Whether you are revisiting the fuzzy bass of or the acoustic simplicity of "Never Ending," ANTI (Deluxe) remains a front-to-back listening experience. It is the sound of an artist finding her voice by losing the expectations of others. As we continue to wait for her ninth studio album, ANTI stands as the gold standard of her discography—a project that feels just as fresh today as it did the day it leaked.
If you can buy it legally from a high-res store, do so. If you are looking for a freebie, tread carefully. But regardless of how you get it, ensure you have the Deluxe edition. The standard ANTI is a masterpiece; the Deluxe ANTI is a legacy.
Rihanna invested years of creative energy into ANTI . The Deluxe tracks were recorded during grueling sessions in LA, Toronto, and New York. Piracy devalues that work.