Rihanna – Pour It Up

“About as not-safe-for-work as you can get before actually just being porn.”

Tom: This video is about as not-safe-for-work as you can get before actually just being porn. Consider yourself warned.

Tim: Oh good lord.

Tom: And you know what? That’s about all I can say for it. That’s not a pop song. That’s not even really a song. It’s a track, I guess? It’s not new, it’s off the album, so it’s not a surprise — but it seems more an excuse to go all-out on the “racy video” front without backing it with decent music.

Tim: That’s exactly the thought I had – as though someone thought “hang on – people are doing porn in music videos at the moment and we need to get in on that. Let’s see, erm, yeah, this is album track’ll that’ll probably work.” As one commenter put it, “I’ve watched actual pornos with better music than this.”

Tom: That said: full marks for the racy video. And for making a bikini out of electroluminescent wire. But mostly for the video.

Tim: Hmm. I’m still not sure about the whole raciness in music videos – don’t really see the point to them, as it’s not as if they had trouble getting views beforehand. But still, it seems to make you happy, so what do I know?

Nicki Minaj feat. Rihanna – Fly

Nicki Minaj in “Not Completely Annoying” shocker.

Tom: The headline from this one: Nicki Minaj in “Not Completely Annoying” shocker.

Tim: And, the MTV Award for ‘Most Hairstyles in a Single Video’ goes to…

Tom: For the uninitiated: Nicki Minaj is the high-pitched voice behind that damned ‘Super Bass’ track that plagued the summer. This new one’s a lot different though – and it’s a hell of a lot calmer. But the star here is Rihanna, clearly – I’m not sure there’s been a track she’s featured on before that’s shown off her voice quite so well.

Tim: Are you kidding me? What, you never heard California King Bed (an absolutely stunning track, by the way)? Though I suppose if you’re limiting it to ‘feat. Rihanna’ tracks, you may have a point, but you’ve still got Love the Way You Lie, where she’s doing a hell of a lot more than here, where she’s only really been given the fly-yy-yy-yy-yyy.

Tom: Yep, just ‘featured’ ones – and I know she generally knocks it out the park every time, but there’s something her vocals on this particular track that just floored me. It’s a bit of a shame about the rap part, though.

Tim: Almost a given, really.

Tom: “I represent an entire generation”? No you don’t, Nicki.