Rihanna Says 'Love The Way You Lie' Was 'Something That Needed To Be Done'

'It just was authentic. It was real,' singer told 'Access Hollywood.'

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Rihanna performs in front of a burning house while filming the "Love The Way You Lie" music video

Photo: Danny Mayer/ Eric Ford/ On Location Photos

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When Eminem approached Rihanna to be featured on "Love the Way You Lie," she felt a powerful connection with the track. The singer, whose domestic violence tribulations with ex-boyfriend Chris Brown played out in front of the world, sat down with "Access Hollywood" to talk about her decision to collaborate with Eminem.

"It's something that, you know, [Eminem and I have] both experienced, you know, on different sides, different ends of the table," she said.

"It just was authentic. It was real," Rihanna continued. "It was believable for us to do a record like that, but it was also something that needed to be done and the way he did it was so clever. He pretty much just broke down the cycle of domestic violence and it's something that a lot people don't have a lot of insight on, so this song is a really, really powerful song and it touches a lot of people."

Despite the rather forward lyrics, the singer had no apprehension in tackling the song because of her faith in Em's artistry. "Eminem is an artist of class and I knew if he sent me a record there must be something to it," she said. "It couldn't just be, 'Oh, duh! She was in that relationship, so we have to get her.' "

Ultimately, the song was something Rihanna felt was in line with her past relationship. "The lyrics were so deep, so beautiful and intense. It's something that I understood, something I connected with," she revealed.

Just last week, Eminem stopped by the Los Angeles stop of Rihanna's Last Girl on Earth tour to perform the song, which currently holds the top spot on the "Billboard" Hot 100. The cameo wasn't planned; Ri explained that it was all just matter of time and place.

"Actually, it came really last minute. We shot the video last night and he happened to be in the same city and he was like 'Hey, can I perform with you?' " she said. "We fit it in and we couldn't have done anything better because Los Angeles loves Eminem. They couldn't stop screaming."

Photos of the duo on the music video's set, one of which showed Rihanna performing in front of a burning house, surfaced online last week. Megan Fox and Dominic Monaghan, who were spotted on location kissing on a Los Angeles rooftop , will also appear as the video's love interests. On Saturday (July 24), director Joseph Kahn tweeted that the video will premiere sometime in the coming week.

How do you feel about Rihanna singing "Love the Way You Lie"? Share your opinions in the comment section!

Germany's Love Parade Festival Canceled Permanently As Death Toll Rises To 19

Deaths, more than 340 injuries occurred during stampede in underpass.

Paramedics transport an injured person to an ambulance after a stampede at Germany's Love Parade festival on July 24

Photo: Christoph Reichwein/ Getty Images

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Nineteen people were killed and more than 340 injured at the annual Love Parade music festival in the German city of Duisburg on Saturday, the result of a stampede that occurred beneath an overpass at the entrance of the festival grounds. According to The New York Times, police had closed off the festival grounds on Saturday evening, citing overcrowding (there were some 1.4 million people inside the Love Parade at the time), but failed to close off the entrance to a 200-meter long tunnel that led to the site of the concert.

More and more concertgoers streamed into the tunnel, only to find that the entrance — reportedly the only entrance to the fest — was shut. It was only then that police succeeded in blocking the entrance to the tunnel, effectively sealing hundreds of people inside. Panic ensued, as those trapped in the tunnel tried desperately to turn around and leave. The chaos was compounded by revelers inside the festival, who, after being told by loudspeakers to exit the grounds, piled back into the tunnel.

Video footage shot by Love Parade attendees showed people scrambling to make their way out of the tunnel, climbing ladders or being pulled up to nearby ramps. In the chaos, many people were crushed. The Deputy Police Chief of Duisburg told the BBC that "14 people died on the metal steps leading away from the tunnel [and] two on a wall outside the tunnel."

In the aftermath of the stampede, rescue workers struggled amid the crowds to evacuate the wounded, and helicopters reportedly had difficulty carrying away the severely injured because there was not enough space for them to land. German media also reported that cell phone service in the system of Duisburg temporarily failed, and frantic parents drove to the scene of the festival looking for their children.

In the hours following the incident, critics blamed Love Parade organizers for being unprepared to handle such a mass of concertgoers, and said that the site of this year's fest — an old railway yard — was too small and unsafe. The prosecutor of Duisburg has called for an official investigation on the matter, and, at a press conference on Sunday, police said they were working with organizers and attempting to gather evidence in order to reconstruct the events that led to the stampede, but that "it will be labor and time intensive."

