33 minutes ago, bijonse said:

The gift was a side project that she wasn’t even singing on every song on. And it was African themed and ppl are so ******* racist I never expected it to do that well, maybe now that - thanks in part to the gift - afrobeats has more exposure it would do better but it still has the whole Disney lion king theme that holds it back. People dragging it or even Stans disappointed with how it charted weren’t looking at the big picture. EIL was the real disappointment lol. 2021 was tougher we got nothing but ivy park, felt like I was in the navy 

To be fair, we cannot neglect the fact that some of the disappointment voiced by people surrounding The Gift was warranted: Beyonce, being a super rich US American, advocating for presenting African culture in order to celebrate it while at the same time not doing ANYTHING that era (not even doing interviews or any type of press conference) where she couldve easily used her VOICE to celebrate those African artists she worked with just leaves a sour taste in peoples mouths.

And please dont argue that she doesnt owe anything to anybody - thats not what this is about and our dear Beyonce is not a saint who cant do wrong. 

 

Its a very US type of thing to say "I am of this and that origin" and then claiming that part without any real, tangible knowledge or passion. Its quite phoney and corny in lots of cases and even dangerous when culture capital is stolen and presented as US culture. Ask anybody outside of the US and they will tell u the same about US Americans.

 

The music was fire, the behavior and mamagement was not

 

Edited February 24, 20233 yr by *-ChriZ-*

24 minutes ago, Devin said:

BSG

FYWB

BIGGER

OTHERSIDE

ALREADY

 

I still return and give streams. 

 

What about water and spirit 

 

25 minutes ago, *-ChriZ-* said:

To be fair, we cannot neglect the fact that some of the disappointment voiced by people surrounding The Gift was warranted: Beyonce, being a super rich US American, advocating for presenting African culture in order to celebrate it while at the same time not doing ANYTHING that era (not even doing interviews or any type of press conference) where she couldve easily used her VOICE to celebrate those African artists she worked with just leaves a sour taste in peoples mouths.

And please dont argue that she doesnt owe anything to anybody - thats not what this is about and our dear Beyonce is not a saint who cant do wrong. 

 

Its a very US type of thing to say "I am of this and that origin" and then claiming that part without any real, tangible knowledge or passion. Its quite phoney and corny in lots of cases and even dangerous when culture capital is stolen and presented as US culture. Ask anybody outside of the US and they will tell u the same about US Americans.

 

The music was fire, the behavior and mamagement was not

 

She did an hour long tv special for the album and then did a whole movie with a lot of the afrobeats artists in it. Like, she did more promo for the gift than she has done for all her music since 4  spare me this. She’s not a saint but she did her thing with the gift and the outcry was actually much more about if black Americans are allowed to embrace African culture at all, Africans like to gatekeep. I say this as someone who was told by Africans that since my daddy is nigerian I’m allowed to play with the culture in a way other black Americans were not lol it’s sad how divided we are in the African diaspora

We're gonna hit the floor at home
We'll let the candles be our light tonight
And I'ma DJ all of your songs
You ain't got to worry 'bout a club
Just come and lay up under me tonight

 

 

She walked so Renaissance could run.

Remember when folks were tryna get Bey to comment about SARS 

49 minutes ago, *-ChriZ-* said:

To be fair, we cannot neglect the fact that some of the disappointment voiced by people surrounding The Gift was warranted: Beyonce, being a super rich US American, advocating for presenting African culture in order to celebrate it while at the same time not doing ANYTHING that era (not even doing interviews or any type of press conference) where she couldve easily used her VOICE to celebrate those African artists she worked with just leaves a sour taste in peoples mouths.

And please dont argue that she doesnt owe anything to anybody - thats not what this is about and our dear Beyonce is not a saint who cant do wrong. 

 

Its a very US type of thing to say "I am of this and that origin" and then claiming that part without any real, tangible knowledge or passion. Its quite phoney and corny in lots of cases and even dangerous when culture capital is stolen and presented as US culture. Ask anybody outside of the US and they will tell u the same about US Americans.

 

The music was fire, the behavior and mamagement was not

 

I think it boils down to Bey appearing a bit standoffish. Not necessarily all the culture stuff. The cast of TLK revealed that they didn't meet Beyonce for the cast photoshoot and Beyonce didn't work the press whatsoever. It's definenly part of the reason Spirit flopped and the era was a bust. Why would the Academy nominate that? 

 

But here we are. Album has almost 1 billion Spotify streams. The music was some of the best. I'm still disappointed with how she treated that era. Part of the reason why the GP wasn't excited for Renaissance initially. And they're still warming up to Bey in the new decade.

