It features a rap verse by American rapper Jay-Z, who had previously collaborated with Rihanna on her song "Umbrella" in 2007 and "Run This Town" in 2009.

It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting digital downloads of over one million copies in the US.

[2] On November 8, Rihanna confirmed on Twitter that her mentor, American rapper Jay-Z, would appear as a featured artist on the album's title track.

[3] "Umbrella" was the lead single from Rihanna's 2007 album Good Girl Gone Bad and topped the charts in more than ten countries, including the US Billboard Hot 100, on which it spent seven consecutive weeks at number one.

[5] "Run This Town", which also featured rapper Kanye West, was released as the second single from Jay-Z's 2009 album The Blueprint 3.

Eriksen and Hermansen recorded the song's instrumentation, and Tim Blacksmith and Danny D. were assigned as its executive producers.

[9] On January 10, 2012, she announced that the title track was chosen[10] and also debuted the single's cover—a black-and-white image in which Rihanna is dressed in "street punk/rockabilly clothes" and crouches against a wall.

[18] It features R&B beats,[19] "hard drums", unrefined synths,[1] and a brief sample of the song "I Got a Story to Tell" by rapper The Notorious B.I.G., which can be found at 0:44.

[2] Sam Lansky of MTV Buzzworthy found it sensual and confident, and observed that Rihanna counts when she sings the song's chorus.

[20] IGN's Chad Grischow wrote that a "fuzzy synth melody" interjects Rihanna's "sexy plea for pillow talk", which is complemented by "bling-loving rap from Jay-Z.

[23] He raps at a slow pace and incorporates both double entendres and humorous remarks, including a sexual reference that Claire Suddath viewed, was an indication of Jay-Z's enjoyment on the song: "[I] had it by her bladder, she's like 'Oh I gotta pee!'.

"[18] Melissa Maerz from Entertainment Weekly remarked that he "even touts their jet-set lifestyle on the title track, bragging that he can fly out to Pisa / Just to get some pizza.

"[24] Daily Mirror critic Gavin Martin commented that the song has Rihanna "stealing not just Beyoncé's bootylicious crown but also her husband Jay-Z for a frisky exchange against sibilant drum cracks.

[31] Consequence of Sound's Chris Coplan found Jay-Z's rap unenthusiastic, but said that Rihanna is as emotional and invested in her singing as she was on Saturday Night Live.

[44] It was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), denoting digital downloads of 1 million copies in the United States.

[49][50] It also made top-forty appearances in the Republic of Ireland,[51] New Zealand,[52] and Spain, and also entered the top thirty in Scotland,[53] France,[54] and Denmark.

[59] On May 5, Rihanna performed the song on the American comedy show Saturday Night Live as part of a medley that included the original interlude version of "Birthday Cake".