Rihanna’s No. 1 Duets: How Her Collaborations Have Dominated the Charts

Rihanna has built her career on smart collaborations and unforgettable hits. Her duets, in particular, have helped push her to the top of the charts again and again, playing a big role in her rise as one of the most successful artists of her generation.

Over the years, Rihanna has hit some major milestones. She holds the record for the most Diamond-certified singles by a female artist with seven in total. She's won nine GRAMMY Awards and racked up huge streaming numbers.

On top of all that, she became the fastest solo artist to earn 14 No. 1 songs on the Billboard Hot 100. Rihanna has over 70 Recording Industry Association of America certifications between singles and albums. She has sold over 54 million albums and 215 million singles globally and is recognized for consistently blending disparate musical genres into cohesive pop music. Collaborations have consistently been a key component of her chart dominance.

Rihanna's “We Found Love” with Calvin Harris helped bridge pop and electronic dance music, spending 10 of its 41 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 1, and has officially gone 11x Platinum in the U.S.

Their follow-up collaboration, “This Is What You Came For,” peaked at No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 3 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 while topping charts in 12 countries, including Australia, Canada, and Ireland. “This Is What You Came For” achieved 8x Platinum certification in the U.S.

Rihanna's work with Eminem showed just how well she could move between genres without losing her voice. Tracks such as “Love the Way You Lie” and “The Monster” paired her emotional delivery with Eminem's intensity, creating a mix that hit hard. “Love the Way You Lie” reached No. 1 in 2010 and held the top spot for seven weeks. A few years later, “The Monster” also shot to No. 1, staying there for a full month.

Both “Love the Way You Lie” (2010) and “The Monster” (2015) won GRAMMYs for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. “Love The Way You Lie” was certified 13x Platinum and is among her most-streamed songs with 1.9 billion streams.

“Umbrella,” Rihanna's breakout hit with Jay-Z, changed everything. Released when she was just 19, the song helped launch her into global stardom. It became a blueprint for how pop and hip-hop could collide. That collaboration set the tone for many of the major hits that would follow in her career. “Umbrella” stayed on the Billboard Hot 100 for 34 weeks, with seven of those weeks at No. 1. She also won a 2008 GRAMMY for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration thanks to the track. 

The two also collaborated on “Run This Town” with Kanye West and won the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration GRAMMY in 2010.

Rihanna and Drake have teamed up on more than one occasion, and the result hits every time. Songs such as “What's My Name?” and “Work” showed off their chemistry, both musically and otherwise. These tracks blended Rihanna's smooth vocals with Drake's laid-back flow, proving just how well R&B and hip-hop can work together when the vibe is right. 

Drake and Rihanna met in 2005, when he was playing music at a Toronto restaurant where she was filming her “Pon De Replay” video. They also collaborated on other tracks, including “Take Care” and “Too Good.” Drake gave Rihanna a public declaration of love at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards. However, by May 2018 Rihanna confirmed they were no longer friends.

“Work” hit No. 1 in early 2016 and remained there for nine weeks. “What's My Name?” also hit No. 1 and stayed on the chart for 22 weeks.

Rihanna's long list of collaborations shows just how versatile she is. Whether she's singing over EDM beats or trading lines with rap icons, she always sounds like herself. She's worked with a wide range of artists: David Guetta, Coldplay, Maroon 5, Paul McCartney, Sean Paul, T.I., Kanye West, and Ne-Yo. She's also moved across genres such as hip-hop, pop, electronic, and even alt-rock. 

Some of these tracks became major hits. “Live Your Life” with T.I. topped the charts in 2008, and “All of the Lights,” her collaboration with Kanye West, earned a GRAMMY for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration in 2012.

What makes Rihanna's collaborations stand out is her ability to match other artists without fading into the background. Whether she's leading the track or featured on it, she brings the same confidence and distinct sound every time. She knows how to choose the right partners (ones whose styles blend with hers) while staying true to what makes her voice and presence unmistakably Rihanna. 

Rihanna owns her own record label, Westbury Road, and takes an active role in production and creative decision-making. Rihanna's 2016 album Anti marked a shift across styles, from R&B to rock and hip-hop, without losing focus. That wasn't new for her, though. Throughout her career, she's worked elements of rock, EDM, dancehall, trap, and even dubstep into her music.

The result is a sound that doesn't fit neatly into one box but always sounds like her. She's brought Black women's stories into the spotlight while keeping a strong grip on her creative freedom.

Her sense of collaboration isn't limited to music, either. She's partnered with brands such as Puma, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Armani, Balmain, and Gucci. She's helping shape the modern fashion world just as much as the pop charts.

Rihanna changed how we think about music partnerships. Her work helped set the tone for how artists mix genres and styles today. Seven of her singles have earned Diamond status from the RIAA, each moving more than 10 million units in the U.S. “We Found Love” and “Stay” have gone even further, reaching 11x Platinum.

Her Super Bowl LVII halftime show broke records, too. More than 121 million people watched it live, making it one of the most-viewed halftime performances in history.

Take a dive into her catalog, and you'll see how Rihanna has helped shape the sound of modern pop. Her collaborations, whether with rappers, DJs, or rock bands, continue to influence the industry and expand what it means to be a pop star on a global scale.