In Defense Of... Rita Ora's "How We Do (Party)"

At first glance, British pop star Rita Ora is a dead ringer for her Roc Nation label mate Rihanna. They may even have the same stylist as Beyoncé. I guess Hova and I have similar tastes, because I like these women all the same. Rita Ora's recent single "How We...

By Shahryar Rizvi

May 30, 2012

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At first glance, British pop star Rita Ora is a dead ringer for her Roc Nation label mate Rihanna. They may even have the same stylist as Beyoncé. I guess Hova and I have similar tastes, because I like these women all the same.

Rita Ora's recent single "How We Do (Party)" sounds like this year's answer to Katy Perry's 2011 summer anthem, "Last Friday Night (TGIF)." The difference is the tempo is a lot slower. As Dr. Dre said in a Dr. Pepper commercial, slower is better. (How's that for "pop" philosophy? If only his long-promised album Detox came out faster.) Speaking of '90s hip-hop stars, the track borrows its refrain from the oft-referenced Biggie track "Party and Bullshit"

The defining trait of "How We Do (Party)" is the throwback beat, probably inspired by Herbie Hancock's 1983 song "Rockit." Are b-boys still around, aside from Red Bull commercials? While I'm not a party dude, this song offers a compelling template for the weekend.

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