# Needed Me
**"Needed Me"** is a song by the Barbadian singer Rihanna from the deluxe edition of her eighth studio album, *[Anti](https://www.edgepedia.org/anti-album)*, released on January 28, 2016.[1](https://music.apple.com/us/song/needed-me/1440934096) Produced by DJ Mustard[2](https://www.songcontext.com/songs/needed-me) and written by ten credited songwriters including Starrah and [Frank Dukes](https://www.edgepedia.org/frank-dukes),[3](https://www.allmusic.com/song/needed-me-mt0052832412) it became one of the album's most durable hits, peaking at No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and reaching No. 1 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[4](https://www.billboard.com/pro/ask-billboard-rihannas-quirky-record-in-the-hot-100s-top-10-with/) • [5](https://www.billboard.com/pro/rihanna-needed-me-number-1-hot-rb-hip-hop-songs-chart/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Artist and album | Rihanna, *ANTI (Deluxe)*, released January 28, 2016[1](https://music.apple.com/us/song/needed-me/1440934096) |
| Writers | Ten credited composers: Nicholas Audino, Adam Feeney, Robyn Fenty, Brittany Hazzard, Charles Hinshaw, Lewis Hughes, Dijon McFarlane, Derrus Rachel, Khaled Rohaim, and Te Whiti Warbrick[3](https://www.allmusic.com/song/needed-me-mt0052832412) |
| Production | DJ Mustard supplied the choppy instrumentation, assisted by the Australian duo Twice As Nice, producer Frank Dukes, and vocal producer Kuk Harrell[6](https://www.songfacts.com/facts/rihanna/needed-me) |
| Musical profile | Key of G#, 111 BPM, 3:11 album duration[7](https://app.chartmetric.com/track/13795090) |
| Hot 100 | Peaked at No. 7; 16 weeks in the top ten, a record for a song that never reached the top five; later Rihanna's longest-charting Hot 100 song[4](https://www.billboard.com/pro/ask-billboard-rihannas-quirky-record-in-the-hot-100s-top-10-with/) • [6](https://www.songfacts.com/facts/rihanna/needed-me) |
| Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs | No. 1 on the September 24, 2016 chart, Rihanna's sixth title there, after a 32-week climb[5](https://www.billboard.com/pro/rihanna-needed-me-number-1-hot-rb-hip-hop-songs-chart/) |
| Music video | Directed by Harmony Korine, posted April 20, 2016[6](https://www.songfacts.com/facts/rihanna/needed-me) • [8](https://www.rihannanow.com/video/needed-me/) |
| Streaming | 2,001,286,965 plays on Spotify as of an October 2026 retrieval[9](https://open.spotify.com/track/15j6coerqaSkdYCJtXroHc) |
## Background and recording
DJ Mustard revealed in September 2014 that he had worked with Rihanna on a song for her eighth studio album, *Anti*.[2](https://www.songcontext.com/songs/needed-me) "Needed Me" was one of the final songs he worked on in a fifty-song effort to place material on the album, and he nearly skipped the session that produced it: "I was at the studio and I was like 'I don't want to go, I don't feel like going, I've done so many songs, she's not going to like it'... The next day they told me she liked it."[2](https://www.songcontext.com/songs/needed-me)
**Production roles.** Mustard supplied the song's choppy instrumentation, assisted by the Australian production duo Twice As Nice, the producer Frank Dukes, and vocal producer Kuk Harrell.[6](https://www.songfacts.com/facts/rihanna/needed-me) AllMusic credits ten composers: Nicholas Audino, Adam Feeney, Robyn Fenty (Rihanna), Brittany Hazzard, Charles Hinshaw, Lewis Hughes, Dijon McFarlane, Derrus Rachel, Khaled Rohaim, and Te Whiti Warbrick.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/song/needed-me-mt0052832412) MusicFactsDB maps these names to the writers' better-known identities: Audino records as Nick Valentino, Hinshaw as Prince Charlez, Feeney as Frank Dukes, Hazzard as Starrah, Hughes as Lewis One, and McFarlane as [Mustard](https://www.edgepedia.org/mustard-record-producer), formerly DJ Mustard.[10](https://musicfactsdb.com/Work/Index/13073436)
Starrah, a co-writer of the song, told Billboard that the lyrics were pulled directly from her own romantic history; her other credits include [Nicki Minaj](https://www.edgepedia.org/nicki-minaj)'s "No Frauds," Drake's "Fake Love," and [Big Sean](https://www.edgepedia.org/big-sean)'s "No Favors."[6](https://www.songfacts.com/facts/rihanna/needed-me)
## Composition and production
Chartmetric lists the song in the key of G# at a tempo of 111 BPM, with a duration of 3:11 on the album.[7](https://app.chartmetric.com/track/13795090) AllMusic's listing for the single release gives a longer 4:24 version.[3](https://www.allmusic.com/song/needed-me-mt0052832412) The processed vocal heard at the beginning of the track is Mustard's producer tag, "Mustard on the beat, ho."[6](https://www.songfacts.com/facts/rihanna/needed-me)
