Some Americans are not at all happy with Rihanna’s new single Work. The futuristic Caribbean song has gotten generally great reviews, but some have blasted the singer for speaking “gibberish.” Here is a sampling of reviews:
From The Gizzle Review;
“Either way, her singing voice isn’t doing much work on this new single, the latest to be taken from her highly anticipated new album ‘Anti’. What begins as slurring soon just devolves into gibberish, “work work work work work” becoming “wor wer waa wahhhhh wa”. Repeated listening is genuinely hilarious.
Trying to decipher exactly what the song is about, then, is a futile effort. But if Max Martin has taught us anything, it’s that great pop music doesn’t have to have great lyrics – often a melodic hook is enough. And after only one listen, that nagging “wor wer waa wahhhhh wa” hook is thoroughly cemented in the mind.”
From Music Times;
“And “Work” just works, in all its gibberish filled madness.”
From MishMash
““Work” has already gotten a lot of attention, not because it came out of the blue or the fact that it features Drake or even the fact that it was the most-heard song on the more than 1,200 radio stations on its first day, but because it is literal gibberish.
I thought there must be some hidden meaning in there somewhere, so I looked it up online, and apparently it’s “a lust filled narrative of two lovers.” What I heard, however, was something completely different.”
Twitter feedback wasn’t so diplomatic.
Rihanna is not speaking gibberish, but Jamaican patois.
“Jamaican Patois… is an English-based creole language with West African influences (a majority of loan words of Akan origin) spoken primarily in Jamaica and the Jamaican diaspora. The language developed in the 17th century, when slaves from West and Central Africa were exposed to, learned and nativized the vernacular and dialectal forms of English spoken by their masters: British English, Scots and Hiberno-English.”
And this is not the first time Jamaican patois has been featured on a hit American song. You can hear it on Kendrick Lamar’s Blacker the Berry (spoken by Jamaican Dancehall DJ Agent Sasco), on Kanye West and GOOD Music’s Mercy (in a sample from Super Beagle’s ‘Dust a Sound Boy’) and on Damian Marley’s Road to Zion which features rapper Nas. Rihanna is perhaps the highest profile musician to bring patois to the American mainstream since Bob Marley. Although Shaggy, Beenie Man and Sean Paul had respectable runs in the 90s and 2000s.
Rihanna hails from the island of Barbados, but has incorporated patois heavily into many of her hits, including Rude Boy and Man Down.
For those curious, here is a break down of the song’s lyrics from Genius.com. I’ve included a loose translation in italics and parentheses.
[Hook: Rihanna]
Work, work, work, work, work, work
He said me haffi (He said I have to)
Work, work, work, work, work, work!
He see me do mi (He saw me do my)
Dirt, dirt, dirt, dirt, dirt, dirt!
So me put in (So I put in)
Work, work, work, work, work, work
When you ah guh (When are you going to)
Learn, learn, learn, learn, learn
Meh nuh cyar if him (I don’t care if he’s)
Hurt, hurt, hurt, hurt, hurting
[Verse 1: Rihanna]
Dry! …Me a desert him (Dry, I’m going to desert him)
Nuh time to have you lurking (No time to have you lurking)
Him ah go act like he nuh like it (He will act like he doesn’t like it)
You know I dealt with you the nicest (I dealt with you nicely)
Nuh body touch me you nuh righteous (Don’t touch me, you’re not righteous)
Nuh badda, text me in a crisis (Don’t bother to text me in a crisis)
I believed all of your dreams, adoration
You took my heart and my keys and my patience
You took my heart on my sleeve for decoration
You mistaken my love I brought for you for foundation
All that I wanted from you was to give me
Something that I never had
Something that you’ve never seen
Something that you’ve never been!
Mmmmm!
But I wake up and act like nothing’s wrong
Just get ready fi…
[Hook: Rihanna]
Work, work, work, work, work, work
He said me haffi
Work, work, work, work, work, work!
He see me do mi
Dirt, dirt, dirt, dirt, dirt, dirt!
So me put in
Work, work, work, work, work, work
Ner ner ner ner ner ner!
When yuh ago learn learn learn learn learn learn! (When will you learn)
Before the tables turn turn turn turn turn turn!
Ladies, what are your thoughts?
I appreciate this and all, but Rihanna is not Jamaican and therefore wouldn’t be speaking Jamaican patois. They speak similarly in Barbados, where she’s actually from.
and Nicki Minaj who is Trinidadian and not Jamaican wouldnt either right.… lol
Bajan patois is very different to Jamaican.
Okay I’ve sufficiently educated everyone on this post to date, but I’ll do it one more time here… Dancehall = Jamaican music. “Work” = Dancehall song. In order to make it really feel like dancehall, she changed her voice and sang in JAMAICAN PATOIS. Bajan sounds absolutely NOTHING like patois. Like, not even close. Commenters down here are only slightly less uneducated about this than the folks who called it “gibberish”.
Please Google. No, Bajans do not speak ‘similarly’ to Jamaicans. We Jamaicans have a creole language, and Barbados just has another accent. Their vernacular is not distinctive enough to be another language.
People love to shoot first and aim later. Before you blast something make sure you know what you’re talking about.
The Jamaican singer on ‘The Blacker the Berry’ was actually Assassin.
Assassin and Agent Sasco are the same person.
Assassin changed his name to Agent Sasco ages ago.
He now goes by Agent Sasco. Same guy. Great voice.
Assassin changed his name to Agent Sasco some years back
Is how I didn’t even know that. I’ve been calling him Assassin all now.
Who are these ignorant cave beast who are clueless to accent..She is freaking Bajans you stupid fucktart
But that’s not a Bajan accent. They sound very different from Jamaicans. She was channeling a Jamaican Dancehall sound so she used Jamaican patois…which has actually become quite commercialized at this point…
Rihanna is not Jamaican. She’s Bajan. She’s speaking Bajan dialect.
Is it Jamaican patois, really? Because she’s Bajan and the dialects between the islands are distinctly different and Carib folks hate being all lumped in together. Juuust wanna double check. Don’t want to try to correct one news source with the wrong info. Anyway, love your work! AND! Thank you for standing up and putting these folks on blast! <3 <3 <3
Yes!! Thank you! When I saw this I was like really? Jamaican patois? I understand the content of the article, but it grinds my gears when people lump all Caribbean people to being Jamacain. She is Bajan speaking a Bajan dialect or Bajan “slang”
Except for the small thing called “The facts”. And the fact is, she is singing JAMAICAN DANCEHALL lyrics over a JAMAICAN DANCEHALL riddim. Irrefutably.
Here’s a refute: No, it’s not dancehall, though many people think anything post-2001 from the Caribbean is dancehall these days. This is modern pop with someone using a non-English dialect.
For the record, just because someone who is Jamaican made a song, doesn’t mean they made a dancehall song… We’re a pretty diverse people who can make all types of music, lol
Im still shaking my head laughing at you trying to school me on Jamaican music and informing me that not all Jamaicans making music make dancehall songs. Yuh bright! lol. But it’s not my fault you wouldn’t be able to recognize a PRE-2001 dancehall chune if it ran you over in the road lmaooo
Are you kidding me? It’s dancehall. The riddim is dancehall, it is originally from Richie Stephens “Sail Away”, a song which I still have the original vinyl 45. The people WHO WROTE THE LYRICS are Jamaican and have outright talked about it being a direct nod to the dancehall scene they love. Dancehall is just like pop music: it’s not a specific sound or style. One might even say, it’s the pop music of Jamaican youth.
