Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century Podcast: Rihanna (No. 3)

On today’s (Nov. 20) episode of the Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century podcast, we reach No. 3 on our list with a pop super-duperstar who shined bright for 13 years of absolute pop world command, before ducking out to tend to her business and empire for most of the past decade. (Read our No. 3 Greatest Pop Star essay about Rihanna here.)

Host Andrew Unterberger is joined by Billboard staff writer Kyle Denis and senior branded content producer/writer Walaa Elsiddig to remember the dazzling career of Robyn Rihanna Fenty. We discuss both the absurd chart numbers and more intangible factors that made Rihanna loom large over all of 21st century pop stardom, and debate her ranking alongside our No. 4 Greatest Pop Star Drake — where Rih might not have the same level of statistical accomplishments as her frequent co-star but always dominated their one-on-one matchup.

We also discuss how Rihanna shed early one-hit wonder (or two-hit wonder) worries to become a no-doubt A-lister, and how the assault from her superstar then-boyfriend (and the wildly unfair and inappropriate media coverage of the incident) cruelly interrupted what was one of the most incredible rises of the ’00s. Then, we explain how she elevated from hitmaker to global icon over the course of the 2010s, before essentially going out on top with a no-doubt classic album that sounds even better in 2024 than it did back in 2016. Finally, we remember some great moments in Rihanna Social Media Clapback History, share memories of saucy Bad Gal lyrics getting us in trouble, and attempt some impromptu (and off-key) Rih-Yo duet recreations.

Check it out above, get acquainted with our past episodes here, and be sure to subscribe to Billboard‘s Greatest Pop Stars of the 21st Century series wherever you get your podcasts! (New episodes will be revealed every Wednesday, following the Tuesday publishing of our Greatest Pop Star for that week, up to the unveiling of our No. 1 on Dec. 3.)