Rihanna Premiered "Rockstar 101" Feat. Slash

In between performing on her international tour and hitting the party circuit with her friends, the Bajan superstar Rihanna's hotly anticipated new music video for new single "Rockstar 101" has premiered a little early but not on Vevo. The song "Rockstar 101" on which legendary rocker Slash collaborated is the fourth single off of Rihanna's latest album, "Rated R." The video is a dark theme not her best but still quite frisky and dark. It shows off the Barbadian songstress channeling her collaborator Slash by wearing his signature top hat, long curly wig and strumming an electric guitar. In addition, the Barbados can be also seen rocking it out with Travis Barker (Blink-182)'s battery while dressed in a bold latex outfit and wearing a red wig inspired by the Crazy Horse dancers.
Beside readying "Rockstar 101" music video, Rihanna is also preparing to release a a video for her next international Stargate-produced single, "Te Amo." She filmed the visuals at a 16th century castle of Vigny in the suburbs of Paris, France when staying in the country for the European leg of her Last Girl on Earth tour. Both songs are taken from Rihanna's 2009 studio album "Rated R". The music video for "Rockstar 101" is directed by Melina Matsoukas, who also did Rihanna's "Hard" and "Rude Boy" videos, and "Te Amo" clip is directed by Anthony Mandler with French supermodel Laeticia Casta making a cameo appearance.
The 22-year-old will be channeling several different looks though maintaining to stay sexy and keeps taking the "Rated R" theme and pushes it to new extremes as she really leaves little to the imagination in this black and white homage to the rockstar lifestyle. The imagery suits the song well and Rihanna certainly looks fierce in all aspects of the word, but it's a little too late after it's been the same thing in all of her videos from this era. All in all, it's certainly an interesting watch, but goodness would I have much rather she done one for "Fire Bomb."
Rihanna succeeds in executing the cockiness and attitude that this record boasts and you have just got to love the Slash impersonation. "Rockstar 101" was performed on American Idol on April 7 and it will officially impact both Mainstream and Rhythmic radio on June 1. The song is being used for the new CW show "Nikita," which will debut in the fall of 2010. Within the context of "Rated R," the intensely chilly, distant feel of the song works, but it is difficult to see "Rockstar 101" endearing itself to a wide spectrum of pop fans listening to the radio.