Wednesday, June 16, 2010

VP of Def Jam Bu Thiam: Rihanna's next album will top Michael Jackson's "Thriller"

Since the age of 16, Rihanna has put out back-to-back albums under the eyes of Jigga and Def Jam, accumulating ridiculous success on all fronts and never failing to change her image--starting as an Island Dance Queen in 2005 ("Music of the Sun"), a Sexy Siren in 2006 ("A Girl Like Me"), a Matured Rebel in 2007 ("Good Girl Gone Bad") and a Dominating Female with Heartache in 2009 ("Rated R").

While on her Last Girl On Earth tour feat. Ke$ha and Travie McCoy (formerly of Gym Class Heroes; solo debut album "Lazarus" is in stores now), the 3-time Grammy winner is already creating a buzz for her next studio album, but not by her word, per se, but by the dozens of paparazzi clicks of her leaving the studio and the eagerness of the Vice President of Def Jam, Bu Thiam, by way of Vibe Magazine.

In article posted on his newly knighted collabo blog with the magazine Tuesday, Thiam states that he is working with Rihanna to the point that this album will have no "album fillers" (June 15). He claims that Rihanna is "very hands on" and acknowledges that the work they come up with may be the next Thriller.

Here is what the VP had to say:
Rihanna is coming along incredibly. I’m trying to push her to where every song will be a hit from 1 to 12. I’m talking about NO album fillers. Our bar for this album is Michael Jackson’s Thriller. We got smashes from Stargate, Ester Dean, Mel & Mus and Rock City. We’re definitely going in with Ne-Yo, The-Dream and other writers and producers that have always been a part of her creative process since day one. She’s great to work with and very hands on with every song that’s being written and produced. She has visual concepts for just about every song. It’s already giving me the feel of a timeless album, and right now is her time.

Though already a record-breaker in terms of the charts, if Rihanna ranks and/or exceeds Michael's success (on that album), she will be known as one of the greatest female artists of all time--shaking hands with the likes of Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston.

Knighthood should not be granted yet, nonetheless. Rihanna's fifth studio album is still in the works.

For more on Rihanna and other Def Jam artists, please visit Bu Thiam's Vibe.com blog every Tuesday.


Photo via ExposeTheMusic

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