**The lyric.** The song is a kiss-off: Rihanna addresses an ex who remains obsessively in love with her, scolds him for his feelings, and makes clear that the fling was purely physical.[6](https://www.songfacts.com/facts/rihanna/needed-me) Songcontext summarizes the lyrics as addressing being rejected romantically.[2](https://www.songcontext.com/songs/needed-me)
## Release
Apple Music places "Needed Me" on *ANTI (Deluxe)* with a release date of January 28, 2016.[1](https://music.apple.com/us/song/needed-me/1440934096) Chartmetric records the label as [Roc Nation](https://www.edgepedia.org/roc-nation) / Rihanna, and Songcontext lists Roc Nation and Westbury Road.[7](https://app.chartmetric.com/track/13795090) • [2](https://www.songcontext.com/songs/needed-me) Rihanna's official [SoundCloud](https://www.edgepedia.org/soundcloud) published the song's audio on March 29, 2016.[11](https://soundcloud.com/rihanna/needed-me-1)
A remix package followed. AllMusic dates a remix release to March 30, 2016, with a total duration of 19:17, comprising the R3hab remix (3:19), the Salva remix (4:00), the W&W remix (3:25), the ATTLAS remix (4:24), and a Cosmic Dawn Club Mix, all credited to the same ten writers.[12](https://www.allmusic.com/album/needed-me-mw0002946129) MusicFactsDB instead dates the R3hab, Salva, W&W, and ATTLAS remixes to June 1, 2016, with a "Remix Part 2" on June 26, 2016, and gives slightly different durations for the individual remixes; the two databases disagree on both the date and the timings.[10](https://musicfactsdb.com/Work/Index/13073436) The music video was posted on April 20, 2016.[8](https://www.rihannanow.com/video/needed-me/) • [13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfN4PVaOU5Q)
## Commercial performance
On the Billboard Hot 100 the song peaked at No. 7, with its peak date listed as July 2, 2016.[4](https://www.billboard.com/pro/ask-billboard-rihannas-quirky-record-in-the-hot-100s-top-10-with/) It spent 16 weeks in the top ten, which set a record: no song had previously totaled more weeks in the top ten without reaching the top five. It passed [Kelly Clarkson](https://www.edgepedia.org/kelly-clarkson)'s "Behind These Hazel Eyes," which peaked at [No. 6](https://www.edgepedia.org/no-6) and spent 15 weeks in the top ten in 2005.[4](https://www.billboard.com/pro/ask-billboard-rihannas-quirky-record-in-the-hot-100s-top-10-with/) The song became Rihanna's 29th top-ten single on the Hot 100 and, later, her longest-charting hit there: in its 42nd week on the list it rebounded from No. 34 to No. 32, overtaking the 41-week run of "We Found Love."[2](https://www.songcontext.com/songs/needed-me) • [6](https://www.songfacts.com/facts/rihanna/needed-me) Songfacts records a United Kingdom peak of No. 38.[6](https://www.songfacts.com/facts/rihanna/needed-me)
**Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.** The song rose 2-1 to No. 1 on the chart dated September 24, 2016, becoming Rihanna's sixth No. 1 on [Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs](https://www.edgepedia.org/hot-r-and-b-hip-hop-songs).[5](https://www.billboard.com/pro/rihanna-needed-me-number-1-hot-rb-hip-hop-songs-chart/) It displaced Drake's "One Dance," featuring WizKid and Kyla, from a record 18-week run at the top, after itself spending eight weeks at No. 2, a runner-up stay that tied the mark set by [John Legend](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-legend)'s "All of Me" (2014) and Usher's "There Goes My Baby" (2010).[5](https://www.billboard.com/pro/rihanna-needed-me-number-1-hot-rb-hip-hop-songs-chart/) • [4](https://www.billboard.com/pro/ask-billboard-rihannas-quirky-record-in-the-hot-100s-top-10-with/) Its 32-week climb to the summit was Rihanna's longest trip to No. 1 and the third-longest of any leader in the chart's history.[5](https://www.billboard.com/pro/rihanna-needed-me-number-1-hot-rb-hip-hop-songs-chart/) In the week ending September 8, 2016, it logged 4.1 million US streams (41 percent from Spotify and 35 percent from YouTube), 27,000 downloads, and 80.6 million in radio audience.[5](https://www.billboard.com/pro/rihanna-needed-me-number-1-hot-rb-hip-hop-songs-chart/)
It was the second track from *Anti* to top Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs in 2016, after "Work" featuring Drake, which led for 11 weeks beginning with the February 13 chart; it was the first time Rihanna placed two songs from the same album atop that chart.[5](https://www.billboard.com/pro/rihanna-needed-me-number-1-hot-rb-hip-hop-songs-chart/)
