Loud is the fifth studio album by Barbadian singer Rihanna. It was released on November 12, 2010, by Def Jam Recordings and SRP Records. It was recorded between February and August 2010, during the singer's Last Girl on Earth Tour and the filming of her first feature film Battleship. Rihanna was the executive producer of Loud and worked with various record producers, including StarGate, Sandy Vee, The Runners, Tricky Stewart and Alex da Kid. The album features several guest vocalists, including rappers Drake, Nicki Minaj and Eminem, who is featured on the sequel to "Love the Way You Lie", titled "Love the Way You Lie (Part II)".

The album differs from Rihanna's 2009 album, Rated R, which incorporates a prominently foreboding and angry tone and dark themes. Loud features up-tempo and pop genres, ranging from R&B and dance-pop to electro music, and marks the return to dancehall; a genre prominent on Rihanna's first two albums Music of the Sun (2005) and A Girl like Me (2006). It also incorporates rock in "California King Bed" and reggae in the Caribbean inspired "Man Down".