Bebe Rexha Said ‘Internet Trolls’ Are Responsible for the Rumors She Dissed Rihanna Singing on ‘The Monster’
Bebe Rexha is building a career as a pop star on her own. But she’s also done her fair share of writing for other heralded artists. One of her biggest hits as a songwriter is Eminem’s Rihanna-featuring single “The Monster.” Rexha’s contribution to the song was not initially intended to be used by someone else. And some of her comments after the song was released hint at some frustration that she couldn’t keep “The Monster” for herself.
Bebe Rexha wrote her version of “The Monster” for herself before selling it to Eminem
“The Monster” is one of several modern Eminem singles that were very successful at the time of release but left a very small cultural footprint. It was the fourth single off the rapper’s 2013 album The Marshall Mathers LP 2. The song was his fourth collaboration with Rihanna after “Love the Way You Lie” and “Love the Way You Lie (Part II)” in 2010, and “Numb” in 2012.
The original version of the song was written by Rexha during a tough period at the start of her career. She was feeling down on herself after being dropped by Island Def Jam. “Figuring out where you are in life and trying to make s*** work for yourself—it gets to you. You get super down on yourself,” the singer told Vibe in 2013. “I was just trying to get out of a depressed phase. That’s where [the song] came from.”
While working on her debut album, Rexha wrote a song called “The Monster Under My Bed.” She felt it was special as soon as he wrote it. Her confidence was corroborated when she played it for Shady Records VP of A&R Riggs Morales. After Morales heard it, he asked for the verses to be cut out and ProTools sessions to be sent to Eminem. He then added his own lyrics and tweaked the instrumental, but left Rexha’s backing vocals and hook.
Rexha was replaced by Rihanna for most of the chorus. But you can still hear her on the song doing the high-pitched “woo-hoo-woo-hoo.”
She threw some shade at Rihanna’s vocals on the single
Rexha is mostly speaking with pride and satisfaction in that Vibe interview. But she also notes that her version had something that even an artist of Rihanna’s level couldn’t match. “The way that I sing in it, it can’t be duplicated,” she said. “It’s very unique to my artistry.”
She took it a step further in 2017 when she told a crowd that Rihanna “can’t hit those high notes” during a performance. She attempted to clarify her comments during an interview on Watch What Happens Live.
“I did sing that part and somebody spun it out to being, ‘she said Rihanna can’t sing those high notes.’ That’s so annoying,” Rexha said. “You can’t say anything on the internet these days, and everybody takes things to extremes.”
The line may have been misconstrued, but it’s hard to say. However, it’s understandable why Rexha would feel slighted about two bigger artists using her very personal song when she’s striving to achieve that level of fame.
Bebe Rexha has found success as a solo artist
Rexha, whose real name is Bleta Rexha, found a love for music at an early age. She played trumpet, guitar, and piano as a kid — teaching herself how to play the latter two instruments. Rexha started a band with her friends in school. She also auditioned for American Idol, but it didn’t go so well.
After winning the Best Teen Songwriter award at The Recording Academy’s annual Grammy Day event, Rexha started working with Fall Out Boy’s Pete Wentz for his experimental pop group Black Cards in 2010. In 2013, she signed with Warner Music as a solo artist.
She’s released two albums, Expectations in 2018 and Better Mistakes in 2021, to moderate acclaim. Rexha has also been nominated for three Grammys, twice in 2019 for Best Country Duo/Group Performance for her Florida Georgia Line-featuring song “Meant To Be” and Best New Artist and this year for Best Dance/Electronic Recording thanks to her song with DJ David Guetta “I’m Good (Blue).”
