"Man Down is the most viewed video on youtube this week! Special thx to PTC and #RihannaNavy," the "Battleship" actress wrote on Saturday, June 11. Later in the day, the songstress added another post, "RiRiLovers+RiriHaters...u all made this a success!!! And I truly thank u!"
In a series of longer tweets, she elaborated, "I bring the clip to u, and u take over from there! And I love that u love them! And I love u guys even more... there's video/movie/TV world and there's real life!" For those who understand the message behind the clip, she stated, "I'm just impressed that u kids know the difference! Keep it up to every girl/boy empowered by this....u are the real winners here!"
The "Man Down" music video drew controversy due to its violent closure which sees Rihanna gunning down the man who raped her. PTC argued the murder scene could mislead the rape victims to do something violent instead of seeking help and reporting the assault to the authority.
Despite the complaint, Rihanna insisted her fans understood the "underlying" message of the music video. She additionally said, "In making that into a mini-movie or a video, we needed to go back to why it happened, because obviously she's not a cold-blooded killer...and we decided to hone in on a very serious matter that people are afraid to address."
Directed by Anthony Mandler and filmed in Jamaica, the video was viewed over 17 million people by Friday, June 10 and got additional 3 million views by Sunday.
