Rihanna Answers Critics And Defends Her Man Down Video

When controversy comes calling, Rihanna’s not hiding under her umbrella.  Ri Ri  called into BET's 106 & Park  on Thursday night to discuss the hubbub swirling around her new video Man Down, in which she plays a rape victim who stalks, targets and eventually shoots her attacker.

"I didn't go into it to make a controversial video: I wanted to make a mini-movie -- something raw and artistic," the gorgeous singer said of the Anthony Mandler-directed clip.

The 23-year-old S&M singer, calling in from a rehearsal in Baltimore, shot back at criticism from the watchdog group, the Parents Television Council, who said in a statement that the video "gives retaliation in the form of premeditated murder the imprimatur of acceptability."

In response, Rihanna called her latest work "art with a message" and said that she's a voice for her fans, adding she's never one to "play it safe" in her art.

“Obviously [the character is] not a cold-blooded killer. It has to be something ... and we decided to hone in on a very serious matter that people are afraid to address.”

“Rape is happening all over the world, and right in our own home, and we continue to cover it up and pretend it doesn’t happen,” she said. “I personally don’t condone violence or murder -- I’ve been abused in the past, and you don’t see me running around killing people in my spare time -- I just want girls to be careful.The Umbrella singer said her message is "not coming from a parent, it's coming from a peer.


She described Man Down as "a song about a girl who has committed a murder that she regrets and is completely remorseful about," and that in "making that into a ... video, we had to go back and see why it happened.