Well thanks for that, except for one small fact: it was written by writers with obvious ties to dancehall, and the riddim they decided to choose to have her sing over IS DANCEHALL!! Like, there is no question about it! Why is it that people are trying to reduce this to another musical style when the very creators fully intended it to sound like the dancehall influenced track that it is? You keep making this point but guess what? It’s not a song that sounds like Jamaican soul, country, disco…of which there are many. It’s a song that sounds exactly… Read more »
Dancehall is Jamaican music. Rihanna wants the song to sound authentic… therefore she broke out a Jamaican patois accent in her lyrics. It doesn’t matter where she was born. It’s about the sound of the song which is clearly DANCEHALL.
Right. I know that Caribbean folks can honor and celebrate each other through music and enunciation. The comment still stands. Apple Music, the original article that BGLH is critiquing, and other platforms continue to erase the distinct sounds and dialect from different parts of the Caribbean and make Jamaica synonymous with an entire region. And within that, they often also over-simplify the distinctly different sounds of Jamaican music. Not every song a Jamaican sings or a person with a Jamaican accent sings is a dancehall track, or a reggae track. Pop, opera, rock, can be sung in any dialect and… Read more »
Dope.…love rhi.
But Rihanna is Bajan…just because it’s patios or creole doesn’t mean it’s Jamaican. Just because it sound the same doesn’t mean that it is
Also sounds a lot like Belizean kriol.…but whatever, it’s certainly not gibberish.
Bajan and Jamaican patois don’t sound a like at all. Not in the slightest. And this is indeed Jamaican Patois. She’s channeling Jamaican DANCEHALL music, hence the reason for the JA accent. It’s not rocket science, everyone.
This isn’t dancehall. Dancehall is a very distinct type of music, though many people think anything post-2001 from the Caribbean is dancehall these days. This is modern pop with someone using a non-English dialect.
WTH are you talking about .. the sample is from a dancehall track by richie stevens
So yeah dancehall origins
Are you nuts? Or under the age of 30? No person with any background in dancehall doesn’t recognize this riddim. It is the Sail Away riddim. And it IS dancehall.
It doesn’t sound the same
It’s def not creole and def is Jamaican patois. Barbadian patois doesn’t sound like this.
Thank you for this article. I was misinformed and revised my post on Mishmash. I appreciate your bringing this to attention. ‑mishmash author
This article is also misinformed.
I was looking for the song and I found it on YouTube. In the comments it says it’s not her singing it, it’s Tinashe…I really don’t listen to anything of the pop stars of today, smh. I suppose writing good song lyrics takes #workworkwork
I don’t think Tinashe is from the Caribbean. She has roots in Zimbabwe.
Actually she’s from Barbados so she’s not speaking Jamaican patois, but Bajan. It’s another english-based creole we speak in the Caribbean. But good points about calling out those calling it “gibberish”. Lol it’s the same language spoken by the native people of the islands half of these ignorants tweeting love to visit…sigh.
Yes, she is from Barbados but that doesn’t mean she’s not speaking Jamaican patois. That is patois.
Actually as someone of Bajan descent and living in Jamaica I think it’s feasible to say Rihanna is speaking Jamaican patois since this entire album is an homage to Jamaica
lol bye.
We all know she’s bajan… but she is indeed speaking Jamaican patois. Bajan broken english is completely different. Nicky Minaj does the same all the time… her background is Trinidadian and she’s from NY, yet she spits patois from time to time on tracks like Busta’s “Twerk it”
Lol!! They love to visit but wanna bash the culture!
Coming from the island right next to Barbados, Saint Lucia, they(Bajans) don’t speak similar to Jamaicans. Rihanna chooses to use Jamaican patois as within the region it is quite popular to use Jamaican vernacular because of the popularity of Jamaican music in the region. We are either big reggae or dancehall or soca(originating from Trinidad) fans. Rihanna sings in the style of dancehall music
WE DO NOT ALL SOUND THE SAME. and we tend to appreciate each others artforms
here’s thing I noticed in this article.
I grew up in the dancehall era when songs like “Peppa Seed” and ” Rich Girl” were blasting …
Rihanna’s sound for this track directly channels that era…
It’s now being heralded as “futuristic”
* giggles uncontrollably *
99% of the people commenting here have no idea about the 2 songs you just mentioned lol
the producer of the song is Jamaican, so she JUST MIGHT be speaking Jamaican Patois http://zipfm.net/news/jamaican-producer-behind-rihannas-work-single-talks-project-success
Maybe, but this is also how Rihanna (the performer) actually speaks. The point is, this dialect is not exclusive to Jamaica.
All the islands have their own dialect aka “patois” so she’s actually speaking Bajan dialect not Jamaican patois
LOL try again.
thank God because I was saying that’s some shitty patwa she reading.…since it didn’t sound like singing or deejaying.….wtf?
BUT YOU KNOW THEY THINK WE ARE ALL THE SAME .….….….….SMH
Iggy, Katy, or Miley will sing something very similar soon and it’ll be a HIT, just give it time ! Smdh
Thanks for speaking it into existence hater. Bow down to your queen Iggy and worship!
Seriously. Don’t think they won’t try it.
She is bajan no Jamaican
What is this argument that people keep making? She’s from Barbados, so it can’t be Patois? So a person cannot communicate in a dialect other than their own? ???
her words were not bajan and her accent was a bad imitation at reading not even trying to dj.……
They’re pointing out that not all patois is Jamaican. Patois dialects exist on all Caribbean islands.
No, what people keep saying is that she’s Bajan, and therefore she’s not speaking Patois, which is what is ridiculous to me.
Fools and Ignorance walk hand in hand!!!
If your PROFESSION is to critique music and you do not research said music before sounding like an ignorant ass, then you need another profession because clearly you failed.
As for people just throwing in their 2cents on twitter, who cares.… I don’t know a wide variety to languages/dialects so I might say that about some Norwegian pop tune. But I do think that this is a great example of how some people are just sheep and repeat what they hear in the media.
Oh another great piece of commentary. Tell us, for all the research you did, what nationality wrote the lyrics for “Work”? And where is the music that carries the song from? Please don’t give up your day job as a career in music is not on your horizon.
scroll up for the answer.…and it doesn’t matter who wrote the lyrics, she did a choppy job with it.…..her patwa is wacked.
hmmmm.… how about a new title UNAWARE OF CARIBBEAN PATOIS, THIS AUTHOR THINKS EVERY ONE WITH A SLIGHT CARIBBEAN ACCENT IS SUPPOSED TO BE SPEAKING “JAMAICAN PATOIS”.. HELLO.. ANYONE HOME.. ok pay attention there are more islands in the Caribbean besides Jamaica.. because of that the patois is going to be slightly different from island to island. just because rhianna doesn’t sound like beenie man doesn’t mean she’s faking her language. and to you jamaicans.. stop being so damn self-centered.. you think you the only ones that talk dat talk, do reggae, soca, calypso, and so on. if so, you can… Read more »
Im guessing researching who actually wrote the lyrics for and provided the music for “Work” was harder than typing that shit that came out both your mouth and keyboard? JAMAICANS. Nice try.
Your attitude is ridiculous. I don’t know from where in the article you got the impression that Jamaicans are self-centered — no Jamaican person is quoted in the article…at all. Not the mention “stateside Black folk”? You could have acknowledged Bajan patois without projecting your own embarrassing personal bias into your comment.
he’s speaking from experience.…we can be a little self centered.…..come on .…why not? people love our accents and our beaches, our music and our food, also, we have the fastest man and woman in the world from our country. our beauty queens outnumber them.….dem just jealous…at least when we open our mouths, we have the data to back it up.…..no empty barrell here
You called? I’m here for the choking job.…..saltfish…come eeennn nuh?
Maryland isn’t landlocked.
Right?
she is using jamaican patois tho.….
