'It's the growth of an artist that's going to keep on growing,' Jay says of singer's latest LP.

Jay-Z said he's not sure if he'll be putting out any more albums, but he's definitely done promoting his latest LP, Kingdom Come. Now he wants to focus on helping Def Jam artists Rihanna and Ne-Yo continue their success.

"It's a fortunate position for [all] of us," the label boss said recently on the L.A. set of Rihanna's "Umbrella" video. "They benefit from my years of experience in the music business, and I benefit from their new, fresh energy and their talent. It's a two-way street."

Jay - who also appears on the song "Crazy," from Ne-Yo's new LP, Because of You - was filming his part for the Chris Applebaum-directed clip. "Umbrella" is the first single from Rihanna's new LP, Good Girl Gone Bad, due June 5.

Rihanna was shocked by Jay's cameo - in the video and in the song. "They just said, 'We have a surprise for you,' " remembered Rihanna, who wears nothing but silver paint in one part of the video. "I couldn't imagine it would be Jay-Z getting on the song. They played it for me, and I got goose bumps everywhere. I still can't believe that I'm shooting a video with Jay-Z and I have a song with Jay on it. It takes everything to another level for me in my career as far as experience goes."

" 'Umbrella' was a song that the minute you heard it, you know what it was gonna be - it was a smash," Hov said of why he wanted to be a part of it. "It was a hit without me. I'm happy it came out great. It reminded me of summertime.

"That's my family right there," he added of his recording artist. "We've all been on this journey of her growth. We was right there. It's a different type of situation. It's not just lending my vocals to a project. It's a project and person I believe in. The album is another chapter in her growth - her third album in 18 months. We've seen her come from being the 'Pon De Replay' girl to having a album be successful to 'S.O.S.' and 'Unfaithful' being #1 hits. It's the growth of an artist that's going to keep on growing."

Rihanna said her evolution since 2006's A Girl Like Me consisted of everything from getting a haircut to finding her own identity to doing what so many of the greats before her such as Janet, Mariah and Beyoncé did: take more control of her projects.


more on mtv.com