool concept for the time, but it has not lived on in my personal rotation of albums. “Rated R” features a few phenomenal songs, but overall, isn’t extremely memorable for me personally in comparison to her other works.

The one song I find myself going back to frequently from this album is “Rude Boy.” I loved it when it came out, and I still love it today. This track has such a fun vibe and is so catchy, it’s hard not to love. Another amazing honorable mention on this album is “Russian Roulette,” an emotional ballad that is a staple in her discography.

“Talk That Talk” (2011)

At the early height of the EDM and dance pop movements, “Talk That Talk” blessed our ears but hasn’t remained in constant talks by many. At the time, this album absolutely delivered, and you couldn’t go anywhere without hearing its extremely popular singles.

While I occasionally have a nostalgia for the dance pop and EDM eras of the early 2010s, I’m also completely content with it being over. I often frequent tracks like “Where Have You Been,” and I occasionally queue up “We Found Love” featuring Calvin Harris or “You da One.” Overall, it was a very solid album for the time but does not fit into today's musical climate.

“Good Girl Gone Bad” (2007)

Smack dab in the middle of my list is Rihanna's third studio album, “Good Girl Gone Bad.” This album is definitely a solid work, but it is not extremely memorable in comparison to other parts of her discography.

While I still thoroughly enjoy songs like “Umbrella” featuring JAY-Z (obviously, who doesn’t), “Don’t Stop the Music” and “Shut Up and Drive,” there’s not a huge amount of memorable tracks from this album that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.

“Unapologetic” (2012)

Making our way into my top three, “Unapologetic” takes third place. This album has absolutely phenomenal tracks on it, and it was really difficult to decide between my second and third-place rankings.

Songs like “Diamonds,” “Pour It Up,” “What Now” and “Stay” featuring Mikky Ekko were a huge part of my life at the time of their release, and they still live rent-free in my head to this day. “Stay” is an absolute classic, and has truly remained popular over the years, showing how timeless this emotional ballad really is.

“Loud” (2010)

“Loud” is truly so good, and I find myself listening to my favorite songs from it constantly. This was the peak of Rihanna’s bright red hair days (which I absolutely loved), and it was just all in all a great time to be alive.

This album contains hit after hit, serving us amazing songs like “S&M,” “Only Girl (In the World),” “California King Bed,” “Man Down” and “What’s My Name?” featuring Drake. This album truly did not miss, giving it the right to sit at my number two spot in the rankings.

“ANTI” (2016)

If you’re not ranking “ANTI” as your favorite Rihanna album, you’re completely wrong. This album has been on constant repeat in my personal discography since its release six years ago, and I couldn’t imagine my life without it. Every single song on this album is truly a work of art, from the singles to the deep cuts.

“ANTI” came and delivered such an amazing era that has truly continued to live on more than half a decade later. From promotional singles like “B*tch Better Have My Money” to album singles such as “Love on the Brain” and “Work” featuring Drake, this album absolutely dominated the radio in 2016.

With deep cuts like “Consideration” featuring SZA, “James Joint,” “Kiss It Better,” “Higher” and “Close To You,” this album did not miss and will continue to live on with some of the greatest albums of all time.