The single spent nine weeks atop the US Billboard Hot 100 and helped Rihanna surpass Michael Jackson as the artist with the fourth-most US number-one hits.

Subsequently, it was made available for digital download in most countries, worldwide, via the iTunes Store, and was added for streaming on Apple Music, Spotify, and Tidal.

[21] Zach Frydenlund of Complex wrote that the song "is slower and very rhythmic with Rihanna showing off her vocal skills over the crafty production.

[23] Alexa Camp of Slant Magazine called it "an understated midtempo jam in the vein of Janet Jackson's recent 'No Sleeep', with a percolating beat, sinuous synth lines, and vocal samples stretched and pulled in a way that recalls Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis's masterful production work on Janet's 1997 album The Velvet Rope.

"[24] The Guardian's Harriet Gibsone wrote: "The glossy, modernist 'Work' skewers elements of dub and dancehall: her voice is at times Auto-Tuned, and a distant sample of what sounds a little like Grace Jones's "My Jamaican Guy" haunts its empty spaces.

[26] In contrary, Taj Ran from Billboard wrote the song "isn't part of a new genre that many in the mainstream media are calling 'tropical house.'

Anti's lead single is undeniably drenched in dancehall, a genre with deep roots in Jamaica's club scene that spun off from reggae in the 1970s.

"[27] According to The Atlantic's Spencer Kornhaber, the single has "strangely unfinished quality" that features its verses, choruses and bridge fade into themselves, "forgoing soft-to-loud explosions or exciting rhythmic changes".

[28] He also noted that, Boi-1da also tries to create "escalation" in the song by adding additional drums for the second chorus, flutes, autotuned harmonies and back-off piano.

"[30] Alexa Camp of Slant Magazine wrote: "the new track has the potential to at least partly justify the gold crown on the album's cover.

"[21] Idolator's Robbie Daw's review was mixed, writing "Musically, the track is a charming, if also somewhat sparse, affair that feels like it blew in on a tropical, warm June wind and nestled up beside our ears.

Club wrote: "the sheer repetition of the hook creates a built-in expiration date for when this song transitions from catchy to mildly annoying.

She opined that the song is a prime example of "an unapologetic black woman proudly showing her heritage at a time when our politics are dominated by #BlackLivesMatter and Donald Trump's racist, xenophobic and misogynistic tirades."

One of America's most reliable singles artists created an arch, moody album instead of a handful of chart-ready pop confections, but we still couldn't resist this barely-there tune with a beat like a dancehall wisp and lyrics like a freestyle.

"[36] The Guardian named it "best track of 2016", writing that "Work was off-kilter, lacked a big chorus and weaved in a dubious 80s ballad.

[41] Billboard ranked "Work" at number 25 on their "100 Best Pop Songs of 2016" list, noting "Its hypnotic chorus burrowing its way into the year's subconscious.

"[42] In the annual Village Voice's "Pazz & Jop" mass critics' poll (of the year's best in music) for 2016, "Work" was tied at number 9 with David Bowie's "Blackstar".

With this feat, Rihanna tied Mariah Carey, Janet Jackson and Elton John as the artists with the fifth-most top-ten songs on the chart.

Additionally, "Work" launched at number 27 on the US Billboard Radio Songs chart with 44 million audience impressions, becoming the highest debut of her career.

[56] In France, "Work" peaked at number one on the chart for two weeks, becoming Rihanna's sixth number-one in the country, the second-highest amount of all time.

[60] Harv Glazer and Melissa Larsen served as a producer of the visual, while Daniel Bouquet and Alexi Zabes were the director of photography.

Missy Galanida, Isaac Rice and Taj Critchlow, served as the videos executive producers while Dave Hussey of Company 3 was the colorist.

[64] The second video for the single directed by Tim Erem was discussed between the director, Rihanna and Drake in the studio at 4 a.m., where they were attempting to come up with ideas to add a tropical vibe to their already existing footage.

The second video is shot in one piece, as it shows Rihanna and Drake in a room full of neon pink lights and styled with sofas and house plants aesthetics.

Hazel Cills of MTV noted Rihanna's and Drake's chemistry as "playful and confrontational", which was "ultimately made for the viewer's pleasure".

[79] On March 6, 2016, American rapper Lil Mama released a remix of the song; her version features the same production and chorus, but is accompanied by new rap bars.

March 7, 1997, in Barcelona), uploaded a tribute video of "Work" to her YouTube channel with new lyrics in the Catalán language, her mother tongue.

The cover, entitled "Pai" (Catalán for "money"), has a nearly-identical sound to Rihanna's "Work", albeit in a different language with completely different words, and featuring Bad Gyal's signature use of autotune effects.