If there was any doubt that Rihanna would rise from the violent assault she faced at the hands of Chris Brown as a changed woman, the video for "Russian Roulette" should eviscerate all doubt. "Russian Roulette" finds Rihanna face-to-face with her lover and a gun, trying to figure out where she'll draw the strength to pull the trigger and place her bet. The video opens with Rihanna held in captivity, in what looks like a police confessional room. There are also scenes of Rihanna looking mentally unstable, yanking at her hair, curled up on the floor like a wounded child. The video retraces the events that led to Rihanna being locked up and at the end, the winner of this game of Russian Roulette is revealed.
Watch the video for Rihanna's "Russian Roulette" below.
Rihanna is to be commended, first and foremost, for being a mainstream artist willing to push new boundaries and test new limits. While there is certainly a valid argument to be made that "Russian Roulette" isn't nearly as catchy or marketable as "Umbrella," that clearly wasn't Rihanna's main intention. And in reality, going the "Good Girl Gone Bad" route would've been the easy way out for Rihanna. Just hit the studio with The-Dream and Tricky Stewart and craft another song to have the globe chanting "ey, ey, ey" again, all while wearing her trademark asymmetrical haircut. Sticking to the formula is essentially what Chris Brown is attempting to do with his new album. "I Can Transform Ya" and "Crawl" are the exact same kind of R&B/Pop ditties that Chris was churning out pre-assault. He opted not to grow.
Rihanna and her team of producers and songwriters, however, looked inward and decided to explore what Rihanna admitted, has been one of the darkest and most trying times in her life. It really shouldn't be a surprise after the assault and public humiliation she suffered that Rihanna's material has gone decidedly dark and less meet-me-on-the-dance-floor.
The "Russian Roulette" video translates all of the tension, the torture and the confusion of Rihanna's relationship with Chris. She hesitates to pull the trigger and "kill" the relationship. Though Rihanna supposedly in love with someone who she believes loves her, she continues to suffer from bullet wounds. And the way the video ends, with the master of the game losing out, lets us know that Rihanna is finally free of her torturer. Yes, it's a little violent and yes, it's not a club banger. But it is most definitely compelling art and an engaging story.
Rihanna might go back to the more light-hearted fare on her next album, but let's ride through this dark tunnel with her for now. The journey could be interesting.
