For most musicians, collaborating with Rihanna would be seen as a dream, considering that she is one of the most successful and beloved artists of the millennium. That said, Shaggy isn’t exactly busting down doors to get in the room with her. In fact, he said in a recent interview that he was asked to work with Rihanna on her new dancehall-inspired album, but he turned down the opportunity.
Speaking with the UK’s Daily Star newspaper, Shaggy revealed that he said no to the chance to work with Rihanna because he didn’t want to audition for it, saying, “They approached me for the Rihanna project, yeah. There’s a lot of great people involved, but for me, I didn’t need to audition to be on the record. I’ll leave that to younger guys. But from what I hear, it should be good.”
Shaggy also said that Rihanna’s move into dancehall will be a positive for the genre, saying, “It’s healthy competition. Dancehall is in good place but we need as many people to do this art form as possible. When it crosses over and becomes popular with artists from other genres and other cultures, that can only be good.”
Even if Shaggy were to have a change of heart about guesting on the upcoming Rihanna record, it may be too late for him, as Rihanna seemed to hint recently that the album is finished.
