In the middle of 2011, one of her peak years. It's odd how this only peaked at number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100.

She sounds amazing in this, from her accent to the way she says she has to leave to her mother it's really riveting. So after this raw and emotional performance, which for the record is really good. But that's a conversation for another time as well. Which is an interesting fact as she ends up dating Chris Brown later own that year, into the end of 2012. She's a victim, but she knows that the next time someone abuses her, she will get her revenge. But at the same time, she won't just be some helpless victim, she goes and kills the man who abused her, which also shows that she shouldn't be messed with either. But in this song, it's shown that there's still wounds deep that haven't been healed, reminder that this song is from and album that was released not even 2 years after her 2009 incident. She's seen as this sexual person but by her own choice after somebody she loved abused her. A persona in which she excels at frequently, see Needed Me, S&M, Bitch Better Have My Money. The interesting thing about this song, at least for me, is the deconstruction and playing with her 'bad girl' person. And it's a real departure from some of her previous singles, especially S&M and Raining Men, that where Rihanna has taken control of herself and is the dominant one in the way she approaches sex and relationships to where she is once again abused and she retaliates, shooting her abuser dead. It's clear by her singing style, the way the song sounds and her accent that this happens in her home country of Barbados. This song tells a story of a man who abused Rihanna in some way, in the music video it's made clear that this man sexually abused her, and she shoots him dead and she has to leave. At least, in a direct way, there is most likely something to be said about her persona in her music after the incident, especially in her more sexually charged songs, but that's a conversation for another day.

On her singles, at least, Rihanna seems very comfortable not mentioning the 2009 incident in her music. Prior to this, we had Russian Roulette, Love the Way You Lie, and on a lesser note, Rude Boy and S&M. This is one of the few times we deal with Rihanna's personal issues, especially when it comes to Chris Brown, come to the light in her singles. I feel as though this is an important song in Rihanna's discography, in the same way as Umbrella, Love the Way You Lie, We Found Love, among others, are. For my first pick, I have chosen Rihanna's Man Down from Her fifth studio album, Loud For my throwback Thursdays, I have decided to shine light on my absolute favorites that have been lost to the sands of time.

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