( The manager of Kranium and Chronixx declined to comment on his artists’ involvement.) According to one producer with knowledge of the album’s process, the mainstream Top 40 machine has been represented at some Rihanna sessions by superstar electronic producer Skrillex and Boi-1da (Drake, Beyonc é and Jay-Z). City (Rihanna, Beyonc é), Stephen “Di Genius” McGregor (Vybz Kartel, Sean Paul), Linton “TJ Records” White (Serani, Vybz Kartel), producer-singer Ricky Blaze (Gyptian), Tyshane “Beam” Thompson (Yo Gotti, Lecrae), dancehall singer Kranium and reggae singer Chronixx. (While Supa Dups did not respond to email requests for comment, two other sources with knowledge of Rihanna’s album confirmed the producer’s involvement.)Īlong with Supa Dups, most of the biggest producers and singers connected to dancehall and reggae have submitted material for the album, including producer-writer duo R.

The magazine suggested that Supa Dups, the veteran dancehall producer behind recent hits like Drake’s “Controlla,” was “one influence” on the album, though other details were scarce.

Rihanna first mentioned the possibility of releasing a reggae-centric album publicly during a Vogue profile for the June issue, but her and her potential collaborators have been quiet ever since. In addition, two of those sources suggest that the singer is simultaneously at work on another pop-oriented album. For more than a year, Rihanna and her label Roc Nation have been hunting for beats as they work to complete an album devoted to exploring the singer’s Caribbean roots, according to conversations with eight sources close to the project.

Rihanna dubplate