Bad Gal! Rihanna’s 16 Best Hip-Hop Collaborations
Today is Rihanna's 26th birthday, a milestone that's praise-worthy enough until you realize just how much the pop diva has accomplished in just 26 years on the planet. Rih Rih doesn't just have hits—she's got plenty of them on her own—but she's also proven to be one of the most prolific and versatile featured artists in the game, lending enormous hooks to songs by Jay Z, Drake, Eminem, Kanye West and a whole bunch more. To celebrate her birthday, XXL has put together a list of Rihanna's 16 best hip-hop collaborations, from her first foray into the Roc familia with Memphis Bleek in 2005 up through her scene-stealing performance on Eminem's recent "The Monster."
Check out our Beats Music playlist right here.
Memphis Bleek Ft. Rihanna - "The One" (2005)
Shortly after finding the Barbados star, Jay-Z threw her into the game by putting her on a song with his lifetime sidekick Memphis Bleek. Rih sounds like a super-young good girl on this soulful banger off Bleek's 534, but there are definitely some hints of brilliance here.
Rihanna Ft. Jay-Z - "Umbrella" (2007)
It's hard to overestimate the impact that this track had on the pop world—for months after its release, it was difficult to walk outside in the rain without getting this song’s infectious hook stuck in your head for the foreseeable future (or at least until the rain stopped). The video also went a long way toward shattering whatever wholesome image Rihanna had garnered for herself in her pre-Good Girl Gone Bad era, a transition that she completed with the downright dirty "S&M" from 2010's Loud.
T.I. Ft. Rihanna - "Live Your Life" (2008)
This track's bizarre yodel intro bleeds effortlessly into another classic, which sees Rihanna gliding above the beat effortlessly and leading the charge into the hook of one of the King of the South’s most commercially successful hits. This song is a playlist staple at any event from a graduation party to a club night.
Wale Ft. Rihanna - "Contemplate" (2009)
Even though Wale criticized his own solo debut as an under-shipped and under-worked (by his then-label Interscope) album, there were still a few gems on it. Among them was "Contemplate," a self-conscious track about failed relationships and loneliness in the limelight. Rih swings through for a trippy and emotionally-scarred hook that sets the tone for Attention Deficit in a gripping way.
Jay-Z Ft. Kanye West & Rihanna - "Run This Town" (2009)
While some sang praises for the grandiosity of The Blueprint 3's "Death of Auto-tune," this song is the real emotional highlight of the album. On it, Jay and 'Ye reach for the stars with pre-Watch The Throne Illuminati luxury raps, and Rih supplies the stadium-shattering, on-top-of-the-world hook.
Rihanna Ft. Drake - "What's My Name?" (2010)
This track was the first collaboration between Rihanna and Drake—she would later show up on "Take Care" off his debut album of the same name—and the beginning of the two of them making headlines together, much to the chagrin of Chris Brown. It also includes the classic Drake line, "The square root of 69 is 8-something," which, sure, Drake, that seems close enough.
Eminem Ft. Rihanna - "Love The Way You Lie" (2010)
The closest Em got to a love song on comeback album Recovery was definitely a far cry from his more erratic "love" songs, but for this standout he does well to tell a dark story while maintaining a grip on reality. He also makes a great decision in enlisting Rih for hook duties. While listening to her somber chorus about physically abusive relationships, it's hard not to think about her own turmoil with Chris Brown, making the song all the more realistic.
Rihanna Ft. Jay-Z - "Talk That Talk" (2011)
Another collaboration with Roc Nation chief Jay-Z, this one further proves that Jay shines extra brightly with Rih Rih on the hook. Her confident swagger on the second verse nearly matches Hov’s, a feat of unflinching braggadocio that not many rappers have even approached.
Kanye West Ft. Rihanna & Kid Cudi - "All Of The Lights" (2011)
When Kanye was busy getting dark by rapping about every type of light fixture he could think of, Rihanna got busy lacing this track with yet another infectious hook. Then the Hype Williams-directed video came along and showed everyone just how much damage could be done by flashing lights into a person’s face for five-plus minutes: an epilepsy warning at the beginning had to suffice as fair warning.
Drake Ft. Rihanna - "Take Care" (2011)
In this stellar rework of Gil Scott-Heron's heartbreaking "I'll Take Care Of You," Drizzy makes a superstar's choice in picking Rihanna to sing Gil's genius hook. The track—which features hushed hints at their personal relationship—is a moving and inspiring love song filled with equal amounts of confidence and regret.
Rihanna Ft. Eminem - "Numb" (2012)
When Em and Rih get together, prepare for a lot of indignantly emotional lyrics. This track features industrial-sounding production and perfectly follows in the footsteps of the pair’s first Grammy-winning collaboration. The song's only downfall is that Em’s cameo is relatively brief, with the track relying more heavily on the studio tricks that make Rihanna’s voice sound so hopeless and lost.
Rihanna Ft. Future - "Loveeee Song" (2012)
In this unlikely but perfect collab, the emotionally in-tune Future connects with Rih on this beautifully warbled…yes, love song. It's romantic, smooth and sexy—just like every song these two put out. This is a song you make up and make love to.
Rihanna Ft. A$AP Rocky - "Cockiness (Love It) (Remix)" (2012)
The first verse here is classic Rocky, dropping style and fashion references and, of course, describing himself as that pretty motherfucker within the first five words. Rihanna then comes in for one of those verses that includes the phrase, "I want you to be my sex slave." Some collaborators are just always on the same page, and these two got that part down.
Rihanna Ft. Rick Ross, Juicy J & T.I. - "Pour It Up (Remix)" (2013)
Rihanna really brought it down South with this track, featuring the Bawse alongside Atlanta and Memphis' finest, grittiest voices. She soars above the rags-to-strip-clubs verses with a slick hook that breaks up the bars without losing the make it rain, pour some more feel that permeates this remix.
Wale Ft. Rihanna - "Bad (Remix)" (2013)
The original version to Wale’s "Bad" was already infectious, making for Mr. Folarin's most successful single since "Lotus Flower Bomb." But, after the remix dropped yesterday—this time with a touch of Rih's vocal magic—the original could be long forgotten.
Eminem Ft. Rihanna - "The Monster" (2013)
Em's biggest radio hit from his latest album The Marshall Mathers LP 2 follows the duo's tried-and-true pop-hip-hop formula that they took all the way to the Grammys with "Love The Way You Lie." It's unclear what makes their partnership so good—maybe something having to do with the haunting qualities of Rihanna's hooks combined with the apocalyptic raps that Shady tosses out nearly effortlessly. Either way, it's nearly cause for an album-length collab between the two.