Pop Perspective: Mike WiLL Made-It & Rihanna’s “Nothing Is Promised” Rated & Reviewed

Mike Wass | June 3, 2016 2:46 pm

At Idolator, the editors share a passion for high-quality pop. Occasionally, our tastes align. Other times, not so much. So, in the spirit of debate (and online drama), we’ve developed a recurring feature called Pop Perspective. In a nutshell, our editors dissect a particularly noteworthy pop-happening, and give it a rating out of 10.

That way you’re getting a full spectrum of views and we can all vent. (It’s cheaper than therapy!) The latest event to be dragged under the Idolator microscope is Mike WiLL Made-It & Rihanna’s “Nothing Is Promised,” which arrived on iTunes last night. Is the gritty banger another smash like “Pour It Up” or have the hitmakers slightly missed the mark? Read our thoughts below.

Robbie Daw — 3/10

Hey, whatever’s paying the bills these days, right?

Rachel Sonis — 7/10

The wait for the classic Rihanna banger is over. Thank goodness because I don’t know if I could’ve held out for much longer. This sounds like a broodier follow-up to the pair’s previous scorcher “Pour It Up,” and honestly – Rih sounds like money over Mike Will’s trappy hard-hitting beat.

Bottom line: This is the Bad Gal Riri banger we’ve been craving for all along. Full stop.

Carl Williott — 6/10

I really like ANTI. It might be my favorite Rihanna album, and I realize this makes me some sort of freak. But I’m also glad she still knows how to command some summer club goon shit like this. It lacks a big hook, but it packs way more of a punch, and more identity, than her recent all-hook, coulda-been-anyone Calvin Harris collab. And it proves she still does the singsong-rap thing better than just about anyone not from ATL.

I’m happy to keep listening to it, if only to try and figure out if those are uncredited background yelps from Future.

Mike Wass — 5/10

Apart from “Work,” which grew on me like a bad case of Athlete’s Foot, the entire ANTI era has been a bust. But that’s because I unashamedly stan pop Rihanna. I’ll take an empty banger or irritating earworm over mid-tempo, faux-artistic grooves like “Needed Me” and “Kiss It Better” any day. Which makes the prospect of a Mike WiLL collab extremely enticing. From Beyonce’s “Formation” to RiRi’s own strip-club classic “Pour It Up,” he delivers bops.

Unfortunately, “Nothing Is Promised” completely misses the mark. Like that bogus Calvin Harris song, it feels like a half-assed attempt to recapture former (chart) glories without diverting too much time or effort away from Rihanna’s passion project. Which is probably a smart business decision, but feels like a cop out nonetheless.

AVERAGE SCORE: 5.25/10

What do you rate the song out of 10? Let us know below, or by hitting us up on Facebook and Twitter!