YOU DON’T LIVE IN THE CARIBBEAN, I DO, SO SHUT UP!!! YOU DUMB FUCK!!!!! YOU DON’T KNOW ANYTHING!!!! WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU SPEAKING?????DROP IN A HOLE AND DON’T COME BACK OUT!!!! JAMAICA RULES THE WORLD TO ALL YOU APPROPRIATING BASTARDS !!!! NO OTHER CARIB ISLAND SAYS “FI” OR “FI GO” INSTEAD OF “SUPPOSED TO” OR “SHOULD” SO RIHANNA IS CLEARLY COPYING JAM CREOLE (NO PROBLEM TO ME SHE CARIBBEAN).…example of “FI” in a sentence “YOU FI GO CHUCK THROUGH YOUR BIG HOLE MOTHER ” .THIS CAN BE MADE UNDERSTANDABLE BY YOUR DUMB ASS IN THE QUEEN’S FUCKERY LANGUAGE WITH… Read more »
You really take that personally aye?! I’ll go choke on my delicious ackee** and salt fish. Yum
Lol Maryland isn’t landlocked
Who said Jamaicans had any debate about this? If you read the article and the texts, there was no reference to Jamaicans debating anything. Why blame Jamaicans for a trivial argument. You must have something against Jamaicans. Jamaicans hate that every West Indian is thought to be a Jamaican, good or bad. Read the article again. No yardie weighed in on this “debate.” Maybe Jamaicans are NOT so self-centered after all, eh?
LMAO
I love that she’s tapping into her Bajan roots after being in the industry for so long. It’s nice to see her comfortable in her own skin and not feeling the need to conform. I’d like to point out that not all patois is of jamaican origin. There are a great number of islands that use their own unique derivative of patois.
No, not all patois is of Jamaican origin…except, of course, when it’s actually Jamaicans that, you know, write said patois. Duh
Except it’s Jamaican roots.
Wtf does Jamaica have to do with Barbados? We are separated by over 1200 miles of ocean and have a totally different accents. Jamaican patois my ass. Rihanna is BAJAN and has a BAJAN accent which sounds nothing like a Jamaican accent (not that there is anything wrong with it)
WTF does Barbados have to do with Rihanna’s clearly Jamaican dancehall tune “Work”, written by Jamaicans and performed by her over a clearly JAMAICAN DANCEHALL riddim? Man your ass must be pretty sore. lmao
WTF does the rhythm have to do with her accent? And wunna watching my backside? Fuh wha?
“Fiya!!!”
~De Rass
True
THANK YOU. Jamaica is not the only island in the Caribbean and it’s NOT the only one with its own “patois” / Creole. So irritating. WHY would a Bajan speak Jamaican patois?
Agreed! That is not Jamaican patois!
WHOA look at the Bajans go crazy! lol Rihanna is Bajan and as such speaks Bajan as expected. I heard this song the minute it dropped and undoubtedly its a dancehall track and as we say in Jamaica she a deejay. Dont see what the fuss is about. Its a dancehall song, which she chooses to do in patois (for the most part, but can hear where it interchages to bajan for some parts when she says him ah guh act like HE nuh like it) regardless of which island she’s from. What everyone should have taken away is the… Read more »
Noone in their right mind who is older than say 30 and has a basic understanding of dancehall will mistake this song for anything other than Jamaican dancehall. Written by a Jamaican lyricist and produced over the dancehall Sail Away riddim. If there’s any slip up into Bajan dialect, it’s because yes, she’s Bajan. But it’s dancehall. Plain and simple.
Yes!!!
there are several patois in caribbean islands…and you know Jamaica isnt the only land of CI
I am a REAL Jamaican, and I heard 99% of what she said quite easily! I’ll just quickly type it out, with quick translations in brackets: ============================ CHORUS/HOOK ============================ Work, work, work, work, work, work, A suh mi haffi work, (This is how hard I have to work) Work, work, work, work, work, Yuh see me doing dirt, (This is the dirt I have to do as I do my job) Dirt, dirt, dirt, dirt, dirt, A suh mi bad a’ work, (Look at how professional at it I am!) Work, work, work, work, work, When yuh aggo learn, (When are you going to learn) Learn, learn, learn,… Read more »
I understood everything she said too. But she sounds like somebody from a different Caribbean island trying to use a Jamaican accent. She sounds like she’s mumbling because she doesn’t wake up in the morning with a Jamaican accent. She wakes up with a Bajan accent. Anything else is forced and unnatural
Jamaica is the only island that most people recognize from the Caribbean. The rest of the islands are just not as popular. Jamaica has contributed much more to capture the world’s attention. This is why you have a Trini like Nicky Minaj, or a Bajan Rihanna trying to speak with a Jamaican accent. They know nobody knows their islands, so they culture appropriate our stuff and output a generic Caribbean version.
Adf
YES!!!!
Them willing to tolerate “FUTURE” and the members of “Mumble Corp.” but can’t understand Patois? Nope. You cannot catch me dead with music from “Future”.
Every person who wrote that because she is Bajan she can’t be speaking Jamaican patois is a f@#$ing IDIAT. The lyrics were written by Jamaicans and given to her to sing. And sing it in patois she does, over the blatantly Jamaican dancehall riddim from 1998 Richie Stephens “Sail Away”. Get a clue people.
+10 for the spelling “idiat”
HHEEEEEEEEEEEYYYYYYYYDIAAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTT ting! 😉
With an with an H lol
Guess what the song is written by JAMAICANS and performed on a classic JAMAICAN dancehall riddim. Look it up.
What do they know? Rihanna has been doing whatever the label wanted and in this album she literally said ‘f*ck it’, people are only listening to work and not the rest of the album. I love her and ANTI was the best yet.
Why is it that Bajans can come in here and chat every kind of fuckre against Jamaicans like “go choke on yuh aki (fool, it’s ackee) and saltfish” and it gets approved but yet when I point out how stupid they are for assuming that just because she’s Bajan the tune isn’t of Jamaican origin my comment gets deleted by “Black Girl With Long Hair”
If isn’t some misguidedly proud Bajan puffing up his/her chest, its a wannabee high-society ex-pat Jamaican falling over themselves trying to distance from dancehall culture and not give proper credit where due. They don’t want to acknowledge that a really great tune can come out of the dancehall vibes.
Maybe because they’re singing lyrics that were provided to them by, you know, a Jamaican writer who also happened to give them a Jamaican dancehall riddim to sing said lyrics on top of? LOL
Seeing yourself out? Valence is 100% correct
Rihanna’s latest album, ANTi, is not homage to Jamaica. That’s ridiculous delusion. No where did Rihanna say that.
LMAOOOOOO
Perhaps if people actually knew dancehall and used their keystrokes to research before posting to see what roles JAMAICANS played in this song (like, all of the roles, except actually singing the track), they’d put 2 and 2 together and not talk crap
Well given the original song was a Jamaican song by Richie Stevens and she was paying homage by using the beat .. she sounded fine to me
because it was done over a dancehall riddim and the song was written by jamaicans and she was paying homage to the original song
it’ll be cool when miley does it.…
Exactly!
Well Pitchfork gave Miley’s last effort a 3/10, so no.
So one mg negates my point? She can’t twerk for ish and she’s the face of twerking for them lol. Don’t be dense all ya life.
Look at them..Ignorant..
Society always a try stop dancehall music f*&% them all especially those who call it something other than JAMAICAN DANCEHALL http://www.okayplayer.com/news/rihanna-drake-work-is-dancehall-not-tropical-house.html
I had to post that on another site. Someone had to bring up “Adele” .
Jamaican anything is hot right now so she jumped on the bandwaggon
I think she actually likes Jamaican music also. Could be that.
It’s not Patois, it’s Baijan as she is from Barbados.
that’s not bajan …that is Jamaican…I’m bajan and we don’t speak like that …shes using Jamaican in this!
