"Break It Off" is a song by Barbadian singer

Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, actress, and businesswoman. Born in Saint Michael and raised in Bridgetown, Barbados, Rihanna auditioned for American record producer Evan Rogers who invited her to t ...

from her second studio album '' A Girl like Me'' (2006), and features guest vocals from

Sean Paul Sean Paul Ryan Francis Henriques OD (born 9 January 1973) is a Jamaican rapper and singer who is regarded as one of dancehall's most prolific artists. Paul's singles " Get Busy" and "Temperature" topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart in the ...

. It was written by Donovan Bennett, Paul, K. Ford and Rihanna, while production was handled by Don Corleon. The song was released on November 13, 2006, as the album's fourth and final single. "Break It Off" is a futuristic pop-dancehall and R&B song, which is layered over an electro-

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay" was the first popular song to use the ...

beat. Critical reception of the song was positive, with reviewers praising the collaboration between Rihanna and Paul and as a return to the former's roots. "Break It Off" reached number eight in Portugal and number nine in the US. Rihanna performed the song at

Radio One Big Weekend BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend (R1BW) (previously known as One Big Weekend, for 2012 as Radio 1's Hackney Weekend, and for 2018 as BBC Music's Biggest Weekend) is a British music festival run by the BBC's radio station. It is held once a year, in a ...

in 2007 and it was included on the

set list A set list, or setlist, is typically a handwritten or printed document created as an ordered list of songs, jokes, stories and other elements an artist intends to present during a specific performance. A setlist can be made of nearly any materi ...

of her Good Girl Gone Bad Tour (2007–2009), and was subsequently included on the accompanying DVD release, entitled '' Good Girl Gone Bad Live''.

Background and release

"Break It Off" was recorded at 2 Hard Studios in Kingston, Jamaica. It was written by Donovan Bennett, Sean Paul Henriques (better known as

), K. Ford and

, who is credited as Robyn Fenty. Production of the song was handled by Don Corleon. It was

engineered Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more specializ ...

by Jeremy Harding and Bennett, who also mixed the song. All

instrumentation Instrumentation a collective term for measuring instruments that are used for indicating, measuring and recording physical quantities. The term has its origins in the art and science of scientific instrument-making. Instrumentation can refer to ...

was provided by Bennett. Paul explained how he and Rihanna met in a 2011 interview with ''

Rap-Up ''Rap-Up'' is a magazine launched in 2001 by founder Devin Lazerine. The publication was originally a website devoted to hip hop, until Lazerine decided to pitch the possibility of a magazine to several publishers. The magazine is focused on th ...

''. During her visit to Jamaica, Rihanna was taken on a tour around the island by Paul, where he took her to some of the beaches and experienced the nightlife. He continued to explain that they spent a few days together and that he took her to the Bob Marley Museum, which was something she had "always wanted to do." Reminiscing on "Break It Off" and Rihanna, Paul stated that working with the singer and creating the song was "his most memorable collaboration." "Break It Off" was released as the fourth and final single from Rihanna's second studio album, '' A Girl like Me'' (2006). It was released to US

Contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (also known as CHR, contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format that is common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by ...

station playlists on November 13, 2006, by

Def Jam Recordings Def Jam Recordings (also simply known as Def Jam) is an American multinational record label owned by Universal Music Group. It is based in Manhattan, New York City, specializing predominantly in hip hop, contemporary R&B, soul and pop. The l ...

. It was also made available to download digitally via iTunes in various countries around the world on February 27, 2007, including Australia, Austria, Belgium and Spain. The song was later included on the Japanese special edition of Paul's third studio album '' The Trinity''.

Composition and lyrics

"Break It Off" is a "futuristic" pop-dancehall and R&B song, which is layered over an electro-

beat. It received a comparison by Ruth Jamieson for ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...

'' to Rihanna's debut single " Pon de Replay" from her first studio album, ''

Music of the Sun ''Music of the Sun'' is the debut studio album by Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released on August 29, 2005, by Def Jam Recordings. Prior to signing with Def Jam, Rihanna was discovered by record producer Evan Rogers in Barbados, who helped ...

''. According to Dan Charnas for ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

'', "Break It Off" showcases Rihanna's Caribbean roots. "Break It Off" is written in the key of

D-flat major D-flat major (or the key of D-flat) is a major scale based on D, consisting of the pitches D, E, F, G, A, B and C. Its key signature has five flats. It is enharmonically equivalent to C-sharp major. The D-flat major scale is: : Its ...

and is set in

common time The time signature (also known as meter signature, metre signature, or measure signature) is a notational convention used in Western musical notation to specify how many beats (pulses) are contained in each measure (bar), and which note value ...

with a moderate dance groove with 130

beats per minute Beat, beats or beating may refer to: Common uses * Patrol, or beat, a group of personnel assigned to monitor a specific area ** Beat (police), the territory that a police officer patrols ** Gay beat, an area frequented by gay men * Battery ( ...

(BPM). Rihanna's

vocal range Vocal range is the range of pitches that a human voice can phonate. A common application is within the context of singing, where it is used as a defining characteristic for classifying singing voices into voice types. It is also a topic of st ...

in the song spans one

octave In music, an octave ( la, octavus: eighth) or perfect octave (sometimes called the diapason) is the interval between one musical pitch and another with double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been refer ...

from the lower note of A₃ to the higher note of A₄. The song includes

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a musica ...

keys and

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected string ...

strings as part of its instrumental composition.

Critical reception

"Break It Off" garnered a positive response from

music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...

. David Jeffries for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the dat ...

was complimentary of "Break It Off", writing that it is "totally juiced" and that she provides good competition for Paul. Kelefa Sanneh for ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' praised the song, and described it as Rihanna's "triumphant return to her old formula." Quentin B. Huff for ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, f ...

'' lauded Sean Paul for his contribution to the song while praising Rihanna's hook, writing that " ihanna'shook is so infectious that hers is the voice you ultimately remember. That's another dancehall-flavored song and another winner." Bill Lamb for About.com called "Break It Off", along with "Kisses Don't Lie", "candidates for widespread pop radio airplay".

Chart performance

"Break It Off" debuted at number 40 on the US

Pop Songs Pop Airplay (also called Mainstream Top 40, Pop Songs, and Top 40/ CHR) is a 40-song music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' Magazine that ranks the most popular songs of pop music being played on a panel of Top 40 radio stations in the Un ...

chart in the issue dated November 18, 2006. The following week, it ascended to number 35, and again to number 32 in its third week on the chart. "Break It Off" climbed into the top 30 at number 28 in its fourth week on December 9, 2006, and to number 25 in its fifth week. On December 23, 2006, the song climbed again to number 21, and reached its 2006 peak of number 16 on December 30, 2006. In the first chart issue of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'' in January 2007, "Break It Off" charted at number 14. It broke into the top 10 on February 3, 2007, and ascended to number seven the following week. "Break It Off" peaked at number six on February 24, 2007. The song remained on the Pop Songs chart for a total of 22 weeks. On December 9, 2006, "Break It Off" debuted on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart at number 95. The song climbed to number 52 on March 3, 2007, and surged 42 chart positions to number 10 the following week. In its fourteenth week on the chart, the song peaked at number nine, and was awarded with the Digital Gainer honor. On March 24, 2007, the song debuted and peaked at number 10 in the Flanders region of Belgium.

Live performances

Rihanna performed the song as part of a

in 2007. The set consisted of "Pon de Replay", "Break It Off", "

SOS is a Morse code distress signal (), used internationally, that was originally established for maritime use. In formal notation is written with an overscore line, to indicate that the Morse code equivalents for the individual letters of "SOS" ...

", "Breakin' Dishes", " Unfaithful", " Shut Up and Drive" and "

Umbrella An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is designed to protect a person against rain or sunlight. The term ''umbrella'' is traditionally u ...

". "Break It Off" was also included on the set list of Rihanna's Good Girl Gone Bad Tour (2007–2009), and was later included on the DVD release, entitled '' Good Girl Gone Bad Live''.

Credits and personnel

Credits are adapted from the liner notes of ''A Girl Like Me'',

, SRP Records. *

Songwriting A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...

– Donovan Bennett, Sean Paul Henriques, K. Ford, Robyn Fenty * Production – Don Corleon * Engineer – Jeremy Harding and Donovan Bennett * Mixing – Donovan Bennett * Instruments – Donovan Bennett

Accolades

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Release history

References

{{Authority control Rihanna songs Sean Paul songs 2006 singles Dancehall songs Reggae fusion songs Songs written by Rihanna Songs written by Sean Paul 2006 songs