They have, after all, seen human creativity in action at its highest level. In 2009 they were among the producers on Rihanna’s Rated R album, and learned much in the eye of Hurricane RiRi. “The size of the operation was epic,” Kennard says. “Jay-Z came over as well, and Pharrell and Beyoncé, taking over six, seven rooms of a studio complex. Drake was there at the same time. For me and Saul to be in a room with all these people still is one of the most surreal and exciting things we’ve ever experienced.” The collaborative, anything’s-possible attitude of Rihanna’s team rubbed off. “The people around her, and her, have that mega attitude of like, ‘f*** it, let’s make that happen’,” Kennard says. “There’s no idea that’s too far-fetched. It pushed us hard to think bigger.”