Tell them again
Well im jamaican and it’s not all us either. ??
try again
Firstly, the word is “Bajan” not “Baijan”. Secondly, the fact that Rihanna is from Barbados, where Bajan (a dialect of English) is spoken alongside English, does not mean “it” is Bajan. In fact, it is not Bajan!
Hate talking to anyone with shallow minds.
sorry, but our accents in the caribbean are not the same…I can pick out a jamaican out of the crowd and I bet you can pick out your own countryman when you hear them speak.…..trini, bajan and others have different accents.…we also have our own unique dishes and culture that makes us who we are.….…we mix it up sometimes, but we still know what makes us unique.…jamaican accent is not easy to fake and she tried.…..that’s why they thought it was gibberish…she did not put the accent in it.…she just sing it like an American reading pawa.
Ok Ive read your other comments and understand we are mostly on the same page..but what matter is it if she did or didn’t put the exact right accent into it? Do you really think that matters? As you know, even within the island itself the delivery of patois can range and vary when someone from say, Linstead is talking vs someone from Port Antonio. When Snow butchers patois, or Gentleman does a song, does anyone blink? It’s STILL dancehall. Noone calls Gentleman “Euro dub” or some foolish shit. it’s reggae! Rolling Stone called Work “tropical house”. Wtf is tropical… Read more »
Lol. You asked why no one has problems with Snow, Gentleman or Rolling Stone mimicking patwa? Same reason black people accept non-blacks into their culture, but give their own blacks a harder time. You know why lol
Sorry, but there are many accents in the Caribbean that are very similar in sound and dialect. It makes a lot of sense since many of us share Ancestors who originated from the same place. Yes there are more distinct accents from Islands such as Barbados, Trinidad, St Lucia and Dominica for example but study the languages and you will find a lot of similarities.
we can be.…but we are just making you all fight and get tired before we roll in and start chatting bout bad mind people
still waiting for the choking job.….lol
true…sounded like she was reading the damn patwa.I know Americans that can do a better Jamaican accent than what she did.….
Jamaican patwa is very distinct and so is trinidad’s. Bajan is also different.….we can tell where people are from amongst ourselves, but Americans think we all sound alike.…dummies.
100% Agreed!
get off yourself lol
I guess you’re pretty wrong eh
Nope, cause it’s a song written by Jamaicans on a Jamaican riddim. Woops on you lol
Why don’t you research the background of the song, it’s writers, and the music used? It’s dancehall! There is no question about it.
You don’t understand why she put Jamaican patois in the song? Maybe because she didn’t actually write the lyrics? Wow. Just wow.
I know what Bajan patois sounds like, I’m Bajan and Guyanese, (just like Rihanna is, coincidentally) When I said similar, I meant similar in the way that Colombian Spanish and Mexican Spanish are. They’re related, but not the same. When I hear Jamaican patois, I understand it. And no, what Jamaicans speak is not a separate language. It’s a dialect. Languages have distinct vocabularies. Jamaican patois is based off of English and other (African) languages.
Don’t judge me. I’m happy to hear that some in the mainstream don’t understand what she is saying. Why must everything be palatable or to others? Besides, it’s harder to steal what you don’t understand.
Ugh, I love this article but hate that its still using the wrong information. Rhianna isn’t speaking “Jamaican Patois”. People from the islands refer to our way of speaking as “dialect” we aren’t all Jamaican, lol!
No, Jamaicans — and St. Lucians and Trinbagonians and Domincans and other Caribbean peoples — do have languages refereed to as patois. A patois is different from a dialect.
Smh she IS in fact speaking Jamaican patios lol you negropeans kill me lol I live on Flatbush aka ground central for all things island and Caribbean so I love with an associate with people from various island as a Bajan they don’t say “fi” lol this is Jamaican patios not Bajan or trini etc lol no biggie if you don’t know this but stop saying that it isn’t true
You associate with people BUT you did not GROW UP in a carribean household. Having carribean friends doesnt make you an expert
Stop lol try harder I am in fact a Jamaican American with two Jamaican parents one of which is a nyabingi Rasta!!!! Lol I lead with the fact that I was born and live in East Flatbush to show that I am familiar with accents and dialects from different islands.….and I never said I was an expert I just said I am very familiar with different island patios and I know what she is speaking in this song is Jamaican patois. Not trinity not Bajan not gibberish lol ijs
Wah gwan…
I hadn’t realized it was written by a Jamaican, but “negropean”? Really? Thats what you call a complete stranger you know nothing about over a mistake? Wow, what an amazing person you are!
How about this, then? Can you understand his words????
https://www.facebook.com/onewaytorock/videos/10202110634886583/
Thank you so much for sharing the video. It was hilarious!
Yes, some of it is creole but you can’t deny she starts to slur her words a lot, making it sound indeed gibberish. Or is the slurring a fundamental part of the Patois or Baijan or whatever? Don’t think so.
nah. your right, she does slur her words. Patois is very strong, everything is said with a lot of confidence!
Jamaican music is not an accent but a genre. Reggae, dancehall is performed globally by artists who do not even speak English much less the dialect of patois. You can see many performances of Jamaican music done by the most unlikely musicians, you can google it on YouTube. Also many artists incorporate reggae and dancehall beats into their music look at UB40 with ‘Red Wine’. They are not ‘Jamaican’ but it was not questioned on authenticity. What is the issue here is ignorance of the genres of Jamaican music. “Ah so me see it”
Absolutely 100% dancehall and Jamaican music to di worl!!!
again…lack of understanding for other cultures…has caused some Americans to appear ignorant…
And THIS is comprehensible???
https://youtu.be/fxK4iGx_bno
Cmon, he did some Wonder Loaf, it’s completely comprehensible lol
Lmfao most singers at woodstock during this time were incomprehensible??? even down to janice joplin ???
I find it almost insulting that anybody from the caribbean who makes a caribbean sounding record, it’s deemed Patois. Not everybody in the Caribbean speaks Patois. And not every Caribbean artist speaks Patois on their record, regardless of the nationality of the writer(s). Ask yourself, why would a woman born and raised in Barbados speak Patois versus her own native Bajan language? They’re close in dialect but they’re not one in the same.
Do you have any clue at all?
I actually do. I’m of Caribbean descent myself. Haitian to be exact. 🙂 And I’m from South Florida. So yes… I have a very large clue. Thank you!
No, you literally do not have a clue. You asked “why would a woman born and raised in Barbados speak Patois versus her own native Bajan language?” BECAUSE SHE’S DELIBERATELY MAKING A DANCEHALL SONG CLUELESS ONE. Why would Snow, born and raised in Canada, attempt Jamaican patois in his songs? Gentleman, born and raised in Germany? Dominic, born and raised in England? The list is literally endless. All examples of NON-JAMAICANS who have co-opted Jamaican slang/patois in their music.
True. I just you tubed Bigga Hatain. Sounds nothing like a Hatian.
I see my inquiry pressed you. So much so you have to use caps lock. Nice. And there are other artists who have created “dancehall” records and did not speak Patois on the record. So, you’re response is an opinion, sir. A strong opinion but that’s all. And learn how to converse without calling people names on social media. That’s so whack.
Really? Can you name me a single artist that is deliberately creating a Jamaican dancehall inspired track written by Jamaicans using patois on a rhythm that is a classic dancehall tune..and then they deliberately don’t use said patois? And let me just head you off if it’s a singer it doesn’t count, because they’re clearly not deejaying on the track. Rihanna is deliberately paying homage to Jamaican dancehall deejay/singjay style with Work. Anyone who can’t see that has no idea what they’re talking about. And stop with the digressions into my use of caps lock or calling you clueless when… Read more »
i like you chris walker explain to them let them understand
nah thats not how bajan sounds still
My thoughts exactly. I’m not from the islands but the idea that a Barbadian speaks a Jamaican dialect is obtuse at best. Kinda boarders that “it’s all the same” philosophy, or the “you’re from an island so you know all the languages and cultures” ideology, which is just as ignorant as the ignorance the writer of this article is accusing the “clearly uniformed” naysayers of having. I’m not familiar with all the island languages, dialects, and sub-dialects, nor do I pretend to be. But maybe she really is just speaking gibberish? As if that’s a bad thing in an this… Read more »
I get where you’re coming from. I had similar thoughts as well. When I hear the mentioning of “gibberish”, I’m not so sure it’s as much gibberish as it is her being lazy and choosing just not to enunciate. Our thoughts are definitely on the same track.
