2. Background information “Man down” is a single performed by Rihanna on her new album “Loud”. The song was written by Shama "Sham" Joseph, Timothy & Theron Thomas, and Shontelle Layne. Rihanna herself talked about the song at MTV Music awards saying- “Man Down is gangsta. It comes from me trying to achieve that vibe, Rihanna told about the saucy song. "I'm super inspired by reggae music and it has been a part of me since I was born, and I grew up listening to it. I grew up loving it. My favourite artists are all reggae artists. The special thing in that song is the fact that it's a female singing those lyrics, then you have that reggae thing and the chant; the overall energy in that song is so gangsta." She added later "It's got a lot of swagger. I really enjoy it.” The genre of this song is pop with electro reggae. Rihanna really enjoyed this song as she got to play up some of her reggae roots and reggae is her favourite genre. There has been a lot of controversy about the song due the portrayal of murder. However Rihanna has responded to these complaints saying this song is very women empowering, and highlights problems which happens in today's society.
3. Analysis The video begins on a dramatic note when Rihanna shoots a man making his way through a busy train station. After committing her crime, the camera focuses on the shot man and later Rihanna flees the scene. The video then travels back in time to the previous day, when the singer is seen riding her bike and meeting with people in Jamaica. There are also scenes of Rihanna alone inside a bedroom at dusk. Then, at a nightclub, Rihanna begins to dance and flirt with another club-goer, the man who she is seen shooting at the video's beginning. After she leaves the club, the man follows her outside and begins to get violent. The video then cuts straight to the scene of Rihanna crying in the street, after what appears to have been a sexual assault. The video concludes with the singer running to her home where she grabs a gun hidden in a dresser drawer, after which the beginning scene is replayed where she shoots him. As the genre is pop, the music video contains a lot of close up shots and expression shots which are key elements of music videos.
