Cockiness (Love It)

Rihanna introduced Cockiness (Love It) as the eleventh track on her sixth studio album, Talk That Talk. The song dropped in November 2011 before getting official radio service nearly a year later in September 2012. Bangladesh crafted the beat specifically with Rihanna in mind, pushing through multiple iterations until he landed on a version defined by heavy drums and horns. This production style fused dancehall rhythms with aggressive dubstep drops and pop structures.

The lyrics paint a picture of sexual dominance where Rihanna acts like a dominatrix dictating terms to her lover. Reviewers split on this frank approach; some praised the catchy delivery while others felt the explicit content was too bold for mainstream formats. The track did not chart well initially but found new life after Rihanna performed it live alongside ASAP Rocky at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards.

That VMA performance became the de facto visual representation for the song since no official music video ever launched. The raw energy of their choreographed routine pushed the single onto charts in South Korea, the UK, and the US. In America, the track peaked at number 86 on the Billboard Hot 100. Critics now view the song as a key moment in Rihanna's evolution toward assertive themes that subvert traditional gender roles. [edit]