A Guide To New York Hip-Hop: Unpacking The Sound Of Rap’s Birthplace From The Bronx To Staten Island

A chance meeting changed Rihanna‘s life. The singer was just 15 years old when she met producer Evan Rogers, who was vacationing with his wife in Barbados. Rogers recognized Rihanna’s potential, and invited her to an audition in his hotel suite.  Shortly after her 16th birthday, Rihanna left her home country for the U.S. to record a demo, which included her breakthrough hit “Pon de Replay.” The demo found its way into Jay-Z‘s hands, and Hov signed the teen artist to Def Jam and the label expedited her 2005 debut album, aptly titled Music of the Sun. “When I left Barbados, I didn’t look back,” Rihanna told Entertainment Weekly in 2007. “I wanted to do what I had to do [to succeed], even if it meant moving to America.”  Twenty years later, Rihanna is a renowned entertainer-turned-mogul. She has sold over 40 million albums worldwide, garnered over 12 billion Spotify streams, achieved 14 Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers, and won nine GRAMMY Awards. Even her business ventures have been a massive success, as her Fenty Beauty brand is worth $2.8 billion. Though it’s been close to a decade since Rihanna’s last studio album, 2016’s ANTI, she reminded the world of her...