It was a commercial success globally, peaking at number one in Australia and attained top five positions in Germany, Hungary, Ireland, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Slovakia, and the United Kingdom.

The accompanying music video was directed by Melina Matsoukas, used green screen techniques and featured props that included a stuffed lion and zebra.

Rihanna performed the song live for the first time at the Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam in South Beach, Miami, and later on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, and Alan Carr: Chatty Man.

In 2023, Rihanna performed the song at the Super Bowl LVII halftime show, whereupon it resurged in popularity and went viral on social media as a dance challenge.

[5] "Rude Boy" was produced by Rob Swire and Stargate who co-wrote the song with Rihanna, Ester Dean, and Makeba Riddick.

I liked the West Indian influence that the music had, and, I just went in the booth, they were already jotting down some ideas and, that came to me, I just ran in there with one of the writers and started coming up with this in the studio and now when people read it back to me like that, 'Come here rude boy, is you big enough'?, it does sound so disgusting!"

"[8] Dean explained the development of "Rude Boy" in an interview with The Boom Box, and said that she wanted to channel Rihanna's alter ego and use it as inspiration for the song's lyrics.

"[9] In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Stargate revealed that Rihanna had come up with the title and concept for the song herself, and communicated her ideas to Dean, who wrote a rough draft.

Stargate also revealed that "Rude Boy" was one of the first mainstream songs to fuse slower hip-hop beats with EDM instrumentation, kicking off a trend that was seen in subsequent releases from other artists.

[23] Los Angeles Times' reviewer Ann Powers stated that the song has a "ragamuffin-style", and commented on the lyrics, "Even as she offers herself in no uncertain terms—'I'm gon' let you be the captain tonight' she sneers—she questions his prowess.

[6] Nick Levine of Digital Spy, commenting on the genre of the song and Rihanna's musical direction and transition from her previous album Good Girl Gone Bad (2007), wrote that the song "can be construed as a winning synthesis of her Island-pop beginnings, the effortless hitmaking of the Good Girl Gone Bad era and the more menacing persona she's unveiled post-Grammygate.

[25] Multiple publications have gone on to retrospectively review "Rude Boy" as one of the best songs in Rihanna's catalog, praising its sound as both innovative and enjoyable.

[27] Rihanna equaled Paula Abdul and Diana Ross as the female artists with the fifth-most number one singles on the Hot 100's in its fifty-one year history.

[33] "Rude Boy" was certified quintuple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America and has sold over 3 million copies in the United States as of June 2015.

[36][37] It remained on the chart for nineteen weeks,[37] and was certified two-times platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association, denoting shipments of over 140,000 copies.

The video relies upon the use of greenscreen, and contains strong references to critically acclaimed famous artists, including Andy Warhol, Keith Haring, Salt-n-Pepa, M.I.A.

"[54] Several critics noticed the differences between Rihanna's previous singles, "Russian Roulette" and "Hard", and that "Rude Boy" had adopted a care-free and brighter image.

"[62] Jocelyn Vena of MTV commented on the change of visual direction in the video, calling it "a colorful departure from the dark fare previously released from her Rated R album."

[65] "Rude Boy" was nominated in the 'Best Editing' category at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards,[66] but lost to Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance".

He also used "Rude Boy" in his mash-up "Like OMG Baby", designed for the 2010 Capital FM Summertime Ball Concert where Rihanna performed.

To promote the song as the third US single from Rated R, Rihanna performed "Rude Boy" live for the first time at the Pepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam on VH1 in South Beach, Miami, on February 4, 2010.

[72] To promote the song's release as a single in the UK, Rihanna made a recorded appearance on Alan Carr: Chatty Man on February 24, 2010, which was broadcast the following day.

[73][74] Rihanna also demonstrated the dance moves which are featured in the video, including the bogle, the butterfly, and the Dutty Wine, which she taught to the show's host.

On March 27, 2010, Rihanna performed "Rude Boy" as part of a medley with "Hard" and "Don't Stop the Music" at the 2010 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, held at UCLA's Pauley Pavilion in Westwood, California.

She performed several of her biggest hits, which included "Mad House", "Hard", "Disturbia", "Rude Boy", "Te Amo", "Russian Roulette", "Don't Stop the Music", "SOS", and "Umbrella".

[citation needed] "Rude Boy" was also on the set-list of her Loud Tour,[81] where Rihanna wore a denim bra and high waisted shorts.