Prolific Jamaican producer Rvssian says he worked on Rihanna’s long-awaited Dancehall-inspired album.

During a sit-down with the Let’s Be Honest podcast, Rvssian opened up about working on “things” for Rihanna, one of which secured a spot on her forthcoming project.

“Yeah, I have a confirmed song on it, like they paid me fi it already – paperwork done and everything – but we can’t go force her fi do music,” the multi-genre producer said. “I’m one of Rihanna’s biggest fans. Mi love her music, but she a study her life, her pickney [children] dem, her man. She’s a billionaire without music… Music stressful enuh, so, mi can’t blame her.”

The Bajan bombshell has spent the last few years expanding her viable Fenty brand, which includes cosmetics and apparel. In 2021, Forbes reported that the beauty brand is worth a conservative US$2.8 billion.

Her upcoming album will be her ninth, which she and her “navy” have coined R9. Her last album, Anti (2016), tapped into her affinity for Dancehall on the Drake collab Work, which was produced by Jamaican-Canadian Boi-1da with a sample of Richie Stephen’s 1998 Sail Away riddim.

While R9 will be her first full-length reggae and dancehall-themed project, Rihanna has dabbled in Jamaican genres from the start of her career, with productions like Pon De Replay, Break it Off (featuring Sean Paul), Rude Boy and No Love Allowed. 

Reflecting on his own impressive career (which has seen him becoming a big figure in reggaeton and Latin music), Rvssian cited his most surprising music moment as one centering around ‘Bad Gal RiRi’.

“(It was) when Rihanna follow me on Instagram…” he shared. “Rihanna not following nothing by accident.”

Rihanna adds to a roster of international acts he’s worked with, which includes Farruko, Chris Brown, Future, Rauw Alejandro, Juice WRLD and Lil Baby.

Besides Rvssian, Grammy-winning star Koffee is also said to be another Jamaican who worked on R9. In a 2019 BET interview, rapper Haiti Babii said Rihanna confirmed the news with him on Facetime.

“I asked her, ‘Ri, what’s up with Koffee? Do you know who that is?’, and I spelled the name wrong at first, but she was like, ‘Koffee? Yeah, that’s one of my writers. You guys definitely have to link. I need something now’. I was like, ‘I’m on it, Ri. I’m on it…’”

That year, Rihanna publicly showed her love for Koffee’s megahit Toast by turning up to the track while en route to a Buju Banton concert in her homeland.

With Koffee’s eclectic style of writing and Rvssian’s ear for a good beat, there’s no telling what to expect from R9, a sentiment she echoed in 2021.

“You’re not going to expect what you hear – just put that in your mind,” Rihanna said. “Whatever you know of Rihanna is not going to be what you hear, and I’m really experimenting. Music is like fashion; you should be able to play, I should be able to wear whatever I want. I treat music the same way. So, I’m having fun and it’s going to be completely different.”