Work

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Lore & Background

Culturally, the track became an anthem for self-empowerment across diverse demographics. Its infectious beat and catchy hook transcended language barriers, becoming a staple at parties, clubs, and fitness centers worldwide. The song's success solidified Rihanna's status not just as a pop icon, but as a versatile artist capable of seamlessly blending genres to create timeless hits that define an era.

In Their Own Story

The city lights blur into streaks of neon as the bassline thumps through the pavement, vibrating up through the soles of every dancer in the crowded club. Rihanna stands at the center, her silhouette sharp against the strobe lights, commanding attention without a word. As the beat drops, the crowd surges forward, united by a rhythm that demands movement. It is a moment of pure release, where the lyrics echo the unspoken desire to push through obstacles and keep moving forward, no matter the cost.

Reader's Guide

Production-wise, "Work" is characterized by its heavy reliance on dancehall rhythms, featuring a distinctive bassline and syncopated percussion that pays homage to Caribbean music traditions. The track blends these organic elements with modern pop synths, creating a sound that feels both retro and futuristic. Lyrically, the song explores themes of labor in love, where the protagonist challenges her partner to match her energy and commitment. It is a playful yet assertive demand for effort, wrapped in a catchy, repetitive hook that invites listener participation. The music video amplifies this narrative through high-energy choreography and vibrant visuals set against urban backdrops. Culturally, the song broke records as a female-led hit in the United States, spending numerous weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. It received multiple accolades, including Grammy nominations, cementing its place as a defining track of the decade.

Did You Know?

• "Work" contains an interpolation of the 1998 riddim 'Sail Away' produced by Richie Stephens and Mikey 2000.
• The original reference track for "Work" featured PartyNextDoor's vocals and a tweaked verse from Drake; it leaked as a snippet in February 2016, with the full version released online in April 2016.
• PartyNextDoor originally wrote "Work" as a breakup song, and after Drake heard it and loved it, he decided to write and record a verse.
• The song's beat was created by Rupert "Sevn" Thomas at Drake's house in Los Angeles during a mid-week period Thomas described as a "beat factory."
• "Work" marked the third collaboration between Rihanna and Drake, following "What's My Name?" in 2010 and "Take Care" in 2012.

Background and Release Strategy

Following the release of Rihanna's seventh studio album, Unapologetic, and its accompanying tour, Rihanna took a step back from music. "I wanted to have a year to just do whatever I want artistically, creatively," the singer said. She then went on to state that this hiatus lasted only a week before she ultimately returned to the studio. Following the release of three singles in 2015—"FourFiveSeconds" (with Kanye West and Paul McCartney), "Bitch Better Have My Money" and "American Oxygen"—Billboard announced that Rihanna was set to premiere a new single on January 27, 2016, at 8 am EST. The same day, "Work" premiered on several radio stations worldwide, including BBC Radio 1 in the United Kingdom. Subsequently, it was made available for digital download in most countries, worldwide, via the iTunes Store, and was added for streaming on Apple Music, Spotify, and Tidal.

Collaborative Creation Process

"Work" was written by PartyNextDoor, Drake, Rihanna, Monte Moir, Rupert "Sevn" Thomas, Allen Ritter and Matthew Samuels, and was produced by Boi-1da, Sevn Thomas, Ritter, Kuk Harrell and Noah "40" Shebib. In the summer of 2015, Thomas, Ritter, Boi-1da, and Martin Mason, among others, stayed at Drake's house in Los Angeles for a mid-week period. Thomas described the time spent at the home as a "beat factory, everyone was sitting there working and collaborating with each other." Thomas created a beat which was dancehall-influenced; he later played it for Boi-1da to which he positively responded, "We're both Jamaican-Canadian. It was just something in our DNA, so it woke him up, and we started remembering all these old dancehall songs from the '90s." Boi-1da came with up idea for sampling an "old school dancehall rhythm" and after that the chords were made with Ritter and past it, "everything went organically". The most recognizable sampling found in the "Work" riddim is from the 1998 riddim "Sail Away" which was produced by Richie Stephens and Mikey 2000, interpolating Alexander O'Neal's "If You Were Here Tonight". When the song's music was finished, Boi-1da sent it to PartyNextDoor who wrote the lyrics. "He's an incredible writer, and he's Jamaican as well. I think so that's how he's able to come up with those vibes and feels," noted Thomas. PartyNextDoor originally wrote the record as a breakup song; after Drake heard the song and loved it, he decided to write and record a verse, as well. The original reference track contained Braithwaite's vocals and a tweaked verse from Drake. It leaked as a snippet in February 2016, but the full version was released online in April of that year. Initially, the intention was to keep the song as a collaboration between the two, or to give to Alicia Keys. Shortly thereafter, Braithwaite stayed at Rihanna's home in Malibu, where he played her the song, saying afterwards "it was all that she could sing around the house" and it was her "family's favourite song". Rihanna's vocals were recorded by Marcos Tovar and Kuk Harrell at Westlake Recording Studios, Los Angeles; the latter also served as a vocal producer. Drake's vocals were recorded by Noel Cadastre and Noah "40" Shebib at the Sandra Gale Studios in California and the SOTA Studios in Toronto. The vocal recording was assisted by Thomas Warren, while additional vocals were provided by PartyNextDoor. Manny Marroquin mixed "Work" at the Larrabee Studios, while Noel "Gadget" Campbell and Shebib did the mixing at the Studio 360 and SOTA Studios in Toronto. The mastering was done by Chris Gehringer at the Sterling Sound in New York City. "Work" marked the third collaboration between Rihanna and Drake, following "What's My Name?" in 2010 and "Take Care" in 2012.

Musical Composition and Themes

"Work" is a dancehall, reggae-pop and R&B song, with a length of three minutes and thirty-nine seconds. Hugh McIntyre of Forbes described the song as "quite" urban and mixes hip hop influences with "island vibes". Zach Frydenlund of Complex wrote that the song "is slower and very rhythmic with Rihanna showing off her vocal skills over the crafty production." The song is in the C♯ Dorian mode (written using the same key signature as G♯ minor) in common time with a tempo of 92 beats per minute. The vocals in the song span from F♯3 to E♭5. Alexa Camp of Slant Magazine called it "an understated midtempo jam in the vein of Janet Jackson's recent 'No Sleeep', with a percolating beat, sinuous synth lines, and vocal samples stretched and pulled in a way that recalls Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis's masterful production work on Janet's 1997 album The Velvet Rope." The Guardian's Harriet Gibsone wrote: "The glossy, modernist 'Work' skewers elements of dub and dancehall: her voice is at times Auto-Tuned, and a distant sample of what sounds a little like Grace Jones's "My Jamaican Guy" haunts its empty spaces." Rolling Stone's Daniel Kreps wrote the song contains "a tropical house vibe". In contrary, Taj Ran from Billboard wrote the song "isn't part of a new genre that many in the mainstream media are calling 'tropical house.' Anti's lead single is undeniably drenched in dancehall, a genre with deep roots in Jamaica's club scene that spun off from reggae in the 1970s." According to The Atlantic's Spencer Kornhaber, the single has "strangely unfinished quality" that features its verses, choruses and bridge fade into themselves, "forgoing soft-to-loud explosions or exciting rhythmic changes". He also noted that, Boi-1da also tries to create "escalation" in the song by adding additional drums for the second chorus, flutes, autotuned harmonies and back-off piano. The New York Times' Jon Caramanica noted Rihanna at times "barely even relies on words, truncating her syllables past patois to something far less exact." Lyrically, "Work" is "about working for a paycheck no matter what else is going on in your life." Additionally, it focuses on "a fragile relationship" that can be seen in the lines, "If I get another chance to, I would never, oh never, neglect you," which Rihanna sings.

Commercial Success and Legacy

"Work" spent nine weeks atop the US Billboard Hot 100 and helped Rihanna surpass Michael Jackson as the artist with the fourth-most US number-one hits. It peaked at number one in Canada, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, and South Africa, and received many multi-platinum certifications, including a Diamond certification in France and the United States, as well as nine-times Platinum certification in Canada. It was the fourth-bestselling song of 2016 in the US. "Work" had sold 32.5 million units worldwide by January 2021. At the time of its release, critical response to "Work" was mixed; reviews that praised the song highlighted Rihanna's return to the dancehall sound of her early career and embrace of Caribbean culture, while reviews that were less enthusiastic labeled its production as repetitive and the lyrics as insubstantial. However, critical opinion improved over time; the song was nominated for Record of the Year and Best Pop Duo/Group Performance at the 59th Grammy Awards, and publications such as NME and Pitchfork ranked it among the best songs of the 2010s decade. Some journalists credit "Work" with reinvigorating dancehall in mainstream popular music in the mid-2010s.