Some of your favorite songs may not have been sung by the artist you know now. In fact, many songs are passed from artist to artist before the final version is released. Rihanna has become one of the most famous artists in the world and has had several successes under her belt. However, she was one of many artists considered for one of her greatest songs.
Rihanna entered the entertainment industry at a young age (via Planet Radio). At only 17 years old, the artist got his first big hit with his song “Pon De Replay”. Over the years, Rihanna has quickly found herself labeled as an icon for this generation with mega hits such as “We Found Love” and “Work.” For that reason, it would come as a surprise to many if one of Rihanna’s well-known hits almost went to someone else.
What’s even more shocking is who the song almost went to. Famous rapper Eminem, who almost has the complete opposite style of Rihanna, almost nabbed one of his biggest hits. These days, producers would like Rihanna to lead a song they created, but in 2012 they were considering other big-name artists. While the song eventually found its way to Rihanna, it had an interesting journey before it got there.
The diamonds almost went to Eminem
In 2012, Rihanna released one of her most popular songs which has become a staple in her discography. “Diamonds” topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart and had fans singing and dancing to the top of their lungs. While many can only imagine the Barbados native singing the song, that wasn’t always the case.
Benny Blanco, who produced the song, actually had several other people in mind for the song. In an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, the famed producer admitted he intended the song to go to either Kanye “Ye” West or Lana Del Rey. Blanco shared that fellow producer Stargate told him they should give the song to Rihanna. Blanco hesitated. In fact, he was so insecure that he also submitted the song to another rapper – Eminem.
The producer shared, “I remember, at the same time, giving a beat CD like a month earlier to Paul Rosenberg to give to Eminem. And apparently Eminem did a song on it too. Blanco had no idea the rapper had even made a song about the beat, but had no hard feelings about going back to Rihanna. “First of all, the second she cut the song, [I realized my collaborators] were absolutely right. I was like, ‘This is the best song I’ve ever done,'” he admitted.
Eminem and Rihanna have collaborated before
Even though Eminem didn’t land the song “Diamonds,” he already had a massive hit under his belt — one that featured Rihanna herself.
In 2010, the two artists joined forces to create the hit song “Love The Way You Lie” (via DJ Booth). According to Song Facts, it was Eminem who contacted Rihanna to be featured on the song. Rihanna shared, “[Eminem and his team] contacted us directly, and they just said, ‘We have this song, and we just think Rihanna would be perfect to sing it,'” the singer revealed. She agreed to listen to the track because she liked Eminem and eventually agreed to sing Rihanna must be happy she joined the song as it topped Billboard charts and was subsequently nominated for multiple Grammy awards.
Both artists surely enjoyed the accolades that came with the song, but for Rihanna, it was the meaning that made it truly special. The Barbados singer was referring to the song’s underlying message about toxic and abusive relationships. She went on to share, “It’s something that, you know, [Eminem and I] both experienced, you know, different sides, different ends of the table. It was just authentic. It was real. »
