Mary J. Blige Says Rihanna’s “Umbrella” Was Meant for Her

Rihanna’s chart-topping hit “Umbrella” wasn’t originally intended for her. While sitting down on 7PM in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony, Mary J. Blige revealed that the song was first offered to her before making its way to Rihanna.

According to Mary, producers The-Dream and Tricky Stewart brought her the track, but she wasn’t convinced. “All I heard was the ‘aye, aye’ part, and I was like, ‘Yo, my fans are gonna bug out if they hear me talking about ‘aye, aye, aye,’” she explained. At the time, Mary felt she had too much going on and ultimately decided to pass on the song.

After later hearing Rihanna’s version, Mary admitted she immediately knew the record wasn’t meant for her. The song went on to become one of Rihanna’s biggest hits, cementing her place in pop music history.

Check out the conversation below: