Pon de Replay: The essential Rihanna playlist

The world was introduced to Rihanna when she released her 2005 debut single, “Pon de Replay.” It was the perfect debut for the Bajan singer to showcase her island roots with elements of reggae and dancehall, a proper song to keep anyone on the dance floor. The song peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 1 on the Dance Club Songs charts, respectively.

By the time Rihanna released her 2006 single “Unfaithful,” fans were used to the singer delivering dance-heavy tracks. Fellow R&B singer Ne-Yo wrote “Unfaithful” and gave Rihanna a different sound with more of a pop ballad edge. In the song, Rihanna is struggling to deal with the repercussions of being in a love triangle.

In 2007, Rihanna released her third album Good Girl Gone Bad, and stepped out with an edgier and sexier image. The album’s lead single is the Jay-Z-assisted “Umbrella” written by Tricky Stewart and The-Dream. The song earned Rihanna and Jay-Z a Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.

A year after releasing her debut album, Rihanna returned with her sophomore effort, A Girl Like Me. The album’s lead single, “SOS” earned the singer her first No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The dance-heavy track has Rihanna realizing that she’s falling in love and feels like someone should save her from feeling that way.

In the early 2000s, Sean Paul was becoming a dominant star in the dancehall world. So it was only right that Paul teamed up with his fellow Caribbean star Rihanna on her single “Break It Off.” If Rihanna ever decides to do a complete dancehall album, she should definitely collaborate with Paul again. 

"Go hard or go home," is the famous Jeezy line on “Hard,” Rihanna's second single from her album Rated R. The bass-heavy and piano chord-driven track along with Jeezy's feature helped Rihanna appeal more to hip-hop fans.

Before DJ Khaled had the chance to work with Rihanna, he mentioned that it was always a dream collaboration for him. Well, he fulfilled that dream when Rihanna and Bryson Tiller were featured on Khaled’s track, “Wild Thoughts.” The song’s sample of Santana’s, “Maria, Maria,” fits the sexy song perfectly as Rihanna and Tiller trade verses about their sexual thoughts.

Rihanna was no stranger to releasing music that would keep fans moving, she did just that when she dropped her electric single, “Don’t Stop the Music.” The song sampled Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” which was the icing on the cake to the dance-heavy track.

In the 2000s, R&B singer Ne-Yo was writing a number of love and heartbreak songs for female artists. Ne-Yo alongside StarGate penned the hit song “Take a Bow,” a song in which RiRi is confronting her man for being unfaithful in their relationship. The song went to number one on several Billboard charts.

One of the standout singles from Rihanna’s critically-acclaimed album Rated R is the Stargate-produced “Rude Boy.” For fans who fell in love with Rihanna’s debut singles, “Rude Boy” embodies the same reggae and dancehall elements that are true to her artistry.

When Rihanna and Drake released their hit collaboration “What’s My Name?” it was the beginning of a musical marriage between the two artists. As the song suggests, they’re both trying to find someone that could please them, so it was only right that the two played love interests in the video. "What's My Name?" helped Drake earn his first No. 1 hit.

Although “Rehab” wasn’t as successful on the charts as previous singles from Good Girl Gone Bad, the track remains a standout for fans. Behind the boards and pens were Justin Timberlake and Timbaland, which is the main reason why the production is similar to something that could’ve been heard on JT’s FutureSex/LoveSounds album.

In an unlikely collaboration, Rihanna, Kanye West, and Paul McCartney released their single “FourFiveSeconds” in 2015. The guitar-driven production is simple alongside Rihanna and Kanye trading verses about people treating them wrong.  

By the time Rihanna released her fourth album Rated R in 2009, she was proving how she could elevate her sound with each album release. Working with Chuck Harmony and Ne-Yo as the masterminds for the lead single “Russian Roulette,” gave a dark and moody appeal about leaving a toxic relationship.