## Music video
The video was directed by [Harmony Korine](https://www.edgepedia.org/harmony-korine), the American filmmaker behind *[Kids](https://www.edgepedia.org/kids-film)*, *Gummo*, and *Spring Breakers*.[6](https://www.songfacts.com/facts/rihanna/needed-me) It shows Rihanna contemplative in a see-through negligee, heels, and a thong, and then shooting a tattooed strip club customer three times at close range.[6](https://www.songfacts.com/facts/rihanna/needed-me) Rihanna's official site dates the video to April 20, 2016, and the upload on her official YouTube channel had reached 338,703,799 views as of an October 2026 retrieval.[8](https://www.rihannanow.com/video/needed-me/) • [13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfN4PVaOU5Q)
## By the numbers
The song's chart profile is defined by endurance rather than peak position. Its 16 weeks in the Hot 100's top ten came without a single week above No. 7, the longest such run on record at the time, ahead of "Behind These Hazel Eyes" at 15 weeks.[4](https://www.billboard.com/pro/ask-billboard-rihannas-quirky-record-in-the-hot-100s-top-10-with/) On the R&B/Hip-Hop chart the pattern repeated at greater scale: eight weeks stuck at No. 2, then a 32-week climb to the top, the third-longest ascent any leader had made on that chart.[5](https://www.billboard.com/pro/rihanna-needed-me-number-1-hot-rb-hip-hop-songs-chart/) • [4](https://www.billboard.com/pro/ask-billboard-rihannas-quirky-record-in-the-hot-100s-top-10-with/) The same slow-burn shape shows in streaming: Spotify's track page showed 2,001,286,965 cumulative plays as of an October 2026 retrieval, years after release, while Chartmetric separately lists 158.7 million streams for a tracked version of the song.[9](https://open.spotify.com/track/15j6coerqaSkdYCJtXroHc) • [7](https://app.chartmetric.com/track/13795090)
## Legacy and later developments
The song marked a career step for its writers. For Starrah, then credited under her given name Brittany Hazzard, it sat alongside hits she wrote for Nicki Minaj, Drake, and Big Sean.[6](https://www.songfacts.com/facts/rihanna/needed-me) For Mustard, it was the payoff of the fifty-song submission push for *Anti*, a session he had almost skipped.[2](https://www.songcontext.com/songs/needed-me)
The catalog itself has kept growing. MusicFactsDB lists release variants including the original and clean versions (January 28, 2016), four remixes dated June 1, 2016, a "Remix Part 2" (June 26, 2016), and a [Dolby Atmos](https://www.edgepedia.org/dolby-atmos) mix released January 30, 2023.[10](https://musicfactsdb.com/Work/Index/13073436) Chartmetric notes the track was added to the Iceland Spotify chart on February 13, 2023, and to the United States Spotify chart on February 16, 2023.[7](https://app.chartmetric.com/track/13795090) As of the October 2026 retrievals, the song had passed two billion plays on Spotify[9](https://open.spotify.com/track/15j6coerqaSkdYCJtXroHc) and the official video stood at 338,703,799 views on YouTube.[13](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfN4PVaOU5Q)
## References
1. [Needed Me – Song by Rihanna, Apple Music](https://music.apple.com/us/song/needed-me/1440934096)
2. [Needed Me | Song Meaning and Lyrics | Rihanna, Songcontext](https://www.songcontext.com/songs/needed-me)
3. [Needed Me – Rihanna | AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/song/needed-me-mt0052832412)
4. [Ask Billboard: Rihanna's (Quirky) Record in the Hot 100's Top 10 With 'Needed Me', Billboard](https://www.billboard.com/pro/ask-billboard-rihannas-quirky-record-in-the-hot-100s-top-10-with/)
5. [Rihanna's 'Needed Me' Rises to No. 1 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart, Billboard](https://www.billboard.com/pro/rihanna-needed-me-number-1-hot-rb-hip-hop-songs-chart/)
6. [Needed Me by Rihanna – Songfacts](https://www.songfacts.com/facts/rihanna/needed-me)
7. [Needed Me | Chartmetric](https://app.chartmetric.com/track/13795090)
8. [Needed Me – Rihanna (official artist site)](https://www.rihannanow.com/video/needed-me/)
9. [Needed Me – song and lyrics by Rihanna | Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/track/15j6coerqaSkdYCJtXroHc)
10. [MusicFactsDB: Needed Me](https://musicfactsdb.com/Work/Index/13073436)
11. [Stream Needed Me by Rihanna | SoundCloud (official artist upload)](https://soundcloud.com/rihanna/needed-me-1)
12. [Rihanna: Needed Me Tracks & Reviews | AllMusic](https://www.allmusic.com/album/needed-me-mw0002946129)
13. [Rihanna – Needed Me (official video), YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wfN4PVaOU5Q)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musical works and recordings › Compositions and songs › Pop, rock, and metal songs › R&B and soul songs › Contemporary R&B songs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license