The internet has erupted in the last few weeks with comments, memes and criticisms regarding Barbadian singer Rihanna’s newest single ‘Work’. Many people have berated the artist for her unintelligible ‘mumbling’, ‘slurring’ or ‘gibberish’, struggling to decipher the content of the song. They have been confounded by phrases such as ‘He said me haffi’ or ‘Meh nuh cyar if him hurt’. Despite the single’s immediate and immense popularity, voices of discontent could be heard and seen among listeners and critics alike. In a society perhaps more and more accustomed to simplified and simplistic lyrics in music, many have seen the song as yet another step in the direction of populist laziness and hollowness.
The outburst led to an online strife of sorts, with defenders of Rihanna’s oeuvre quick to point out the ignorance and prejudice of the critics who have mistaken the use of creole for a misappropriation of ‘standard’ English. They particularly condemned the attempts to ‘translate’ her song into mainstream language, which they argued is reductive of Rihanna’s Caribbean heritage and the validity of creole languages and cultures.
However, many of these defenders were equally mistaken, claiming that Rihanna, a singer of Bajan origins, is singing in ‘Patois’ or Jamaican creole, an English-based creole language with West African influences spoken primarily in Jamaica and the Jamaican diaspora, which originates from the 17th century slaveholder vernacular. In doing so, they were essentially homogenizing the multitude and variety of Caribbean culture into Jamaica.
While Rihanna is the latest high-profile musician to utilize creole, Bob Marley, Shaggy, Beenie Man, Sean Paul, Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar have also brought the language to the American mainstream over the years. Their songs have been a gentle reminder that varieties of English, be they from Newcastle, the Scottish Highlands or the Caribbean should be awarded the same importance and recognition as part of the history of the English language. Whatever one’s opinion of Rihanna’s musical prowess or the attainments of her latest song, we should not dismiss the specific cultural canvas on which it is written any more than we would the French heritage of Édith Piaf or Adriano Celentano’s Italian roots, just because they do not choose to sing in their best impression of the Queen’s English.
If you want to learn more, why not have a look at an earlier article we have published about pidgin and creole languages?
Written by Iweta Kalinowska
Communication Trainee at TermCoord