Speaking of obtuse…are you being deliberately obtuse here? The writer of the article isn’t ignorant in the least bit, but you are. The PEOPLE WHO WROTE THE SONG are Jamaican. THE MUSIC IN THE SONG is Jamaican. The singer is a Bajan who loves dancehall and has done other dancehall flavoured songs in the past. Beatboxing is gibberish? You’re a patent fool.
For artistic reasons? The same reason a dude from Compton would put patois in his song?
probably because if she sang in bajan dialect you still wont understand and the same old bs would be said she is singing gibberish…listen to her accent when she speaks and see its strong.…watch her vids ..interviews…etc …when she sings/speaks its that others can understand
Upvoted not for the profanity but because 90% of the people commenting here won’t understand what you just did there lol
BEXXXXXXXXXXXX!!!!! lol
No it’s not
Exactly. And it doesn’t matter where in the world an artiste is born/comes from be it Jamaica, Barbados, England, USA, Canada, Germany, Japan, you name it: a DANCEHALL song is a DANCEHALL song, and if the artiste chooses to deejay in the track, they are deliberately copping JAMAICAN PATOIS. Whether or not they do a decent job of it, sure, that can be debated…but not the fact of what it is they are trying to do, which is a Jamaican dancehall tune.
Saying she is speaking Jamaican patios is a writer not having all their sources correct, especially if you are correcting other people. I doubt this article would be rewritten for its lack of knowledge of other West Indian islands since I guess we all speak the same, but it was a good effort. If you want to be a resourceful blog to always do it correctly. The excuse that it is to make people have a conversation on misinformation would be false and ignorant.
What’s your excuse then, since you think you understand anything about the song? lol
If you know Caribbean accents, then you know thats not a Bajan accent. She is purposely trying to use a Jamaican accent.
So should we all be pissed at Rihanna for her cultural appropriation? ? I’m Jamaican and as far as I’m concerned, she’s been doing this “put on a Jamaican twang” thing since Day 1 with Pon de Replay, she covered Jamaican songs on her first album and Man Down was another one.
And rude boy
Its not cultural appropriation if you’re from the same culture.
I am Barbadian. She is not speaking Bajan Creole/Dialect in this song because this is not how Bajan’s speak. Her speech is decidedly Jamaican or at least Trinidadian,
As a trini I am offended that anyone thinks my accent sounds like the literal gibberish she “sings” on this track. That is not trini. She is a Bajan and should stick to her own and stop mocking other islanders which she fails terribly at. As someone else said, from day 1 she has been trying the Jamaican angle. I do not know how Barbados has her as an ambassador when she has not sung one song in Bajan and could barely explain Bajan culture in an interview. The rest of the Caribbean continuously fight to be not lumped as… Read more »
Even down to nicki minaj smfh… I feel like even if you born in a country and leave the next minute, it doesnt make you a complete native of that country because you have no value or even knowledge of that country… Nicki swears she has an accent… Its like what accent? Shes pretty much american in terms of cultural values smfh??
trinialltheway dont carr it to far everybody in caribbean know trinis and bajans got political issues …its a song.….sang in jamaican dialect leave it there.focus on nicki minaj let her sing in her native tongue and explain trinidad culture..cuz i sure know some nicki songs got jamaican in them too
Regardless what everyone thinks the dialect is, it is a song that’s going to mix the sound. So you are thinking another island and people will still disagree with you. My point is a lot of people when they hear dialects they assume Jamaica. All islands have similar heritage, but there are distinctions in the culture.
definitely not trini
Either way, It’s still a good song and Rihanna is still a good music artist
Thats not a Bajan accent.
To a me, an island girl by way of Dom Republic, she sounds exactly like my co-worker who’s from St Thomas, when she’s speaking to someone back home (or gets pissed). It sounds like english with island sauciness, never knew it was an actual dilect that can differ between islands.
I was watching Paul Mooney on Netflix last night.… Hillarious.… He started his routine off with.… How come when it’s Black it’s Bad.… But when white folks do it.… Its Good… For example.… If a Black woman wears cornrows it’s. …Look at that nappy headed jigabooo.… But if a white woman wears cornrows.… Its wow look at Bo Derek.… She looks sexy and exotic.… So Rhianna does her native thing and it’s gibberish.… Let Miley Cyrus attempt to copy Rhiannas style and its.… HAUTE!!!!!! PAUL MOONLY just said what we’ve been thinking!
This isn’t Bajan. & it’s definitely not Trini. It’s like a watered down Jamaican Patois. Like if you had Jamaican parents, but you grew up in America, & you tried to learn the language, but it’s not as strong as back home. So it doesn’t sound 100% patois, but she’s got the basic concept down.
this comment deserves more like tbh
Although it honestly seems like 99% of new music consists of incoherent gibberish, and I can’t say I like any of Rihanna’s music past one or two songs, those reviews are so telling as to who wrote them. I expect it from Twitter, but for reviewers, couldn’t someone ask her what she was saying first? The best the last one could do is “look it up online” but I guess I’ll give them one or two props for bothering to look at all. lol Ridiculous.
Sea Island Creole English isn’t very appreciated either, sadly.
This article has to be the most ignorant thing i have read. Probably as bad as the critics being written about for the level of ignorance. Rihanna is speaking her native island tounge. NOT Jamaican patois, im sure it sounds the same to American ears but its not. Whoever wrote this should stick to what they know.
Haven’t you learned by now that anyone from the Caribbean is automatically Jamaican?!
Americans just like to lump us all together as though we don’t have our own backgrounds.
Look up the damn lyrics, it’s clear what she is speaking. JAMAICAN!!! The whole damn song is Jamaican.
a
Nooo, Rihanna is speaking Jamaican not Bajan. Just like man-down she has chosen to use Jamaican influence. Only jamaicans say “haffi” bajans dont say that. (i am caribbean so its pretty clear)
Jajaja do you remember Umbrella? ela elaaaa e e e e? No? Well i always think that with this kind of music the thing was the ritm, you know, but maybe the public of that kind of music has now this need to hear some content too.…
Does it matter what accent she used? ?
She’s Caribbean native! ?
Too bad aryu min ha fu point this out. ? (Too bad y’all had to point this out)
lol .. u r definitely antiguan
The same subben me ya a say. He/she haffu be Antiguan. Lol
The fact that as a native Jamaican patois speaker I had to make an effort to decipher what u wrote is why it is matters
First of all patois is spoken across the Caribbean not just in Jamaica. Accents may differ from Island to Island as with dialect but there are a lot of similarities with the English speaking patois especially as our African Ancestors shared the same African languages. It’s not the first time patois has been used in popular music. Back in the 80’s there were many collaborations with reggae, rap and AA singing artists.
It was done back in the 80’s so it’s nothing new.
So that makes it less significant?…And could you name a current top artist doing that?…no, you couldn’t. People want to talk smack when the radio is so whitewashed or cliche, and then roll their eyes when served something different.
