Pon de Replay

Here we go.

Rihanna revealed she's sitting on enough unreleased m- uh, music to potentially fill 170 songs, but what was Rihanna's very first number one single on the Billboard Hot 100? Um, was it that Pon de Replay song? Idina Menzel is making an appearance at a New York City Comic Con.

Before voicing Elsa in Frozen, Idina Menzel or- originated which green Broadway character? Elphaba.

Jennifer Lawrence is in the news after apologizing to Kim Kardashian for calling her annoying.

Okay.

Rihanna revealed she's sitting on enough unreleased music to potentially fill 170 songs, but what was her very first number one single on the Billboard Hot 100?

Pon de Replay.

Idina Menzel is making appearances at New York Comic Con.

Rihanna was 17.

She was, uh, launching "Pon de Replay" back then.

Basically an unknown person out of Barbados, and she was on Jay-Z's record album.

And, and so Jay-Z wanted to bring her into America, show off her talents, and so they had planted this whole she was, uh, having an affair with Jay-Z, and that instantly, that narrative spread throughout Hollywood, throughout the world very quickly because he was already with Beyoncé at that time.

So years and years later, um, I wanna say it was Jay-Z's lawyer had kind of fessed up and saying, "Hey, this was just a desperate way for us to get attention on someone who was completely unknown," and it was, uh, a whole 100% fabricated.

That they also did say that like I, I think Rihanna's attorney had said that Rihanna didn't know that this was a fabricated story.

But all just to get press for "Pon de Replay" for her, and it completely worked out because that song became a huge hit.

This, uh, rumor generated enormous attention.

Like, you always sorta knew, "Oh, that's a song that's gonna hit at midnight.

It's gonna t- you know, everybody's gonna head to the dance floor." And a co- uh, you know, along comes this song Pon de Replay, which was by an artist that we hadn't heard of.

This is around 2005.

And that summer, I wanna say it was pretty much the unexpected hit of the summer.

[laughs]

It happens, y- if you get there second.

So "Pon de Replay" comes out, and the reason "Pon de Replay" is released as a single is when she gets over to the States, uh, there are a lot of people who wanna meet with her, and one of those people that she auditions for is Jay-Z.

Jay-Z brings her into his office.