Rihanna’s “Umbrella” Earned The-Dream $15 Million

When The-Dream dropped by Tim Westwood‘s BBC radio show earlier today, we don’t think the R&B singer-songwriter expected that Rihanna’s “Umbrella” would become a topic of conversation. The host put the 1977 artist in the hot seat regarding his earnings on the 2007 track, and Terius reluctantly revealed that he made a pretty penny by penning the track — $15 million to be exact. Watch below as the 34-year-old discusses his wives (past and present), how he keeps “baby mama drama” to a minimum and how he came to co-write Justin Bieber’s mega-hit “Baby”.

We love that Tim mathematically breaks down The-Dream’s payment from “Umbrella”: “Just one ‘ella’ is probably worth about $7 mil.” The hit producer goes on to explain his motivation to keep writing: to keep paying the bills. “I’ve got every kind of bill,” Terius explained. “I’ve got child support, old wives’ bills, new wives’ bills.” But for his motivation to write “Baby”, The-Dream simply wanted Def Jam to foot the bill on his $3,200/night Plaza hotel room.

Interesting that The-Dream omitted any mention of his tiff with ex-wife Christina Milian over her babymama payment. Are you surprised by how much the “Wake Me When It’s Over” singer raked in from “Umbrella”? Tell us in the comments, or on Facebook and Twitter.