Did Mary J. Blige regret passing up on "Umbrella" after seeing Rihanna perform the chart-topping hit during her Super Bowl halftime show performance?
The 52-year-old hip-hop superstar dished out all the facts during her new BET show, "The Wine Down."
Instead of feeling remorseful about swiping left to arguably one of the most iconic songs of the early 2000s, Blige explained that it was for the best.
"It wasn't for me - it was for her," she simply remarked about the matter.
This is not the first time Blige has opened up about the missed opportunity, however.
Several years back, she noted another reason why she had to turn down recording the song, "It was during Grammy time for me, it was a big Grammy time."
"I was nominated for eight Grammys and I was trying to get myself together for that," Blige explained.
"And during that time, that's when 'Umbrella' came to me and I couldn't do anything with it because I was so busy with my own life and I was like, you know what? It doesn't even sound like me anyway."
'Umbrella'
"Umbrella" is one of the songs that is most associated with Rihanna nowadays, along with "We Found Love," "Work," "Only Girl (In the World)," "Disturbia," "Bitch Better Have My Money," and "Take a Bow."
According to reports, after performing the fan-favorite hit song during her Super Bowl halftime show appearance, the song returned to the music charts, peaking at No. 37 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Even Blige herself saw how much the song suited Rihanna's vocals and personality over her own.
"No, because everything about that song was so tailor-made for Rihanna and nothing about that song was Mary J. Blige," she continued.
Apparently, despite "Umbrella" being a successful single today, the song's writer revealed that it was originally written for Britney Spears.
"I watched myself walk in and write that record. The record was written for Britney Spears," The Dream said.
He also recalled how Rihanna boldly declared that she would record the song, "She walked up to my manager and said 'that's my fucking record'."
Blige may have passed up on one of the most iconic songs released in the early 2000s, but she has managed to release other chart-topping songs of her own.
She is a recipient of nine Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award for her Super Bowl halftime show performance; as well as twelve Billboard Music Awards, and four American Music Awards.
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