In a rare and deeply personal reflection, Rihanna has opened up about her profound respect for Eminem, calling him “a complex and powerful artist” whose raw emotional output is both a gift and a lifeline. Speaking during a wide-ranging interview at her Fenty Beauty headquarters in Hollywood on October 25, 2025, the 37-year-old Barbadian icon didn’t hold back on what makes the Detroit rapper one of her all-time favorites—and why she believes music may have saved his life.

“I feel lucky for him that he has music,” Rihanna said, her voice soft but emphatic. “He has so much in his head, and music is such a great release for him. Without it? I don’t know where all that would go.” The comment, made while promoting her long-awaited ninth studio album R9—set for a surprise drop in early 2026—has reignited fascination with the duo’s historic collaborations, particularly their 2010 smash “Love the Way You Lie,” which dominated charts for months and earned a Grammy nomination for Song of the Year.

Rihanna, whose real name is Robyn Fenty, first crossed paths with Eminem—born Marshall Mathers—in 2009 during the recording of “Love the Way You Lie Part II” for her album Loud. What began as a studio session evolved into a creative kinship that produced two of the decade’s most visceral hits. The original track, featuring Rihanna’s haunting vocals over Eminem’s explosive verses about toxic love, abuse, and redemption, spent seven weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Its sequel, led by Rihanna, offered a female perspective on the same fractured relationship, adding layers of empathy and rage that resonated globally.

But beyond the stats, Rihanna sees something deeper in Eminem’s artistry. “It’s not just talent,” she explained, leaning forward in a sleek white chair surrounded by mood boards for her upcoming Savage X Fenty show. “It’s the way he channels every emotion, every pain, every thought into his music. Most people bottle it up or let it destroy them. He turns it into something powerful—something that makes millions feel seen.” She paused, then added with a knowing smile, “That’s rare. That’s genius.”

The admiration is mutual. Eminem has repeatedly credited Rihanna with bringing authenticity to their joint tracks. In a 2010 Rolling Stone cover story, he called her “the perfect voice for the pain” in “Love the Way You Lie,” noting that her own experiences with domestic turmoil—most notably her 2009 assault by then-boyfriend Chris Brown—gave the song an unshakable truth. “She didn’t just sing it,” he said. “She lived it. That’s why it hit so hard.”

Their bond goes beyond the booth. Despite wildly different upbringings—Rihanna rising from Barbados’ tropical shores to global pop domination, Eminem clawing out of Detroit’s trailer parks through battle rap and addiction—the two found common ground in survival. Both have spoken openly about trauma: Rihanna on reclaiming her narrative post-assault, Eminem on his battles with substance abuse, poverty, and mental health. “We don’t talk every day,” Rihanna clarified, “but when we do, it’s real. No filters. Just two people who’ve been through hell and came out creating.”

That connection was on full display during their joint performance of “Love the Way You Lie” at the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards. Rihanna, in a red floral dress, delivered the chorus with tear-streaked intensity while Eminem prowled the stage like a caged animal finally set free. The raw chemistry stunned audiences and critics alike, with The New York Times calling it “a collision of vulnerability and fury that redefined duet performances.”

Rihanna’s latest praise comes at a pivotal moment for both artists. Eminem, now 53, released his 12th studio album The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce) in July 2024 to mixed but passionate reviews. The concept record, which symbolically kills off his alter ego Slim Shady, grapples with legacy, cancel culture, and aging in hip-hop. Tracks like “Houdini” and “Tobey” featuring Big Sean and BabyTron topped streaming charts, proving his relevance endures. Yet beneath the bravado, Eminem has been candid about ongoing sobriety—21 years clean as of 2025—and the role music plays in keeping his demons at bay.

“I’ve said it before: rap saved my life,” Eminem told XXL in a 2024 cover story. “But having someone like Ri understand that? That’s different. She gets the weight.” He even nodded to Rihanna in the Death of Slim Shady track “Temporary,” a letter to his daughter Hailie, where he raps, “Voices in my head / But the music keeps ‘em fed / Like Ri said, I’m lucky I can bleed on the page.”

For Rihanna, Eminem represents the kind of unapologetic honesty she’s always championed in her own work. From Good Girl Gone Bad’s defiance to Anti’s genre-bending introspection, she’s built a career on refusing to be boxed in. “Marshall doesn’t care what anyone thinks,” she said. “He says the ugly, the funny, the terrifying—and somehow makes it beautiful. That’s storytelling at its purest.”

Their last collaboration, 2013’s “The Monster,” explored fame’s psychological toll—Eminem battling inner voices, Rihanna confronting the cost of stardom. It debuted at No. 1 and won a Grammy for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. Though no new joint tracks are confirmed, insiders say Rihanna reached out to Eminem earlier this year about a potential R9 feature. “Nothing’s locked,” a source close to her team told Variety, “but the respect is there. If the song feels right, it’ll happen.”

Fans are already clamoring. On X, the hashtag #RihannaOnEminem trended worldwide within hours of her interview clip surfacing. “Ri calling Em a ‘complex and powerful artist’ is the validation we all needed,” one user wrote. Another posted a side-by-side of their VMAs performance: “Two survivors who turned pain into platinum. Icons only.”

Rihanna’s comments also strike a chord amid broader conversations about mental health in music. With artists like Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar, and Taylor Swift increasingly open about therapy and burnout, Eminem’s decades-long transparency feels prophetic. “He was talking about addiction and depression when it wasn’t cool,” Rihanna noted. “Now everyone’s catching up.”

As she preps R9—rumored to blend dancehall, R&B, and trap with features from Burna Boy, Metro Boomin, and possibly A$AP Rocky, her partner and father of her two sons—Rihanna says Eminem’s influence lingers. “I’m not trying to out-rap him,” she laughed, “but I want that same fearlessness. Say what hurts. Say what heals. Let it bleed.”

For Eminem, the feeling is reciprocal. In a rare Instagram post last month, he shared a throwback photo from the “Love the Way You Lie” video shoot, captioning it: “Still one of the realest voices I’ve ever worked with. @badgalriri.” The post garnered 3 million likes in a day.

In an era of manufactured personas and algorithm-driven hits, Rihanna’s tribute cuts through the noise. Eminem isn’t just a collaborator to her—he’s a case study in artistic survival. “Music didn’t just make him famous,” she concluded. “It kept him alive. And the world’s better for it.”

With R9 on the horizon and Eminem teasing a potential deluxe edition of The Death of Slim Shady, the possibility of another chapter in their story hangs in the air. But even if no new song drops, their legacy—two voices, one raw truth—already echoes louder than any chart.