Meanwhile, on Sunday morning, concertgoers had laid flowers and candles at the entrance of the gate, which was now blocked off by police barricades. And Love Parade organizer Rainer Schaller announced that, in light of the tragedy, he would be canceling the festival — which had been held off and on since 1989 — permanently, telling reporters, "The Love Parade has always been a joyful and peaceful party, but in future would always be overshadowed by yesterday's events ... out of respect for the victims, their families and friends, we are going to discontinue the event in the future, and that means the end of the Love Parade."

Wiz Khalifa Is MTV News' 'Hottest Breakthrough MC Of 2010'!

Pittsburgh MC tops Nicki Minaj, Diggy Simmons and more to take the crown!

After four weeks and more than 200,000 votes, Wiz Khalifa is MTV News' "Hottest Breakthrough MC of 2010," beating out some 19 other candidates in a poll decided by you, the MTVNews.com readers.

The Kush & Orange Juice star won a tough competition, beating fellow top-five finalists Nicki Minaj, J. Cole, Travis Porter and Diggy Simmons. (Check back on Monday for the official poll results and rankings.)

The announcement was made Sunday (July 25) on MTV2's "Sucker Free Summit."

More than 200,000 votes were tallied, and Wiz's loyal Taylor Gang following was out in force, propelling the woozy-flowed rapper into the top spot.

Wiz broke onto the scene more than five years ago with his first mixtape, and his rise has been steady and deliberate, as he's gradually built a strong following and won over peers and DJs alike with his easygoing charm and laid-back rhymes.

"I'm digging Wiz. I'm digging what he's doing, especially coming from a place like Pittsburgh," DJ Drama told MTV News. "It's not necessarily that [Wiz] is a product of his environment, but it's always good to see someone put a city on the map [like Wiz has]."

To recap the rules, this poll was strictly limited to up-and-coming talent: artists could not have released a major-label album by June 21, 2010, or been voted into a previous "Hottest MCs in the Game" top 10, so MCs like Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Andre 3000, Eminem, Kanye West and even Drake — our #3 Hottest MC last year - and chart-topper B.o.B were not eligible. (We'll have the 2010 "Hottest MCs" rollout later this year.) Voters were asked to base their decisions on the following factors: The MC's musical skill (rhyme ability, flow and songwriting) as well as their buzz on the street and the impact they've had on the game so far.
 

Rick Ross Wants To Take His Music To The 'Next Level' With Dr. Dre

He also reveals on MTV News' 'RapFix Live' that he hopes to get in the studio with producer Frankie Beverly.

Rick Ross has made "Maybach Music" with Jay-Z and "Aston Martin Music" with Drake and all kinds of numbers in between with a who's who list of talent. But the Miami rap titan still has a checklist of artists he would like to work with in the future, ranging from an iconic rap producer to a legendary soul singer.

During his appearance Friday (July 23) on our inaugural "RapFix Live" broadcast, Ross revealed that he hopes to get in the studio with Dr. Dre or Frankie Beverly for his Teflon Don follow-up.

"I look forward to going to the next level, so hopefully on the next album, you might see a Dr. Dre collaboration or you might see a Frankie Beverly collaboration," Ross told Sway. "I'm a player with this."

The Bawse hasn't connected with Dre yet, but he made sure to let his wishes be known. "I'm putting it in the air right now," Ross said of the collaboration.

Next up, Ross will start production on the video for "Live Fast, Die Young," his single with Kanye West. The Def Jam star told MTV News earlier this week that he secured Hype Williams as the director of the clip, after his plans for Spike Lee to helm the shoot fell through.

"Yeah, the homie Yeezy, we decided on Hype Williams. Hype Williams will direct 'Live Fast, Die Young,' " he revealed. "Hit me up on Twitter @rickyrozay, and the reason I say that, I tweeted a picture of me and the homie Spike Lee. He came to my birthday party. I was brainstorming, like, 'We need that different vibe.' I tweeted a picture with me and the homie Spike. Ultimately, Hype will direct it. But look for Spike to do a Rozay video. I'mma be the first since [Public Enemy's] 'Fight the Power' and the other great [videos he directed back in the day]."

Catch Wiz Khalifa on next week's "RapFix Live"!