On “Work,” Rihanna seeks a deep, meaningful connection, however the male character she sings to (played by Drake) is only interested in sex. This narrative is similar to Rihanna and Drake’s previous collaborations, 2010’s “What’s My Name?” and 2011’s “Take Care.”
Rihanna sings in Jamaican Patois throughout, which she spoke about in Vogue’s April 2016 cover story:
You get what I’m saying, but it’s not all the way perfect. Because that’s how we speak in the Caribbean.
On “Work” co-star Drake, Rihanna added: “Everything he does is so amazing. We would go to in the Caribbean and just dance and drink and smoke and flirt.”
Snippets of “Work” began to circulate in January 2016 after the pair were spotted shooting a music video in an L.A. mall. On January 26th, Power 106 DJ Justin Credible tweeted that the collaboration between Drake and Rihanna would be coming sooner than anticipated.
One of the song’s producers, Allen Ritter, told Genius that the song originally came together at a pool party at Drake’s house.
Both official “Work” videos were released on February 22, 2016.