From The Vault (older Atlanta Post/Madame Noire story)

On the May 31, 2011 broadcast of 106 & Park, the BET flagship premiered the promotional music video for the radio raga “Man Down,” the menacing electro-reggae cat-on-the-prowl murder ballad by Rihanna. The fifth consecutive single from her trashy Eurodance opus “Loud,” the latest clip from the Caribbean chanteuse–as directed by frequent collaborator Anthony Mandler–has raised a few eyebrows since its debut.

Set against the beautiful-but-turbulent ‘gully’ side of Kingston, Jamaica, the Barbados-born singer reflects on the compelling story of a young, liberated woman and the rage-and-revenge rampage that follows.

The five-minute clip begins at the climax of the mad scene when a raged-filled Rihanna fires and kills a man who’s walking through a busy train station before the songstress flees the scene of the crime.

Through flashbacks of the previous day, Rihanna is seen riding her bike through Portland Parish, socializing with young men in her neighborhood, and buying fruit from street vendors before wandering into a nightclub where she is pursued by the victim. It’s not until after the “Umbrella” singer exits the dancehall that viewers understand her motives, as he follows her out into the shadows and begins to get violent; leaving her in tears at the end of the struggle.

Mandler really nails the coffin tight with haunting hot-flashes and smoke-simmering throughout and guerilla-style quick cuts of the star alone in her flat, singing alone, contemplating inside a bedroom at dusk. While, the message of the “Man Down” clip is a clear, concise, and powerful message for young women in the “Little Red Riding Hood” fare, should Rihanna be the mouthpiece?

 Years before “Man Down,” Rihanna was the victim of domestic abuse, a scandal that for a short while, damaged the career of R&B song-and-dance man Chris Brown and left headshots of her black and blue face littered throughout the information superhighway. The scars of the incident and the madness that followed fueled the melancholy “Rated R,” which chronicled her relationship with Brown and the healing process. But since then, a more risqué and femme fatale persona has arisen: One that prefers S & M in her boudoir and fingerprints around her neck. Perhaps this is just open-minded statements of a twenty-something’s sexual fantasies, but then again, what messages are these sending to young women? Is physical abuse only permitted when its in the bedroom, and for those who are not into the scene, is there a line between abuse and a little whip-and-chain action?

 While this siren-infused fireball riddim in all of its balls-to-wall bunny-boiling glory is Rihanna’s catchiest, savvy and most infectious single since last year’s “Rude Boy,” the video represents more than just a gut-wrenching PSA on sex abuse; it sort of establishes one of pop’s leading princesses as a victim of her own circumstances and a media plaything. As we know, rape is used as a form of power.

But seeking and finalizing one’s revenge, is a way to get that power back. Alas, if you’ve been the victim as long as she has, is the crime still worth committing and is it possible to establish or get that power back? Inquiring minds would like to know.

-By Marcus Scott

Source: Original Story