Phresh Out The Runway
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"Phresh Out the Runway" is a song recorded by Barbadian recording artist
Rihanna Robyn Rihanna Fenty ( ; born February 20, 1988) is a Barbadian singer, businesswoman, and actress. One of the List of music artists by net worth, wealthiest musicians in the world, List of awards and nominations received by Rihanna, her vario ...
for her seventh studio album ''
Unapologetic ''Unapologetic'' is the seventh studio album by Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released on 19 November 2012 by Def Jam Recordings and SRP Records. It was recorded between June and November 2012, during promotion of her sixth studio album, '' T ...
'' (2012). It was co-written by Rihanna with French disc-jockey
David Guetta Pierre David Guetta (; born 7 November 1967) is a French DJ and record producer. He has sold over 10 million albums and 65 million singles globally, with more than 30 billion streams on Spotify. Guetta was voted the number one DJ in the DJ Mag ...
, Giorgio Tuinfort and
Terius Nash Terius Adamu Ya Gesteelde-Diamant (''né'' Youngdell Nash; born September 20, 1977), known professionally as The-Dream, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for having written or co-produced songs for artists in ...
. It is the first time that Rihanna and Guetta had collaborated since "
Who's That Chick? "Who's That Chick?" is a song by French DJ and producer David Guetta featuring vocals from Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released from the reissue of Guetta's fourth studio album '' One Love'' (2009), entitled '' One More Love'' (2010). The ...
", released in November 2010. "Phresh Out the Runway" is a
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
and
rave A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...
song that contains heavy
synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...
s and bass. Lyrically, Rihanna explains how if any of her crew does not respect her, they should no longer remain with her. "Phresh Out the Runway" received positive reviews 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 ...
; most of them praised the composition, production and how Rihanna interpreted the song. However, the lyrics were subjected to criticism. Rihanna performed the track at the
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is an annual promotional event sponsored by and featuring Victoria's Secret, a brand of lingerie. From 1995 to 2018, Victoria's Secret used the show to market its goods in high-profile settings. Models under ...
on November 7, 2012, along with the album's lead single, "
Diamonds Diamond is a solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of electricity, and insol ...
". "Phresh Out the Runway" 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 the
777 Tour ''Rihanna 777 Documentary... 7Countries7Days7Shows'' is the third live long-form video by Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released on May 7, 2013, by Def Jam Recordings. An edited version aired on May 6 on the Fox Network. It features behind-the ...
promotional tour and the
Diamonds World Tour The Diamonds World Tour was the fifth concert tour by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. It was launched in support of her seventh studio album '' Unapologetic'' (2012). The tour was announced in September 2012 following the singer's performan ...
. Upon the release of ''Unapologetic'', the song debuted at number 35 on the
UK R&B Chart Official Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart The UK Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart and the UK Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart (also known as The Official UK Hip Hop and R&B Charts, and previously the Top 40 Hip Hop and RnB Singles and the Top 40 Hip Hop and ...
and 177 on the UK Singles Chart. It also debuted on the US R&B Songs chart at number 21.


Background and production

Rihanna began "working on the new sound" for her seventh studio album in March 2012, even though she had not yet begun recording. On September 12, 2012,
Def Jam 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 ...
France announced via
Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...
that Rihanna would release a new single the upcoming week while her seventh studio album was scheduled to be released in November 2012. However, the tweet was shortly deleted and replaced with another clarifying that "more information will be made available tomorrow, Thursday, September 13". Via her official Twitter account, Rihanna posted series of "teasing" tweets announcing her seventh studio album. On November 6, 2012, Rihanna revealed that there would be "another secret collab" on the album. She hinted at the identity: "Guess who is featured on the #7th song on #Unapologetic, Hint: his birthday is tomorrow November #7th." In a followed tweet, she explicitly revealed that the secret artist is the French disk-jockey
David Guetta Pierre David Guetta (; born 7 November 1967) is a French DJ and record producer. He has sold over 10 million albums and 65 million singles globally, with more than 30 billion streams on Spotify. Guetta was voted the number one DJ in the DJ Mag ...
and announced that he produced "Phresh Out the Runway" along with " Right Now" for her seventh studio album ''
Unapologetic ''Unapologetic'' is the seventh studio album by Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released on 19 November 2012 by Def Jam Recordings and SRP Records. It was recorded between June and November 2012, during promotion of her sixth studio album, '' T ...
''. Rihanna and Guetta have previously collaborated on "
Who's That Chick? "Who's That Chick?" is a song by French DJ and producer David Guetta featuring vocals from Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released from the reissue of Guetta's fourth studio album '' One Love'' (2009), entitled '' One More Love'' (2010). The ...
" (2010), which is included in the re-release of his second studio album '' One Love'' (2009), entitled '' One More Love'' (2010). "Phresh Out the Runway" was co-written by Rihanna herself, Terius Nash and Giorgio Tuinfort. Production of the song was helmed by Guetta, Tuinfort as well as Nash under his production name
Terius Nash Terius Adamu Ya Gesteelde-Diamant (''né'' Youngdell Nash; born September 20, 1977), known professionally as The-Dream, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for having written or co-produced songs for artists in ...
. Josh Campbell engineered the song, with assistance from Joel Peters at
SARM Studios Sarm Studios is an independent recording studio in London. Originally founded in east London in 1973, the studio's original location was renamed Sarm East Studios in 1982 when Jill Sinclair and Trevor Horn purchased Basing Street Studios from Is ...
in
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. Rihanna's vocals were recorded by Marcos Tovar and
Kuk Harrell Thaddis Laphonia "Kuk" Harrell ( ) is an American songwriter, vocal producer, arranger and engineer. He was a member of a songwriting–production team composed of himself, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart and Terius "The-Dream" Nash. In 2011, K ...
at R Studios in
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
; Harrell also handled production of Rihanna's vocals. All
instrumentation Instrumentation is a collective term for measuring instruments, used for indicating, measuring, and recording physical quantities. It is also a field of study about the art and science about making measurement instruments, involving the related ...
and
programming Program (American English; also Commonwealth English in terms of computer programming and related activities) or programme (Commonwealth English in all other meanings), programmer, or programming may refer to: Business and management * Program m ...
was carried out by Guetta, Tuinfort and Nash. The song was finally mixed by Jaycen Joshua at SARM Studios and Metropolis Studios in London.


