Mary J. Blige has revealed she turned down Rihanna’s 2007 hit Umbrella.
The R’n’B legend claims she was offered the mega-hit featuring Jay-Z – who co-wrote the song with its producers Tricky Stewart and Kuk Harrell, with additional writing contributions coming from The-Dream – but ultimately decided it didn’t suit her.
Appearing on the 7PM in Brooklyn podcast, she recalled: “All I heard was [the lyric] ‘eh, eh,’ and I was like, ‘Yo, my fans are gonna bug out on me if they hear me talking about eh, eh, eh.'”
As soon as she heard Rihanna’s version, she knew she’d made the right decision.
Blige added: “Then when I heard Rihanna do it, I was like, ‘See, it was for Rihanna, it wasn’t for me.’
“It got away, but it wasn’t for me in the first place.”
Umbrella topped the charts in 19 countries and won a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration at the 2008 ceremony.
In the UK, the chart feat coincided with prolonged rain and flooding, and became one of the most played songs on the radio in the 2000s.
The song was actually penned with Britney Spears in mind.
The‑Dream shared on Drink Champs in 2017: “That record was written out of pure pressure in life.
“Not being broke and not having certain things, I was okay then. I can say I had a music career at that point in time. I was getting checks out of the game. I had a publishing deal. It clicked. It’s almost like having an out-of-body experience. I watched myself walk in and write that record. The record was written for Britney Spears.”
However, Spears’ team turned it down as they didn’t see its chart potential.
Rihanna then got wind of the track and claimed it.
The-Dream went on: “I guess [Rihanna] heard about the record.
“She was out at the Grammys. We hadn’t even cut the record yet. She walked up to my manager and said ‘that’s my f*****’ record!’ Of course when I heard she had said that in that way, I said ‘that’s the mutha**** who should have the record.’”