First off, Rihanna is an icon. So maybe I am biased in that she could have recorded herself making a cup of coffee and I would have adored it. On second thought, I doubt Rihanna makes her own coffee. In my eyes, Rihanna can do no wrong. My friends and I incessantly tag one another in flawless images of her, hoping some of her magic will rub off.

While all of Anti is a gem, I would say that Needed Me is severely underrated. It‰’s the kind of song you‰’d get excited about to hear at a party but also could hear on a Monday morning and not be annoyed about it. Needed Me has enough substance, but also enough biting lines you can sing out and still have fun with.

At its core, Needed Me is a song about independence. About how sometimes it‰’s vital for survival to be heartless. About how sometimes we get burned, but we always bounce back.

“Didn’t they tell you that I was a savage

Fuck your white horse and a carriage

Bet you never could imagine

Never told you, you could have it‰Û

Rihanna has zero time for your cliche fantasies. No waiting around for a prince. As her chorus clearly states, Rihanna is proving how she did not need this man, but rather that he needed her. That he is replaceable, while she is completely unique. Needed Me simply is about the radical notion that not everyone needs a man. Perhaps Needed Me can be a point of reflection for male-identifying folk to realize their privilege and that they are not always needed. That sometimes their opinions don‰’t need to be at the forefront of the conversation. That the protagonist doesn‰’t need to be male.