With a career spanning 16 years, it’s safe to say Destiny’s Child has seen their fair share of Pop upstarts come and go all too quickly. However, more so than any of the newbies they’ve watched rise from beneath their shadows comes ‘Pon De Replay‘ belle Rihanna, signed and launched by Beyonce‘s very own husband, Jay Z in 2005.
Indeed, so fast has Rihanna’s ascent to the top been, that it’s hard to believe that she once paid tribute to the multi-platinum trio in her launch year, joining Teairra Mari and Amerie to honor them at the 2005 ‘World Music Awards‘.
Take a trip down memory lane with us below…
A unique way of paying respect to DC while carving out the path for her own legacy, who could have imagined that the 17 year old starlet above would go on to become just as ‘popular’ as those she paid homage to in the years that followed.
Of course, while this popularity has only ever ridden on the waves of strong material and her personality, one does have to wonder how different the world of Pop would be had she suffered the same fate as Mari, who was dropped within a year of being picked up by the same entity.
Though it’s a question we’ll never know the answer to, it’s definitely one worth asking- especially considering what Rihanna‘s rise has meant for the likes of Beyonce on a competitive front- despite their ‘varying’ levels of talent.