Composition and lyrical interpretation

"Phresh Out the Runway" is a
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
and
rave A rave (from the verb: '' to rave'') is a dance party at a warehouse, club, or other public or private venue, typically featuring performances by DJs playing electronic dance music. The style is most associated with the early 1990s dance mus ...
song, with a duration of three minutes and forty-two seconds. Jon Caramanica of ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' noted that the song's composition is a "chaotic dense spray of boasts over a muscular, scraping beat". Brad Stern of
MTV MTV (an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on ...
Buzzworthy labeled the song as "noisy, trap-tastic twerker" that is reminiscent of Rihanna's 2012 single "
Birthday Cake A birthday cake is a cake eaten as part of birthday celebrations. While there is no standard for birthday cakes, they are typically highly decorated layer cakes covered in frosting, often featuring birthday wishes ("Happy birthday") followed b ...
" and according to him, contains blazin' beats, brags aplenty, nasty unapologetic attitude. Alexis Petridis of ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' noted that "Phresh Out the Runway" is an aggregation off "distorted"
synthesisers A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...
derived from
Joey Beltram Joey Beltram (born November 6, 1971) is an American DJ and record producer, best known for his pioneering singles "Energy Flash" and "Mentasm" and for remixing Human Resource (band), Human Resource's "Dominator (Human Resource song), Dominator". ...
's 1990 record "Mentasm" "until it sounds weird and disorientating". ''
The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe,'' also known locally as ''the Globe'', is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes. ''The Boston Globe'' is the oldest and largest daily new ...
s James Reed labeled "Phresh Out the Runway" as a club banger containing a heavy
bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Wood * Bass or basswood, the wood of the tilia americana tree Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in th ...
"that rumbles more in your chest instead of rattling your feet." Alex Macpherson of ''
Fact A fact is a truth, true data, datum about one or more aspects of a circumstance. Standard reference works are often used to Fact-checking, check facts. Science, Scientific facts are verified by repeatable careful observation or measurement by ...
'' wrote that on the song "Rihanna sprays declamations like machine gun fire over what could pass for a lost early ’90s
Prodigy Prodigy, Prodigies or The Prodigy may refer to: * Child prodigy, a child who produces meaningful output to the level of an adult expert performer ** Chess prodigy, a child who can beat experienced adult players at chess Arts, entertainment, and m ...
rave anthem." The lyrical content of "Phresh Out the Runway" revolves around Rihanna explaining how if any of her crew does not respect her, then she should no longer remain with her, singing: "How could you be so hood, but you're so fuckin' pop?/ How could you be so fun and sound like you're selling rocks?". On the song, Rihanna sounds "indignant" and "impressed" with being herself and proclaims: "Walk up in this bitch like I own the ho".