Rihanna is in her true element on her single “Man Down.” It’s a full-blown reggae song about shooting a man and later regretting her actions.

By the time Rihanna released her 2012 album Unapologetic, trap was emerging as a popular hip-hop sound. It was only right that she worked with producer Mike WiLL Made It on her single “Pour It Up.” The song highlights what it means to brag about one's status and ball out.

When Rihanna released her single “S&M,” it was met with praise and controversial criticism. Although the song gives a pop feel thanks to the EDM production, some critics weren’t too thrilled with the song lyrics about sadomasochism, bondage, and sexual fetishes. Some countries decided to ban the music video for its overtly sexual content. Regardless of the criticism, the song was a No. 1 hit. 

Eminem and Rihanna have collaborated on a couple of occasions. This time, Eminem adds Rihanna to his single “Love The Way You Lie,” in which both artists find themselves reflecting on past relationships. 

Rihanna’s collaborations with Tricky Stewart and The-Dream helped push the singer's take on different genres to elevate her artistry. It was evident on her single “Rockstar 101,” which saw RiRi stepping into grunge and punk rock territory. It was only right to have the Guns N’ Roses legendary guitarist Slash put his own twist to it.

After a four year-hiatus, Rihanna released her eighth studio album ANTI. The album’s lead single is the Drake-assisted “Work,” which became a smash hit on radio airwaves thanks to the reggae and dancehall elements. Unlike their first collaboration, Drake is singing instead of rapping alongside RiRi.

A collaboration with Rihanna and Jay-Z is always a perfect match, it was only right for Hov to join the singer on her track, “Talk That Talk.” The song became a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 2010, Rihanna released her fifth album Loud and pushed her image further by sporting a fiery red hairstyle. It was kind of hard to escape her lead single “Only Girl (In The World),” as it became a radio favorite. A single laden with EDM elements pushed it to be a club anthem, earning the Grammy win for Best Dance Recording. She just wants to feel like the only girl in the world, can you blame her?

Although it wasn’t a single, Rihanna’s “Same Ol’ Mistakes” is a standout track from ANTI. Originally a cover by Tame Impala known as “New Person, Same Old Mistakes,” the song sounds like it was made for RiRi’s voice.

For any listeners who need the perfect party-drinking song, then Rihanna’s “Cheers (Drink to That)” should always be in rotation. So pour up a glass and join RiRi in saying, “Don’t let the bastarđs get you down / Turn it around with another round.”

In this world, people should seek out others that they can trust, loyalty isn’t always easy to come by. Kendrick Lamar and Rihanna have been let down by people in the past and all they want is authenticity and support. "Loyalty" is one of the standout tracks on Lamar's album DAMN.

“Didn’t they tell you that I was a savage,” is the famous line from Rihanna’s single, “Needed Me.” The female empowerment anthem for fellow savages became a top ten on the Billboard Hot 100.

In 2012, Rihanna released her sixth album Talk That Talk. The album’s lead single is the Calvin Harris-produced “We Found Love.” The EDM-driven song about finding love in a hopeless place became the longest-running #1 single of the year—by topping the charts for ten straight weeks.

“Love on the Brain” is a doo-wop ballad that showcases Rihanna stepping into a different genre that her day one fans weren't always used to hearing. The song showcases Rihanna detailing the highs and lows of a relationship.

Rihanna’s love for EDM was evident when she released her single, “Right Now.” The David Guetta-produced track peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.

In 2012, Rihanna released her seventh studio album Unapologetic. Rihanna collaborated with Sia, Benny Blanco, and StarGate on the album’s lead single, “Diamonds.” On the track, it seems like Rihanna has found a love that she deems could shine bright in the future.  

All is right in the world when the Roc Nation trifecta of Jay-Z, Kanye West, and Rihanna come together. “Run This Town” is a superb collaboration from three of the biggest artists in the world, that eventually won Grammy awards for Best Rap Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration.