Britney Spears: Umbrella

Songwriters Terius "The Dream" Nash and Christopher "Tricky" Stewart explicitly wrote the 2007 smash Umbrella for Britney Spears, feeling it matched her pop energy at the time. The track was officially pitched to Britney's management team, but they summarily passed on it, claiming her album tracklist was already full. It was subsequently passed to Mary J. Blige before finding a home with Rihanna, instantly launching her into vanguard superstardom.