Critical reception

"Phresh Out the Runway" received positive reviews from most music critics. Dan Martin for ''
NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
'' commented, "French overlord of the genre, David Guetta, is present, and his contributions on tracks like the opener 'Phresh Out the Runway' are largely box-ticking exercises to illustrate Rihanna's commitment to making loads of money, but they're at least subtle." Chris Youine for
4Music 4Music was a British music television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. Launched on 15 August 2008, the original incarnation, replacing The Hits television channel, showed a mix of music and entertainment pr ...
concluded that there is not doubt that the song is a "bold, brash and unapologetic opener of the album". Nathan S. for DJ Booth wrote that the song "finds Rihanna on the verge of just straight out rhyming"; according to him her rhyming is pretty well. ''
Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...
'''s Miles Raymer commented that Rihanna is party girl and because of that every of her albums has one song with you can get crazy; according to Raymer in this case is "Phresh Out the Runway" which if it is played in proper volume it can be "handbanging".
Greg Kot Greg Kot (born March 3, 1957) is an American music journalist and author. From 1990 until 2020, Kot was the rock music critic at the ''Chicago Tribune'', where he covered popular music and reported on music-related social, political and busines ...
for ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'' concluded that the song together with "Jump" and "Pour It Up" celebrates "live-for-the-moment
hedonism Hedonism is a family of Philosophy, philosophical views that prioritize pleasure. Psychological hedonism is the theory that all human behavior is Motivation, motivated by the desire to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. As a form of Psycholo ...
". Smokey Fontaine for ''
The Huffington Post ''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...
'' called it a "loud" and "as-curse filled" for it can capture the album's title and reminds the parents that Rihanna's music is not yet for their kids. Bernard Perusse for ''
The Montreal Gazette ''The Gazette'', also known as the ''Montreal Gazette'', is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper which is owned by Postmedia Network. It is published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the only English-language daily newspape ...
'' criticized the song and called it a "robotic whomp and f-bomb shtick", that rapidly creates "a melody-free, pedestrian turf". ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
''s Jessica Hopper wrote that "'Phresh Out the Runway' is capitalist braggadocio (nonsense grade) so static it borders on unmusical." Sarah H. Grant of ''
Consequence of Sound ''Consequence'' (previously ''Consequence of Sound'') is an independently owned New York-based online magazine featuring news, editorials, and reviews of music, movies, and television. History ''Consequence of Sound'' was founded in Septem ...
'' called both "Right Now" and "Phresh Out the Runway" "texturally layered", but "lyrically barren".


Live performances and usage in media

Rihanna performed "Phresh Out the Runway" for the first time at the
Victoria's Secret Fashion Show The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show is an annual promotional event sponsored by and featuring Victoria's Secret, a brand of lingerie. From 1995 to 2018, Victoria's Secret used the show to market its goods in high-profile settings. Models under ...
alongside "Diamonds", on November 7, 2012. She wore a pink sheer lingerie set for the performance, for the "Angels in Bloom" segment of the show. The show aired on December 4, 2012, on
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
, and Rihanna garnered enormous praise for her performance. During the seven days prior to the release of the album, Rihanna embarked on the 777 Tour, a seven-date promotional tour where she performed seven concerts in seven cities in seven countries across
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...
and
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
. "Phresh Out the Runway" 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 ...
at the first concert in
Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...
, at the second concert in
Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...
. Rihanna performed the song again at the third concert in
Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
. Jack Rosenthal for ''Rolling Stone'' commented that performing the song appeared to be an "uphill climb" for Rihanna during the first two dates in Mexico City and Toronto, but felt that she looked more comfortable performing on the third date in Stockholm, writing "she sings it looking over her shoulder, a breezy afterthought." She also included the song in her setlist for her
Diamonds World Tour The Diamonds World Tour was the fifth concert tour by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna. It was launched in support of her seventh studio album '' Unapologetic'' (2012). The tour was announced in September 2012 following the singer's performan ...
. "Phresh Out the Runway" was featured at the end of the
season three A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and polar ...
eighth episode of the American
police procedural The police procedural, police show, or police crime drama is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasises the investigative procedure of police officers, police detectives, or law enforcement agency, law enforcement agencies ...
drama Drama is the specific Mode (literature), mode of fiction Mimesis, represented in performance: a Play (theatre), play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on Radio drama, radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a g ...
TV series, '' Hawaii Five-0''.


Credits and personnel

;Recording *Recorded at SARM Studios, Notting Hill, London, UK; R Studios, Los Angeles, California; Metropolis Studios, London, UK. *Mixed at Larrabee Recording Studios, Burbank, California. ;Personnel *Lead vocals – Rihanna *Songwriting – David Guetta, Giorgio Tuinfort, Terius Nash, Robyn Fenty *Production – David Guetta, Giorgio Tuinfort, Terius Nash *Vocal production – Kuk Harrell *Vocal recording – Kuk Harrell, Marcos Tovar *Additional vocal recording – Bart Schoudel *Recording engineer – Josh Campbell *Assistant engineer – Joel Peters *Assistant engineering – Ben Rhodes, Tom Hough *Mixing – Jaycen Joshua *All instruments/programming – David Guetta, Giorgio Tuinfort, Terius Nash *Additional Drum programming and mixing – MJ Credits adapted from the liner notes of ''Unapologetic'', Def Jam Recordings, SRP Records.


Charts

Upon the release of ''Unapologetic'', "Phresh Out the Runway" debuted on the
UK R&B Chart Official Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart The UK Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart and the UK Hip Hop and R&B Albums Chart (also known as The Official UK Hip Hop and R&B Charts, and previously the Top 40 Hip Hop and RnB Singles and the Top 40 Hip Hop and ...
at number 35 on November 25, 2012. It debuted on the UK Singles Chart at number 177. The song debuted at number 21 on the US
R&B Songs Hot R&B Songs is a chart released weekly by ''Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular R&B songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stations, digital download sales and streaming data. It was establis ...
chart for the issue dated December 22, 2012, and peaked at number 46 on the R&B/Hip-hop Digital Songs chart on December 3, 2010.


References


External links

* {{Good article 2012 songs Rihanna songs Songs written by Rihanna Songs written by David Guetta Songs written by The-Dream Songs written by Giorgio Tuinfort Song recordings produced by David Guetta Hip-hop songs