Rihanna Pulls The Trigger In "Man Down" Video

Rihanna guns down a man in a dark, and emotional music video for her latest single "Man Down," is her fifth single lifted from her latest multi-platinum album "Loud." Rihanna is still going strong with her album "Loud," which was released over a year ago. The song was chosen as a single based on an online poll she had to determine her next offering. The West Indian beauty has always loved reggae and decided to tap into Jamaican culture as she filmed the video "Man Down" in the land of reggae music.
Barbadian singer embraces her island roots on this reggae-tinged track. She told Spin magazine: "The vibe is Jamaican and West Indian. That's something that's close to me." The song features siren noises and violent lyrics about shooting a man, however Rihanna said they shouldn't be taken literally. "The song is about breaking a certain man's heart and ending his hopes and causing pain, which is like a gun shot," she explained. "It's a very cleverly written song and what I love about it is that it's not a lyric you'd normally hear a female singing."
Rihanna's fellow Barbadian Shontelle wrote this reggae-flavored song. The 'Impossible' singer told Sound-Savvy that she hopes their collaboration will put a stop to the talk that the two Bajan stars don't get on. One moment can change your entire life. Rihanna learns this in this hardest possible way in the gripping and gritty Anthony Mandler-directed video for "Man Down." "Very strong underlying message for girls like me!" Rihanna once tweeted about the premise of the gritty visuals. Anthony, meanwhile, said the video has all elements that will capture viewers right from the beginning, saying "It's dramatic and shocking and intense and emotional and uplifting and enlightening."
In this clip, the Bajan songstress is originally a carefree island girl who is full of love, spirit and joy, but then an unthinkable moment happens and changes her entire life. She gets raped by a man she met at a party, and turns into a cold-blooded killer to seek revenge on him. With a look of fiery hatred on her face, shooting a man down in a crowded transit station. As the video continues, we're transported back a day earlier to see why Rihanna turned into a murder. As powerful as the storyline is, it's Rihanna's acting that really sells it. The look of fear on her face as she's attacked looks all too authentic. It's impossible not to get chills while watching.