Is Rihanna on the Verge of a Meltdown in 'FourFiveSeconds' Video?
If the intent of Rihanna, Kanye West, and Paul McCartney’s music video for "FourFiveSeconds" was to depict the Barbados singer as a fragile woman on the verge of snapping, well, mission accomplished.
The new pop music trio teamed up for the clip for their collaboration released earlier this month to rave reviews and a top 40 debut. As the chorus rings, "Now I'm four, five seconds from wildin' / And we got three more days 'til Friday," the artists dance around a stark white set, no extras or outfit changes.
At one point, Rihanna wipes tears from her eyes as she sings about unabashed recklessness, and the moment comes off as honest and real. Kanye flaunts his usual wild man dance moves while McCartney basically minds his business, playing guitar in the background.
Stylistically, the black and white video helmed by Dutch directors Inez & Vindoodh finds a happy medium between the look and feel of Abercrombie & Fitch and Gap ad campaigns with Rihanna bearing just enough cleavage to make censors nervous.
Throughout the video, Rihanna gives retro late '80s, early '90s looks that scream Lisa Bonet circa The Cosby Show as she dons light, natural makeup and her hair is simply straight and pulled back. Her throwback stonewashed jeans and Timberland boots also give off a '90s vibe.
Possibly Rihanna’s most stripped-down song to date, "FourFiveSeconds" is the lead single from her forthcoming eighth studio album.
