There’s a story behind everything. $1.4 billion rich icon Rihanna has a cool story behind one of her most popular songs. During the latest episode of the ‘All the Smoke’ podcast, Interscope Records producer Mike WiLL Made-It shed light on the decade-old song. It left a former Golden State Warriors star in sheer awe of  the Barbadian singer.

During the conversation, 2017 NBA champion Matt Barnes asked the producer about his thoughts on his first collaboration with the songwriter and music sensation Rihanna. Recounting the fascinating incident, Mike Will shared how songwriter and dancer Chris Brown became the bridge between the two.

During a studio session with the producer, Brown allegedly told him that Rihanna should hear his beats. One that stood out had come from Will’s friend, JBo. After hearing it in the session, Chris Brown decided to link Mike Will to RiRi.

“Next thing you know, Rihanna called the next day. Called Omar and was like, ‘Yo, what’s the song Chris talking about that Mike Will got?’…Next thing you know, boom, she hears ‘Pour It Up’, she cuts that sh*t last minute for the album.” 

Rihanna’s hit response, ‘Pour it Up’

Rihanna was captivated upon hearing the beat and soon they hopped on to create what became ‘Pour It Up.’ The track would become the 7th song on her 12th studio album, ‘Unapologetic’. The Def Jam release would achieve 3x platinum certification and earn the 2014 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Album.

It was also somewhat a response song to Juicy J’s “Bandz a Make Her Dance,” where she rocked her rapping skills. This was more of a feminine twist on the strip club anthem. Much like her other rap track, “Runway,” from Unapologetic, “Pour It In” also embraces the vibes of Mafioso hip-hop.

The song received mixed reviews, some considered it a highlight on the album, while others found it somewhat out of place. Despite this, it peaked at number 19 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart after debuting at 90.