Cockiness (Love It)

Conceptualized by Mr. Bangladesh, the producer revealed in an interview with MTV that the song had undergone many different versions before the final cut was included on the album.

"[2] Mr. Bangladesh continued to describe "Cockiness (Love It)"'s development and song-writing process, saying: I was in LA, and I had just pulled it out, chopped it up, made it a beat.

[4][5] Claire Suddath of Time Entertainment noted that the speed in which Rihanna delivers her vocal is so fast that it blends in with the composition, which she wrote "becomes the basis for the beat.

[3] T'Cha Dunlevy of The Montreal Gazette compared Rihanna's "[taunting]" vocals in the lyrics "Suck my cockiness/Lick my persuasion" to the style in which Britney Spears sings on her 2009 single "If U Seek Amy" (Circus, 2008).

[3] Priya Elan of NME described the lyrics "Suck my cockiness, [lick] my persuasion" as "cringey", but complimented the song's compositional structure, writing that it provides a "genuine elastic thrill, twisting into all sorts of jaw-dropping musical shapes".

[13] Jon Caramanica of The New York Times wrote that Rihanna appeared to be channelling Swedish singer-songwriter and rapper Neneh Cherry on "Cockiness (Love It)" in a "pseudo-melodic" impersonation.

[10] Despite raising concerns for younger audiences with regard to the song's overt sexual lyrics, a reviewer for Flavour magazine praised Mr. Bangladesh's production on "Cockiness (Love It).

[14] Pip Ellwood of Entertainment-Focus noted that "Cockiness (Love It)", along with "Birthday Cake", "leave you under no misunderstanding that Rihanna is as sexual as she's ever been throughout her career.

[17] Lindsay Zoladz of Pitchfork Media was critical of the song, writing "Rihanna's always been singing about sex – she's just never shown such an unfortunate proclivity for cheesy lyrics and dessert metaphors.

'Suck my cockiness/Lick my persuasion,' [Rihanna] commands on the embarrassingly literal 'Cockiness (Love It)', hoping the boldness of the delivery will distract you from thinking about what a clunky line it is (it won't, though Bangladesh's beats might).

Club commented that although Rihanna evokes a "raunchy" appeal during the verses, he criticized the singer for providing "stony, deadpanned [vocals].

"[20] Mike Diver for the BBC was critical of the song's inclusion on the album, writing "A forgettable vocal from Jay-Z on the title-track foreshadows an awful exercise in quasi-erotic wordplay on Cockiness (Love It).

"Cockiness (Love It)" was officially remixed featuring a guest appearance from American rapper and music video director ASAP Rocky, rapping the first verse.

[31] On September 6, 2012, Rihanna and ASAP Rocky performed the remix at the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards in a medley with "We Found Love".