WHILE recording her new album, ANTI, Rihanna secretly travelled to Jamaica to hunt down some Dancehall material for the project. Last week, she released her new single, “Work”, featuring Drake that sampled a two-decades-old riddim named “Sail Away”.
The Drake-assisted single was released on January 27, along with the album, ANTI. The single was produced by Sevn Thomas, Partynextdoor, and Jamaican-Canadian producer, Boi-1da.
Richie Stephens, who is the creator of the “Sail Away” riddim, was listed as a co-writer for the single.
“They contacted me last week Tuesday, and asked if I was the producer and owner of the master, and I told them yes,” Stephens said. “They said they would appreciate if I could move fast in assisting with the clearing of the sample, because they wanted to release the song. So I put them on to my publisher.”
The “Sail Away” riddim was a huge hit in 1998, with singles such as “Bad Man Nah Flee” by Beenie Man and Mr. Vegas; “Fit and Legit” by Sean Paul; and “Take Me Away” by Richie Stephens.
The project also featured songs from Gentleman, Nitty Kutchie, Tony Curtis, T.O.K., Frisco Kid, Chico, Roundhead, and more. (urbanislandz.com)