One Of Rihanna’s Biggest Hits Almost Went To Eminem

In 2012, Rihanna released one of her most popular songs that became a staple in her discography. “Diamonds” topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart and had fans singing and dancing at the top of their lungs. While many can only picture the Barbados native singing the song, that wasn’t always the case.

Benny Blanco, who produced the song, actually had several other people in mind for the song. In an interview with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe, the famous producer admitted that he intended for the song to go to either Kanye “Ye” West or Lana Del Rey. Blanco shared that his fellow producer Stargate told him they should give the song to Rihanna. Blanco was hesitant. In fact, he was so unsure that he also submitted the song to another rapper — Eminem.

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The producer shared, “I remember, at the same time, giving a beat CD like a month earlier to Paul Rosenberg to give to Eminem. And apparently, Eminem had done a song to it, too.” Blanco had no idea that the rapper even made a song to the beat, but had no hard feelings about it going back to Rihanna. “First of all, the second she cut the song, [I realized my collaborators] were completely right. I was like, ‘This is the best song I’ve ever done,'” he admitted.