“Critics” make my ass itch… Nowadays folks get paid to make uninformed opinions on matters and call themselves experts.…
lmfao.… like stone cold when he said “what really chaps my ass…” ???
sorry, but anyone from any west indian island knows thats not the bajan accent… it barely sounds like jamaican patois… thats not even how work sounds in jamaican patois.… when she says work, after awhile, she really does sound like she’s speaking gibberish… jamaicans dont say “wor” they really do pronounce the whole sound not like they trying to round it off to the nearest number… smfh, she only gets a pass because she is bajan, but as she is not jamaican, still sounds artificial to me… even in her native creolese it pronounced “wuk” and not “wor” smfh the added… Read more »
thank you for such a beautiful response
Thank you!!! We are on the same page. Its sad in 2016 folks still dont get it…and they (white) spend more time on our islands than we do. lol
I know pigeon/patois English is not exclusive the Jamaica. Not sure how it is named in other countries.
[…] being thrown around recently. But that fact is that her language is perfectly fine. She’s just using Jamaican Patois, which most American English speakers aren’t familiar with. People claiming that the language […]
Get wit di program! Rihanna is from Barbados, she is speaking her NATIVE TONGUE!!! Mi love for reggae and good music has opened up my mind and I ovastand everything she says in ‘WORK’!!! you haters don’t have to like the song, but don’t call herlyrics gibberish! Educate yaselves and learn a little more about other cultures besides this ‘Forced English Dialect’ and traditions.…
You go RI-RI!!! Well done…Babylin soon BURN FA LACK OF KNOWLWDGE & WISDOM…HA
1LOVE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL1UzIK-flA LMAO
As soon as white ppl can’t relate to something they tear it down…what’s new?? They can’t stand to be left out.
For what it’s worth: I’m white. I’m from Barbados. I personally don’t like Rihanna’s music but really appreciate that many out there do. SOS is a fairly okay remix. I respect her for how well she has done and for the attention she has brought to BIM when the economy is down. I find it strange that she is singing Jamaican dialect lyrics (which is why I searched for the lyrics in the first place… “When you ah guh” and “He said me haffi” would never be uttered by a Bajan). “When wunnuh gunna learn learn learn learn learn” has a good ring to it.… Read more »
Everyone’s entitled to their opinion. But you don’t disrespect one’s culture. It’s where people are from it’s what they know and it’s not something they can change. People should be proud of their heritage and not shamed into feeling like it doesn’t measure up. You’re from the islands…I know you get it. I’ve heard the Jamaican/ Bajan argument against Rhi too. That makes more sense. I agree with you on that 100%. I really wish she would just go all the way Bajan for me on at least one track. I don’t know what she’s waiting for. LOL
I gues because Jamaican influence on music is more pronounced and recognised so she’s capitalising off of it #$$$talks. But I do wish she’d do a popular song in Bajan because I havent a song sung in bajan in a really long time
You’re absolutely right.
As soon as white ppl can’t relate to something they tear it down…what’s new?? They can’t stand to be left out.
It just goes to show. We do what we do for us. THEY don’t have to understand. It would be nice if they did, but its not necessary.
[…] “Formation” is a subtle reminder that black culture is taken for granted. Black culture is constantly being consumed by the larger monster of “pop culture.” Music is where we see this process at its most efficient. That’s how Justin Bieber can be praised for making “tropical house” music that’s really just watered down dancehall, while Rihanna can release a song like “Work” and be criticized for not enunciating properly by white music writers who fail to take into consideration the existence of patois. […]
Great I just lost another brain cell from reading this ignorant bull.…
It is gibberish. If your target market is not known to understand said language, then you must expect them to react as such. Also she’s been smoking too much weed, that it’s easier to sing it gibberishly.
did you ever think that she made this for.…not you? it’s not a common concept, but I assure you she does not have to make all of her music for Americans who don’t (want to) understand the language she is speaking.
She was def High, I agree 100%
who are you to say what her target market is? I cant with this white privilege. While a lot in this systemically racist society is for white people, not everything is. Your comments are ignorant, racist and UNINTELLIGIBLE. You are discounting a language MANY people all over the world speak as gibberish and it is just disgusting. You and your band of morons can react however you like but you don’t speak for the masses, you speak for white privilege. Face the facts.…both Beyonce and Rihanna are…dare I say it…NOT WHITE. and look at that, the world has not ended.… Read more »
So.…why is/was Macarena such a hit with the English speaking world?! Piss poor point, poignantly put! You you need to get done done and work all over…and OUT OF HERE! FUH SHEEEZEEE!
Do you need any more examples?!
And re: The article…just say ‘native dialect’, cause you ain’t sure!
The version of Macarena that became popular in America was retooled and sung mostly in English, keeping the chorus in Spanish. Spanish being a language spoken by hundreds of millions of people and much more mainstream than patois. Not to mention all the people bickering on this thread about how it’s not “this version of patois, it’s this other version”. If people native to the Carribean can’t even agree on which dialect this is, how can you expect people who’ve never been exposed to it to instantly recognize it? Even though Macarena was sung mostly in English here though, it’s… Read more »
Nope, wrong, growing up in the US back in 1995 or so the Macarena was popular and it was the Spanish version being played on VH1 and MTV.
troll.
Music is art. I think people are taking this too seriously. Who cares? I like the song. I listen to it while I work out.
pretty sad a bunch of racist white low-lifes have nothing better to do than to misinterpret lyrics that have roots and origin to her native tongue.
#White people are a virus
not all white people have issue with her song, I think its great.
I don’t think this has anything to do with racism but with ignorance. I certainly didn’t know Rihanna was singing with a Caribbean accent or dialect since she usually don’t use it. Now that I’m aware of that fact I think it’s pretty cool that she’s actually doing that.
that kind of ignorance *is* racism.
Not really. If you don’t know the culture or that it’s a language it’s not racism. Racism would be discriminating on Rihanna because she’s black. period. That’s not really the case here.
I made this:
[…] it 5 times in a row on Tidal, I knew I needed to buy it. FYI for those who ignorantly thought she was speaking “gibberish”, she wasn’t. She’s also (most likely) not speaking Jamaican patois either. She’s […]
Actually, there is cross migration of this language throughout that island chain, so NO, it is not appropriation. Thank you.
But Barbados is not Jamaica. She is not Jamaican. She’s not singing with a Bajan accent, but, as this article says, in Jamaican Patois. Cross migration, sure. But they’re still independent countries and cultures. South Korea is about half the distance from Japan that Barbados is from Jamaica, but we differentiate between the Japanese and Korean languages. We don’t just say hey, it’s all Asian, it’s okay.
Also, what about Drake? He’s Canadian.
Yes there are independent countries and cultures, however Caribbean culture is extremely connected and is shared throughout the entire region. Dancehall is mostly associated with Jamaica and soca with Trinidad, but in reality it is indicative of a broader “Caribbean culture”. It is not cultural appropriation in the slightest bit. Also, Drake is from Toronto. You clearly are not familiar with the city, but it has a massive Caribbean population that has influenced the way a lot of people speak and the slang used in the city. You can easily pick out a Toronto accent from the way it has… Read more »
Right. So you’re arguing that it doesn’t matter whether a person is from Jamaica or Barbados, they are part of the “extremely connected Caribbean culture”, so it doesn’t really matter. Or, “Are you Jamaican or Barbadian? Ah, doesn’t matter, you’re from the Caribbean, it’s all the same!” Sounds not at all racist. Also, you’re right, I’m not overly familiar with Toronto. So, even assuming that everyone from Toronto, especially Forest Hill where Drake is from, speaks in Jamaican Patios, what about this: Google “Drake interview before he became famous” if you don’t want to click the link. That’s Drake in an interview… Read more »
I guess my other responses weren’t approved, so I’ll just say, because I cannot believe the bizarre leaps of logic made in this discussion, you’re all right. Rhianna isn’t speaking gibberish, it’s her native tongue, Jamaican Patios, even though she was born 1200 miles from Jamaica, in an entirely different country. You don’t have to be able to differentiate between Jamaicans and Barbadians, because they’re all part of the Caribbean, just like you don’t have to know the difference between Koreans and Japanese, as they’re all Asian. Also, the accent Drake uses in “Work” is obviously Canadian, specifically a Toronto accent.… Read more »
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL1UzIK-flA Hmm let’s see…shot at a JAMAICAN restaurant, drinking JAMAICAN beer, dancing to a JAMAICAN DANCEHALL RIDDIM, but no, not a JAMAICAN influenced song, right? Every Bajan who posted on this thread is a fool
I’m not Jamaican I’m a vincy . You still don’t understand what the people of Barbados are trying to say . Jamaicans are not the only one that speak patios(broken English ) but to you all it sounds the same . People ask me all the time you sound Jamaican ummmm no I sound like a vincy . Gets your facts straight before you decide to call people fools while talking about their own cultures .
