Rum-Pa-Pum-Pum: Rihanna x Vado, ‘Man Down (Remix)’

Words by Jesse Serwer

Here’s a tune tailor-made for a springtime weekend: Cam’Ron sidekick/new Interscope signee Vado yesterday turned up on a remix of “Man Down,” the rough-and-rugged, reggae-flavored highlight from Rihanna’s Loud album. Seriously, this might be the gulliest tune of Rihanna’s career. Breaking down how she could just kill her man, (“I didn’t mean to end his life/I know it wasn’t right…It’s a 22, I call her Peggy Sue/Whatchu expect me do, she fits right down in my shoe”), Ri-Ri really lets the Bajan accent she’s often guilty of masking out for air. And producer Shama Joseph gives her an appropriately moody soundtrack, complete with police sirens. Vado is up to the challenge, enhancing the Caribbean flavor with a shoutout to Caribana weekend. The Harlem rapper, who recently collaborated with the almost identically named Mavado, has really been embracing his Jamaican roots of late. Cam’Ron’s favorite understudy spent several years living in yard as a kid, and he’s one of the few young American MCs with a mainstream profile right now who seems genuinely interested in repping the Caribbean massive. For that, we salute him.

[audio:http://largeup.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Vado-Man-Down-Remix.mp3|titles=Rihanna feat. Vado – Man Down (Remix)]