Rated R is a rock-influenced pop, hip hop and R&B album; it features a foreboding and atmospheric tone in terms of musical and lyrical direction, and it incorporates elements of dubstep.

Rated R received positive reviews from music critics, who commended Rihanna's mature performance and called the album her most layered and heartfelt effort.

[13][14] Rihanna worked with several different songwriters and producers on the album, including Chuck Harmony,[5] The-Dream, Christopher "Tricky" Stewart, Chase & Status, Stargate,[15][16] Demo, and Justin Timberlake.

[21][12] Rihanna also worked with Norwegian producer duo Stargate, who mused that the collaboration was "very rewarding" and "inspiring for us", commenting: "I don't think we should talk about titles just yet.

"[15] It was later revealed that Stargate originally produced a collaboration between Rihanna and Canadian rapper Drake,[22] however, the song did not make the final cut for the album.

[37] The album's production is typified by a sleek sound and incorporates ominous synthesizers, intertwining guitar licks, tense beats, minor-key melodies, and polyrhythmic vocal harmonies.

[44] According to Powers, regret is a significant theme on the album: "The songs on 'Rated R' never have their singer apologize for the man who so seriously wronged her, but they do acknowledge the other emotions that come with separation, even from a partner who's also a perpetrator.

Von Unwerth, who has also shot other album covers such as The Velvet Rope (1997) by Janet Jackson, Back to Basics (2006) by Christina Aguilera, and Blackout (2007) by Britney Spears, said that Rihanna was "fantastic to work with — very giving, very creative, very involved in every aspect of the shoot and ready to push the boundaries.

"[49] For the visual creation of the era, Henwood took inspiration from the film The Omega Man and the book The Lathe of Heaven, "We wanted to create her a world that was personal...

"[49] Henwood also conceived the look and feel of the album's artwork, videos and TV spots, and also contributed to Rihanna's Last Girl on Earth Tour, including the show's stage design, costumes, and background visuals.

[52] On October 16, Rihanna shot a music video for "Wait Your Turn" in Washington Heights, New York City; it premiered on her official website on November 3, 2009.

[58] The Nokia Music Store offered an enhanced version of the album on its release date, a remix and exclusive track titled "Hole in My Head" which featured Justin Timberlake.

[65] Rihanna performed a medley of "Hard", "Rude Boy" and "Don't Stop the Music" at the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards on March 27, 2010.

[69] "Russian Roulette" was sent to US radio stations on October 26, 2009, as the lead single from Rated R.[70] The pop ballad received positive reviews from music critics, with Todd Martens of Los Angeles Times praising Rihanna's vocal performance and its lyrics.

[85] It was received enthusiastically and was the biggest success from the album, eventually becoming Rihanna's sixth song to reach number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

[86] By doing so, she equaled Paula Abdul and Diana Ross as the female artists with the fifth-most number one singles on the Hot 100 chart in its fifty-one year history.

[97] The Mandler-directed music video was shot at Castle of Vigny in Paris[98] and featured French model Laetitia Casta as Rihanna's love interest.

[107] AllMusic's Andy Kellman gave the album four out of five stars and said that Rated R is exaggerated, but "compelling" and performed convincingly by Rihanna, who sings "many memorably belligerent lines".

[33] Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune rated it three-and-half stars out of four and called it "powerful and moving art" that Rihanna personalizes in a way that suggests she had more creative input than on her previous albums.

[44] Powers of the Los Angeles Times gave the album four out of four star rating and called it "a complex and fascinating portrait" of an abused woman's emotional range and resolve.

[37] Alex Macpherson of Fact said that, apart from its interesting music, Rated R is important for how Rihanna has "seized back control of her public story" during "our current panoptic age".

[109] Sarah Rodman of The Boston Globe praised it as a brief look at both Rihanna's development as an artist and "the confluence of tabloid culture and pop art".

[110] For MSN Music, Robert Christgau gave the album a two-star honorable mention,[111] indicating a "likable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well enjoy.

"[112] He cited "Hard" and "Rude Boy" as highlights and credited Rihanna for "concocting a persona of interest out of one dynamite musical trick" and a difficult period in her personal life.

[111] In a mixed review, Sean Fennessey of Spin felt that the album does not suit Rihanna's ballad-based strengths and found her voice too flat and unexpressive to convey the anger of the songs.

[102] Alexis Petridis, writing in The Guardian, criticized its allusions to Brown's assault of her and said that the album does not offer anything beyond "the public's prurient interest in her private life.

"[104] Harvilla of The Village Voice found the subtext uncomfortable and commented that the album's highlights, "thrilling as they are, might make you feel even worse" than the low points.

[139] In Poland, the album peaked at number five and received a gold certification, selling 20,000 copies in one month,[140] beating Good Girl Gone Bad's sales of 20,000 achieved in two years.

In 2019, ten years after the album release, Chuck Arnold of Billboard described the record as a "coming-of-age manifesto" and also Rihanna's version of Jackson's Control (1986).

"[148] Similarly, Blavity's Jordan Simon compared it to Jackson's The Velvet Rope, and described it as "a dark portrait of a Black woman's journey to self-healing".