Feel like screaming..patois isn’t broken english…I can’t even bother explain
It is broken English..
You can’t be this fucking stupid. You just can’t. PS- guess where I’m from? Idiat
However, this is not one of those cases. It is a song written by a Jamaican. Plus influenced by a Jamaican. I do understand that people can get upset that their culture is mistaken for Jamaican when it definitely is not but in this specific case it is Jamaican although she is a Bajan herself.
no its not we have our own dialect.….(bajan)..but the fact she is not only from Barbados but the caribbean she sings in other dialects.…..
i typing in my bajan accent „„„„„,fa all a wanna dat dont like de effing song talking bout rubbish simply do dis dont listen to it …while most a wunna on here talking smack she making her $$$.also if wanna had notice d song co written by a jamaican.….and Ri was probably the most successfull candidate to sing it cuz she can pull it off.……BOOM.…#RIRI #246BIM to de world.….
This is NOT Jamaican Patois. She is not even Jamaican. She may use similar dialect but ya’ll are reaching. There are other islands in the Caribbean including her native BARBADOS! Please educate before you release an article like this. The song is nonsense…period!!! Leave it at that! Caribbean people dont need no more crap associated with them! Always trying to bring down the culture and its like Jamaica is the only island you know…until you bloodclot wanna take cruises to warm places. FOH! Remove the lyrics and we have a hot beat, that.. is… all…
Seek help. This is clearly a Jamaican Dancehall inspired track on an originally Jamaican dancehall riddim with lyrics that are specific to patois and dancehall. You might want to watch the video, and maybe do some research into the writing and producing.
Its clearly (pseudo) Jamaican patois..don’t be salty. The whole theme is dancehall
AMEN!!! Thank you, Chanti, for your voice of reason.
Right!
It’s Jamaican, these idiots dont know the songs backstory.
Written by a Jamaican and therefore is Jamaican patois. The video itself is passa-passa inspired
I agree with some of the views already written de author Black Girl with Long Hair need to do some more research into the island of Barbados, we are not Jamaican we Bajan(local people) have our own dialect called Bajan so sorry not Jamaican dialect happening here.
Rih was trying to sing in Jamaican patois (which she cant 100% do bcuz she’s Bajan). The whole song is Jamaican dancehall inspired. I’ve been around Bajans and you sound waay different than Jamaicans, more like Trinidadians. However its hard to distinguish an Antiguan accent from a Jamaican accent (sometimes guyanese too). Dont be jealous tho Rih loves her Barbados.
not Jamaican Patosis at all! jeez… just call it creole and done na!
from a vex vincy!
There are differences just like how you said “done na”! We say “dun nuh”! So the creole lyrics in how it’s said and pronounced is jamaican..also she used Richie Stevens (who is a jamaican)old song to create this one with the same rhythm. .look it up 🙂 I studied linguistics and half the time I see people debating about creole and dialect and english..I only shake my head because most are confused and clueless and h hardly know what constitutes a language..if I was to answer and explain I would have to keep a lecture..why can’t we just have fun… Read more »
its Jamaican patois.… we all know that, even the riddim and setting of the song is purely dancehall
I have. I’m not talking about him, though, I’m talking about Drake. They’re as different as…Barbados and Jamaica, say.
Expecting Americans to recognize a dialect that many probably had never heard before isn’t fair. When Work played on the radio English was littered throughout, so it’s easy to see why it could be confused as repetitive words especially since that’s a common theme in a lot of her work. As someone who has grown up as part of the American Cajun/Creole community, I have definitely seen how similar dialects recognize similar but outsiders think it’s total gibberish. Too many people are arguing over a misunderstanding. By calmly explaining to people what patois is and its background instead of calling… Read more »
American? I am an American and I recognized it, do you mean white? And if you are a music reviewer isn´t it your job to do some research?
Its the fact that those ignorant ppl are so quick to call another country’s dialect gibberish without doing even basic research (google). No one is obligated to teach you anything…go out and find out. I like J‑pop so I take the time out to find the translation of the lyrics, same thing with reggaeton. Furthermore its no secret Rih is Caribbean so common sense should let them know “oh, maybe she’s singing in her native dialect’ smh
Shakira’s songs, which mix Spanish and English, have never been called gibberish. Somehow “Americans” are expected to recognize languages from “white” countries, but not Africana countries? That’s essentially saying that “Africana” traditions and cultures, once again, are second-class to“white” ones. It’s not a simple misunderstanding — it’s called selective education. Basically white people get a free pass on cultural appropriation, and making demeaning comments, by pleading ignorance I recognize that the American education system is very much at fault, but their comes an age and their comes a time (like when encyclopaedias are at the tips of your fingers via… Read more »
i like how you put “americans” in quotes, pointing out that the carribbean is part of the americas too — north america at that! i hadn’t even thought of that point. those twitter posts / bloggers you quoted are even MORE disgraceful considering this.
Nicely thought out comment! When I first heard the song I definitely thought it was gibberish. Especially given how the hip-hop genre seems to make up lots of words as they go along (they’re not the only ones). Did a quick search and got educated on this patois language and went from being annoyed to pretty impressed with the song and Rihanna. It’s sad to me that so many people on this thread (including everybody else who replied to you here) is offended that everybody in America doesn’t know about patois. Sure there’s some “selective education” involved, but it’s also… Read more »
The same could be said about Americans.. “By calmly asking what’s being said, instead of immediately and ignorantly labeling it gibberish..” Rihanna’s words could have been explained and so could Patois and it’s background. The problem (yet again) is that privilege entitlement, that seemingly allows a “certain” race to make judgements on what should or shouldn’t be deemed normal language. “I” found it disrespectful and offensive that a bunch of Anglo’s where actually calling a sample of a similar dialect to my native tongue, used in a song.. BY a native of the West Indies.. “gibberish”!.. …when there are some… Read more »
white american here. i can’t believe there are actual adults in america who haven’t heard, or heard of, patois. to make it even worse than simply not knowing what our closest neighbors speak, (some forms of) patois are spoken in parts of the US — so there’s *really* no excuse. some of those blog and twitter comments were jaw-droppingly childish, as in, i would forgive an 8 year old for not knowing but there is no excuse to be that unaware of the world much further past that age group. SMMFH. personally, i love the song. good for her for… Read more »
How insulting. She’s from Barbados and is speaking Bajan. Everyone in the Caribbean hates when people mistake our individual culture as being Jamaican. Get it right
Lmao!!!!!!!!
haha another jealous Bajan! Too bad she actually loves Jamaica and Jamaican music!
