“It goes one by one, even two by two…everybody on the floor, let me show you how we do!!”

Highlights: Pon de Replay, If it’s Lovin’ that you Want, You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No), The Last Time & Willing to Wait

I remember being in the 6th grade, and hearing Pon De Replay. I wondered, who is the girl that is singing this catchy dance hall record? Rihanna burst onto the scene with a hot summer jam, and was ready to conquer the world. Pon De Replay easily could’ve been Rihanna’s 1st number hit if it wasn’t blocked by my other fave’s hit song “We Belong Together.” Who would’ve imagined that 11 years later, she is this huge star that is breaking records after records. Being signed to Def Jam earlier that year, the Jay-Z protege worked on her album for months..and it was released on this day, 11 years ago.

Music of the Sun is the blueprint to the Rihanna we know today, and should be honored as much as her other albums are. I define MOTS, as a solid debut album from the 17 year old songstress from Barbados. The concept of MOTS, is to pay homage to Rihanna’s native home…and her Caribbean heritage. If you ask me, MOTS and songs throughout her catalog fulfills that concept to a T.

Reading reviews of MOTS were terrible for me! Maybe because I have been a diehard fan since the very first song, so I saw the promise that MOTS has. Does MOTS hold a candle to anything Rihanna has released ever since? Heavens no. It’s important to remember that without this album, we wouldn’t have Good Girl Gone Bad, Rated R..or even ANTI. I mean: what can you expect from a teenage girl, besides love songs and fun pop singles?

A lot of songs on Music of the Sun are the epitome of album fillers, but Fenty shines on her debut single and my personal favorites. The production screams 2005 in a  nutshell, but it is not as dull as people tried to put it. MOTS is a dance-pop album with influences from the Caribbean culture that Rihanna loves and cherishes so much. Here I go Again, which is co-written by Rihanna, tells the story of falling back in love with someone you never were over. 

The album goes into her second single from the album, which is one of my favorite Baby Riri singles “If It’s Lovin’ That You Want.” IILTYW is a cute pop song that convinces that cute guy that he should make you his, if love is on the agenda. One thing I love about this song, is that it proved that Rihanna wasn’t going to be a one-hit wonder. 

The follow-up song “You Don’t Love Me (No, No, No), is a standout track on this album for me. Originally a song by Dawn Penn, Rihanna covers this record and owns it with the help of Vybz Kartel. If caribbean is what you wanted from Rihanna, it doesn’t get any better than You Don’t Love Me! Ballads like the fed up “The Last Time,” The Deniece Williams Free sampled “Willing To Wait,” shows Rihanna at her vulnerable state. The title track, which is sampled by DeBarge’s Rhythm of the Night, gives the album a feel good dance record.

Over the next 11 years, Rihanna has proven to critics and doubters that Pon De Replay was only the beginning..and to this day, she is still making hits after hits. We have to thank MOTS for giving Rihanna her start on the remarkable journey she’s on. As she stated in “Mother Mary” on 2012’s Unapologetic, “I’m from the left side of an island. Never thought this many people, would even know my name.” Thanks to Pon De Replay and the further exposure the album gave her to go further in the industry, she will forever be remembered as the Bajan beauty with a distinctive voice.

Pon de Replay – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Here I Go Again – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

If It’s Lovin’ That You Want – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

You Don’t Love Me ( No, No, No) – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

That La, La, La – ⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Last Time – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Willing to Wait – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Music of the Sun – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Let Me – ⭐️⭐️

Rush – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

There’s a Thug In My Life – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Now I Know – ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Pon de Replay Remix – ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

7/10