Why Haven’t Beyoncé and Rihanna Ever Collaborated? Fans Think They Know the Reason
Rihanna and Beyoncé are both wildly successful icons in the entertainment industry, so why have the two megastar singers never collaborated? Fans think they have figured out the reason why two of the music industry’s most powerful women have never worked on a song together.
Rihanna and Beyoncé have never collaborated on a song
In 2005, Rihanna’s song “Pon de Replay” came out and attracted the attention of Jay-Z, who had just become the CEO and president of Def Jam Records.
She auditioned for the record label, impressing both Jay-Z and record label executive L.A. Reid with her performance. Reid told Jay-Z not to let the Barbadian singer leave the building until she had signed a contract. She waited in Jay-Z’s office until 3 a.m. to sign her six-album deal with Def Jam.
Rihanna has collaborated on songs with Drake, Nicki Minaj, Kanye West, Eminem, Calvin Harris, and Sir Paul McCartney. She even collaborated with Jay-Z on the 2007 song “Umbrella.”
Beyoncé has made music with Lady Gaga, Madonna, Eminem, Alicia Keys, and, of course, her husband, Jay-Z.
Considering their close ties in the music industry and the common link of Jay-Z, why haven’t Beyoncé and Rihanna ever made a hit together? Fans think they have figured out the reason.
Fans think they know why Beyoncé and Rihanna have never collaborated
In a Reddit thread titled, “Isn’t It Strange That Beyoncé and Rihanna Have NEVER Collaborated?” fans speculated about why the two one-named superstars have never released a song together. Many believe that Jay-Z had an affair with Rihanna in the early years of her music career.
“When Rihanna first came out, there were rumors that her and Jay-Z were having an affair,” one Reddit user wrote. “I’m sure that’s part of why her and Bey aren’t closer.”
Another fan added, “Second this. I tought [sic] the reason behind it was the rumoured affair between J and R. Hence why the two artists never collab.”
Others pointed out why it would make so much sense for Rihanna and Beyoncé to work together, making it even more suspicious that they haven’t.
“I don’t think saying Rihanna and Beyoncé have different styles is a good explanation,” wrote one Reddit user. “Beyoncé has a song with Ed sheeran [sic], Lady Gaga, Jack White, etc. Clearly she collabs with people of varying musical styles. It is kind of odd that they don’t even have one song together.”
Another fan said the two stars’ connections to Jay-Z would make their collaboration simple and cost-effective. “It absolutely is strange because it would have been cheap and easy to organise (in the past). There would have been no additional label fees etc. It would also have printed money and they are all obsessed with money,” the fan said. “I think the only reason would be because of the Rihanna /JayZ rumours. It would annoy any wife, even if wasn’t true.”
Others said they are still hopeful for a future collaboration. “Still waiting for them to make an album called R&B,” wrote one fan, and another responded, “It would break the internet.”
The ‘Diamonds’ singer said there’s no rivalry
Although Rihanna and Beyoncé have never collaborated, the “We Found Love” singer insists that there is no rivalry between the two singers.
“Here’s the deal,” Rihanna told Vogue in March 2016. “They just get so excited to feast on something that’s negative. Something that’s competitive. Something that’s, you know, a rivalry. And that’s just not what I wake up to. Because I can only do me. And nobody else is going to be able to do that.”
And according to record label executive L.A. Reid, Beyoncé played an important role in Rihanna’s rise to stardom. At the time, he and Jay-Z were focusing more on another singer.
“At the label, we thought Teairra Mari would be the big star,” Reid said (per Vanity Fair). “We spent more time on her, did more work on her, paid more attention to her. Rihanna already had a hit with ‘Pon de Replay,’ but we still thought it was the other girl.”
But Reid changed his mind, thanks to Jay-Z’s wife. “Beyoncé came up to me,” he said. “‘That Rihanna girl,’ she said, ‘she’s a beast.’”