100% Jamaican Patois and style…yeah she/he is jealous
Nothing about that song yells Bajan sorry we notice when yall talk lol no mix up trust me
I understand people finding it annoying when their culture is credited as Jamaican however it was written by a Jamaican so this is not one of the cases
Rihanna has ALWAYS made it clear that she LOVES Bob Marley and that she is HEAVILY influenced by him ??????si • This isn’t Bajan. & it’s definitely not Trini. It’s like a watered down Jamaican Patois. Like if you had Jamaican parents, but you grew up in America, & you tried to learn the language, but it’s not as strong as back home. So it doesn’t sound 100% patois, but she’s got the basic concept down. ^^ she deserves an award. For the most part, if you weren’t born in a certain place and fraternizing with the locals, then it becomes… Read more »
You summed it up perfectly. And that’s exactly what the writers and producers of the song are: children of Jamaican parentage. There is no question that this is a nod to Jamaican dancehall culture. Sorry jealous Bajans and their apologist Vincy friends lmaoo!!
this is creole why the hell Jamaicans always get the credit for creole like Guyanese don’t speak creole? eh
Her mums Guyanese so it’s more Guyanese and Barbadian Patois .
Wrong, she’s half Guyanese.
It doesn’t matter her heritage. Yes she is Bajan and Guyanese but the song was written and produced by a Jamaican
Because the song was written by a Jamaican, it’s a Jamaican Song. Its obviously patois when you listen.
If you’re not clear if she’s trying to speak Jamaican patois or Bajan, guyanese or trini creole, then watch the video. Its clearly shows a strong Jamaican influence. And @dominiqueduesbury:disqus, Jamaicans get credit for things like this simply for one reason…we do it better 😉
Not to mention the fact that the riddim is Jamaican in origin, and the lyrics were written by.…oh wow, do I ever sound like a broken record reciting these facts.
Thank you so much for this! I’ve been trying so hard to translate this song to spanish for my blog but I had no clue about Jamaican Patois. Love this song and love your work! 😛
Jamaican here. Creole is kinda hard to read, easier to hear and understand what’s said as it’s mostly a spoken language.
Just to clarify, the entire caribbean speaks patois. I’m Jamaican and i’m gonna be very honest, a nuh we alone chat patois (Trans: We are not the only ones that speak patois). We (the caribbean) have commonalities, we have the same words and phrasing it’s just the pronunciation is different (in most cases) and to be honest its articles like these that divide us. LAWD! I can’t really say that she is speaking Jamaican because he Bajan accent is really strong in this song. But thank you for pointing out that it isn’t gibberish. The song is very striped down… Read more »
Well yes she is Bajan but the song was written by a fellow Jamaican and so she is speaking Jamaican patois.
That’s not at all racism… It’s not even xenophobia. It’s ignorance through and through. Also, ignorance isn’t inherently negative.
[…] devem ter se descabelado por causa da “neguinha texana”? Rihanna faz também, quando se afirma como mulher negra e caribenha que “work, work, work” ou ainda Kendrick Lamar com uma performance digna dos 7 Grammys que levou para casa naquela […]
[…] ain’t the same. Furthermore, the categorization of Rihanna’s “Work” as gibberish is the result of a habit (rooted in American privilege, White privilege and anti-Blackness) of […]
To be clear, Rihanna is Bajan, and she’s not singing Jamaican patois, but rather using her native dialect.
Wrong she is chatting in the song. It was written and sang by a jamaican. The song was given to her thats why she is chatting in it. So yeah she maybe bajan but the song is reggae.
Even this article is incorrect, she’s from Barbados and therefore speaks Bajan patois. Im from St.Lucia we speak St.Lucian patois and we are forever told its Jamaican. If your going to write an article at least get your facts right and do your research. Once again the entire Caribbean gets put into Jamaica dont get me wrong Ive been to Jamaica and I love it but I’m not Jamaican and neither is Rihanna. One of the most irritating articles I’ve read in a while it would have been fine it the author knew what he was talking about. Ignorance is… Read more »
The writer of the song is Jamaican.
The entire song and video is Jamaican, 100%.
[…] muuurrrderrrr,” in the club. He’s not talking gibberish. Just like Rihanna isn’t speaking gibberish on “Work”. Here’s the […]
[…] in the lead single off ANTI. While Genius did us the favor of annotating the song on the surface, BlackGirlLongHair gave us deeper linear interpretations. Also, Rihanna’s “Work” is not the first […]
I love that she rocks her hertitage in this song! Plus, I lived in Belize for 8 years and similiar to all over the Caribbean, they have a very rich cultural identity and patois (or creole culture as they say in Belize) Her video is a scene out of a Belizean night club…and I would think a scene out of any neighborhood nightclub anywhere in the Caribben where there is a strong Patois/Creole culture. Sex and badassness is very much a part of this culture…it´s hot and fun! People forget she is Caribbean and not American. Cheers to her! All… Read more »
As a Jamaican person who speaks Patois every single day, I could barely understand what Rihanna was saying myself. However, I grew to love the song, but I had to look up the lyrics. Obviously, I know she’s speaking Patois but because she drags the words when she speaks, I wasn’t able to understand. She’s not singing gibberish though.
Thanks for translating, but It still doesn’t make any sense.
Maybe you can find some kind of meaning and break it down for everyone.
Thank you. I’m Jamaican and can tell you for a fact this is Jamaiacan Patois. I almost thought Rihanna was trying to portray herself as Jamaican with this song (as well as with the Passa Passa-inspired music video…*only Yardies know about that).
Thanks for clearing that up, I had a feeling it was by a JA artist (I almost forgot Rihanna is notorious for having ghostwriters anyway)
most of the people in drake circle are Jamaican cause toronto is like a cold jamaica. partynextdoor wrote it (jamaican) . produced by boiwonder(jamaican)
[…] Critics and Rihanna: Stop Hatin’ […]
Excellent x
I am only half Jamaican but half my family speaks in thick patois. I think it’s pretty tough to argue that she is saying anything coherent late in the song when she slurs work so much it turns into “wah wah wah wah wah”. Also what is “ner ner ner ner ner!”. It’s stuff like that which makes her words sound like gibberish.
What is “Fa-la-la-la-la” in the Christmas song “Deck the Halls”? Using vocables is not uncommon in music. I’m West Indian- American and it’s pretty clear to me.
At least Deck the Halls isn’t fa-la-la-la-la-la-la’ing the whole song through.
[…] – it’s gibberish. I fully understand that Rihanna is speaking Jamaican Patois and SOME would say I’m being ‘mean’ by making fun of a cultural language. The same […]
“or an Australian “rapper” using a Southern African-American accent in her songs”.
I see what you did there Hahaha. But seriously Rihanna loves Jamaican culture, maybe a little too much.
The word isn’t “cyar”, its just “care”. That has to me a mistake on the closed-caption. “Cyar” in Patois means “car”.
Perhaps because she’s not Jamaican herself, that can explain why she mangles it badly (a few Jamaicans here have said it’s slurred). Even if it’s not gibberish, it’s still nothing more than a ditty, which is really what people are getting at. Even if “ner ner ner ner ner” means something in patois, the lyrics are *highly* repetitive and annoying. Don’t get me wrong, repetition can be good if done right. But for me, the song is just plain annoying. The chorus is the absolute worst: Work, work, work, work, work, work He say me have to Work, work, work, work, work, work!… Read more »
She’s not from Jamaica, she’s from Barbados and therefore is speaking Bajan (Barbadian) Creole / Patois. How would I know? I’m bajan. Sounds perfectly normal to me.
Unaware of Bajan Creole blogger tries to educate the world on how a Bajan (Barbadian) woman is singing in a completely different language. Nice. So Rihanna is from Barbados, a tiny island in the West Indies where even some Bajans don’t realise that what the speak in informal settings is a different language not just a dialect of broken English. But still somehow as a member of the Bajan diaspora I find this offensive and since Rihanna isn’t actually black one could argue that it’s racist too.
Love this article, I perfectly understand the song now. At first listen this song seems poorly articulated (mostly the second, and final chorus..) tho now I really love the lyrics and the beat<3
I understood right away this was Patois.. Even so the lyrics are still not great.
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