"Jump" is a song recorded by Barbadian singer Rihanna for her seventh studio album, Unapologetic (2012). It was written by Kevin Cossom, M. B. Williams, Stargate and Chase & Status, with production done by the latter two and Kuk Harrell. It samples the lyrics of the 1996 single "Pony", performed by Ginuwine. Its composition and structure received comparisons to not only Justin Timberlake's song "Cry Me a River" and Magnetic Man's "I Need Air", but also to some of Rihanna's previous songs, including "Rude Boy" and "Red Lipstick". A remix of the song called "Jump (Club Cheval Rap Remix)" by rapper Theophilus London was leaked onto the internet. "Jump" was serviced to Australian radio on January 24, 2014 as the album's sixth single.
The song received generally positive reviews from music critics. Many reviewers thought that "Jump" stood out as one of a couple of highlights on Unapologetic, while a few others singled it out as the sole highlight. However, it prompted a mixed reaction from James Montgomery for MTV, who thought that the dubstep bass line produced a "mixed result". Genevieve Koski for The A.V. Club, who wrote that the track should not have been included on the album as it is a poor song choice, commented that songs like "Jump" are responsible for simply furthering her career in the music industry. Following the release of Unapologetic, "Jump" debuted on the French Singles Chart at number 153 and the UK Singles Chart at number 150 due to strong digital download sales.
Background and production
Rihanna began developing a "new sound" for her seventh studio album in March 2012, even though she had not yet begun recording. On September 12, 2012, Def Jam France announced via Twitter that Rihanna would release a new single the upcoming week while her seventh studio album was scheduled to be released in November 2012. However, the tweet was shortly deleted and replaced with another clarifying that more information will available the next day (September 13). Via her official Twitter account, Rihanna posted series of "teasing" tweets announcing her seventh studio album. On October 11, 2012, in one of her tweets revealed that the title of her new album is Unapologetic along with its cover.
"Jump" is the overall sixth and final single off Unapologetic. It was written by Kevin Cossom and M. B. Williams together with its producers Stargate (Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen) and Chase & Status (Saul Milton and Will Kennard). The song samples elements of "Pony" (1996), as performed by Ginuwine and written by Elgin "Ginuwine" Lumpkin, Stephen Garrett and Timothy "Timbaland" Mosley. In an interview with MTV News Ginuwine stated: "You know what? My management told me she wanted to use it, and Rihanna, I'm a fan of hers and I love what she's doing. You got to embrace it! You can't be a stickler... especially when an artist like Rihanna wants to use it". He further said that he is anxious to hear what the singer has done with the sample and hopes that it will do a good job for her, just as it did for him.
Eriksen and Miles Walker recorded "Jump" at Roc the Mic Studio in New York, while Aamir Yaqub served as the assistant vocal engineer. Kuk Harrell provided the vocal production of the song and also recorded Rihanna's vocals together with Marcos Tovar at R Studios in Los Angeles. It was mixed by Phil Than at Ninja Club Studios in Atlanta with Daniela Rivera serving as assistant mixing engineer. Cossom sang additional vocals, while all the instruments and programming were provided by Eriksen, Hermansen, Mikey Mike and Chase & Status.
Composition and lyrical interpretation
"Jump" is a song that runs four minutes and twenty-four seconds, and "utilizes dubstep's distinctive bass sound to approximate the belching chorus of the original song". According to Brad Stern of MTV Buzzworthy, "Jump" features "sexy, slow burning" chorus and resembles Rihanna's 2010 single "Rude Boy" (Rated R, 2009). Daily Mirror'''s Priya Elan also compared "Jump" to the singer's song "Red Lipstick" (Talk That Talk, 2011), while James Bien of The Daily Northwestern found it similar to the 2010 single by Magnetic Man, "I Need Air". Melissa Maerz of Entertainment Weekly labeled the song a "dubstep-warped banger".