Cheers for 10 Years (Part 6)

Back at it again with the white vans! No but really, we are here celebrating another couple of albums that have turned ten years old and have made a lasting impact! These albums have taken on many different meanings as I have grown but one thing that has always rang true is that 2009 was a strange time to be alive.

Rated R by Rihanna

Release date: November 20, 2009

My favorites songs: Hard, Russian Roulette, Te Amo, Photographs

Rihanna is ICONIC from Pon de Reply, Umbrella, Only Girl in the World, to her features with Nicki Minaj, Drake, Paul McCartney and her ventures outside of music with Fenty Beauty, and Savage X lingerie. She has made an empire for herself but an album that seems to fall through the cracks is Rated R. This album refers to her assault with her then boyfriend Chris Brown and her strength and independence as a woman, an entertainer and a survivor. As pivotal all her other achievements are, this album deserves just as much attention.

Twenty One Pilots by Twenty One Pilots

Release Date: December 29, 2009

My favorites songs: Trapdoor, Fall Away, Air Catcher, Isle of Flightless Birds

Where to even start with this album! I am definitely one of those that were late to the party for this album- but man! I fell in love quick. Twenty One Pilots gained a majority of their popularity from their following album "Vessel," but before that they had their best album to date- their self titled. I feel like this album explored dark thoughts a bit deeper and more thoroughly than their other albums. As they have progressed over the past ten years, I have heard so much growth and appreciated every track but I will say that the self-titled has a special place in my heart.