#HappyBirthdayRihanna: 6 Of The Singer's Greatest Musical Collaborations

It’s no secret that Rihanna is a fashion and beauty icon. However, music is what led many to first fall in love with the Barbadian native. With her first hit single “Pon de Replay” to more recent tracks like “Needed Me,” the artist has established a loyal and savage team of fans known as the #RihannaNavy. As all of her fans impatiently wait for the release of “R9,” let's celebrate her 32nd birthday by acknowledging a few of her greatest musical collaborations to date.

"Wild Thoughts"

For this track, producer and songwriter DJ Khaled, brought together Rihanna and Bryson Tiller’s unique sounds to remake the 1999 hit “Maria Maria” by Carlos Santana. However, their version doesn’t tell a tale of a poor girl in Spanish Harlem. Instead, the duo sing about their sexual desires and notions after a night “on that brown liquor.”

“Kitty, kitty, baby give that thing some rest,” the Fenty Beauty creator sings sassily. “'Cause you done beat it like the '68 Jets.”

Tiller smoothly matches the energy and tone of the record with his own verse.

“I probably shouldn't be around you 'cause you get wild, wild, wild,” he adds. “You looking like there's nothing that you won't do.”

The 2017 hit was brought to life with a vibrant visual that paid homage to it’s sampled original. In the video, Rihanna gave a number of stylish looks including a teal dress set off with an intense red lip, which made the single even more unforgettable.

"This Is What You Came For"

For this EDM hit, the star teamed up with Scottish DJ, producer, and singer Calvin Harris. Rihanna sings the entire song which is pretty simple, but extremely catchy. The 2016 track was written by Harris and Taylor Swift.

The “Rehab” artist sings: “Baby, this is what you came for / Lightning strikes every time she moves / And everybody's watching her / But she's looking at you, oh, oh.”

The visual shows the birthday girl rocking a sparkly jumpsuit and a high pony accented with studded hairpins. She’s surrounded by colorful flashing lights as she welcomes fans from an entirely new genre.

"Loyalty"

Kendrick Lamar collaborated with Rihanna for this single on his fourth studio album “DAMN.” The song stays true to its title with a chorus that repeats the word “Loyalty” a number of times before Lamar and Rihanna express words of confidence and trust in their verses.

The two sang: "It's a secret society / All we ask is trust / (All we ask is trust) / All we got is us / Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty / Loyalty, loyalty, loyalty."

The video is quite entertaining as well, being that the two rob a man and laughing it off despite her bloody nose. The track won a Grammy in 2018 for Best Rap/Sung Performance and an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Duo or Group.

"Lemon"

Lemon is a fun track resulting from a collaboration from the Barbadian entertainer and N.E.R.D, a funk-rock group comprised of Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo, and Shay Haley. The single was released in 2017.

The 32-year-old most notably sings: “I get it how I live it / I live it how I get it / Count the [expletive] digits / I pull up with a lemon / Not 'cause she ain't livin' / It's just your eyes get acidic / And this here ain't a scrimmage.”

Interestingly enough, Rihanna only appears at the beginning of the video, where she can be seen cutting off the hair of the visual’s leading dancer. However, the project won an MTV Video Music Award for Best Editing.

"Umbrella"

This song marked a major turning point in the singer’s career, as she shifted from vibrant island-girl vibes to dark and sexy imagery. Rihanna collaborated with Jay-Z on this track, which was the leading single for her "Good Girl Gone Bad” album. The 2007 pop song focuses on the concept of being there for a loved one through thick and thin.

Jay-Z opens up the single with a perfect introduction to the star herself.

“You know me In anticipation for precipitation stack chips for the rainy day,” he raps. “Rain man is back with little Ms. Sunshine. Rihanna, where you at?”

The above visual has over 538 million views on YouTube since being uploaded in 2009.

"Work"

Rihanna and Drake had what felt like everyone singing this reggae-inspired jam. The song was featured on Rihanna's eighth studio album “Anti.” The two, who were rumored to be dating at the time, sing of romantic and lustful desire to make a basement party hit.

Speaking of basement parties, the music video shows the two getting up close and personal on the dance floor for an intimate and fun scene.

“All that I wanted from you was to give me something that I never had,” Rihanna sings. “Something that you've never seen...Work, work, work, work, work, work.”

“Work” won a 2016 BET award for Best Collaboration.

#HappyBirthdayRihanna!