Eminem Teamed Up with Rihanna on ‘The Monster’ Because People Think She’s ‘Nuts’.

On one level, Eminem and Rihanna’s “The Monster” might seem like another pop-rap song for the radio.

However, Eminem seemed to say the track was partly inspired by Rihanna’s public image.

The track definitely wasn’t the duo’s most personal collaboration.

While Eminem is considered one of the most important rappers of all time, he has repeatedly worked with pop stars such as Bruno Mars, Pink, and Beyoncé. Rihanna had a bigger impact on Eminem’s career than any of those stars combined. After scoring a big hit together in 2010 with “Love the Way You Lie,” the two stars collaborated on the album tracks “Love the Way You Lie (Part II)” and “Numb.” In 2013, they repeated the formula with a song about the perils of fame called “The Monster.”

During a 2013 interview with MTV News, Slim Shady explained why he felt it was a good idea to work with the “Take a Bow” singer. “The perception of the record, what it’s saying, I thought it would be a good idea to have her on it because I think people look at us like we’re both a little nuts,” he said. “That’s one of the things that I was telling her in making the record: I think that people look at us a little crazy.”