The Giftcard has some of her best/funnest songs to dance to but y'all pretend it doesn't exist because it flopped  The fact that Bey's quick little side projects are still better than some girls' studio albums tho

Rewatching old formation tour videos and **** she is truly demented for withholding the formation tour professional footage 

18 minutes ago, bijonse said:

She did an hour long tv special for the album and then did a whole movie with a lot of the afrobeats artists in it. Like, she did more promo for the gift than she has done for all her music since 4  spare me this. She’s not a saint but she did her thing with the gift and the outcry was actually much more about if black Americans are allowed to embrace African culture at all, Africans like to gatekeep. I say this as someone who was told by Africans that since my daddy is nigerian I’m allowed to play with the culture in a way other black Americans were not lol it’s sad how divided we are in the African diaspora

Well can u blame them when US Americans usually love to "take"? Its a very tricky topic tbh.

U have to understand that Bey already gets flack for singing about Black American issues because many feel shes too priviliged to honestly sing about "black struggle". Its only natural that her opening the box of African culture is side-eyed even more

 

Im not saying her intentions were bad, I really dont think so. But again, she couldve and shouldve handled it better

The Gift will always have a special place in my heart. It's gonna be the album that reminded me of, Covid-19 pandemic, something that I listened through over and over during those times. Black Parade was my #1 song on Spotify Wrapped that year. 

 

My only wish is that, I wanted a physical copy of it, hope she does it one day. 

Today feels like a good day for Move supremacy idk

 

1 hour ago, *-ChriZ-* said:

To be fair, we cannot neglect the fact that some of the disappointment voiced by people surrounding The Gift was warranted: Beyonce, being a super rich US American, advocating for presenting African culture in order to celebrate it while at the same time not doing ANYTHING that era (not even doing interviews or any type of press conference) where she couldve easily used her VOICE to celebrate those African artists she worked with just leaves a sour taste in peoples mouths.

And please dont argue that she doesnt owe anything to anybody - thats not what this is about and our dear Beyonce is not a saint who cant do wrong. 

 

Its a very US type of thing to say "I am of this and that origin" and then claiming that part without any real, tangible knowledge or passion. Its quite phoney and corny in lots of cases and even dangerous when culture capital is stolen and presented as US culture. Ask anybody outside of the US and they will tell u the same about US Americans.

 

The music was fire, the behavior and mamagement was not

 

I think the difference between African-Americans claiming their origin and most other white Americans doing the same is that the history of the diaspora culture is far different, and thus her use and connection to Africa has a far deeper and important meaning than simply saying "I'm getting back to my Viking roots" or whatever. And I don't think there's any absence of passion in the album or film from Beyoncé's side. From her own words she spent a lot of time researching and I think it very much shows in the film.

 

Black is King may leave a lot of room for metaphor and this surely confused a lot of people as to its meaning and intention, but it's essentially a fairytale, a coming home story of someone who was forced away from their land and disconnected to their roots. I think the way she used the storyline for basically the first "African" Disney prince/princess in an American franchise (from a Hollywood where stories of powerful Black people were basically non-existent until recently) to make her points was quite important.

 

Perhaps some of the messaging was confusing, but the film imo lays out the intention quite clearly. As much as it is a celebration of African culture (or those she referenced in the film), it is more-so a declaration of the kingship and majesty of African-Americans, reconnecting to a possible history that has been stolen from them, celebrating a continent as a general idea (which holds it's own problems, for sure), but I don't think Beyoncé ever set out to be "Mama Africa" as people labelled her, but to present a story that is American-centric in its meanings and motivations. Africans probably don't need to be told that they are "King", but the title holds a different political meaning entirely as it relates to the racial politics of America.

 

I understand a lot of the critiques and I am neither Black nor African so cannot outright comment on the success of the project for either, but I do think a lot of the criticism assumes the project tried to do something it actually was not trying to do, and that Beyoncé actually was very much in her lane for a lot of it: that of speaking to the experience and notion of Africa through the mythic lends of an African-American woman who like many, cannot properly outline her ancestry and who must then rely on a fondness and appreciation for Africa through a broader understanding and love for the continent.

29 minutes ago, R.E.M. said:

The Giftcard has some of her best/funnest songs to dance to but y'all pretend it doesn't exist because it flopped  The fact that Bey's quick little side projects are still better than some girls' studio albums tho

THIS!

 

It's truly such a great sonic experience!

The fact that FYWB could of been her Happy/Can't Stop the Feeling but she wanted to lead with the Oscar bait 

 

 

 

Edited February 24, 20233 yr by Otter

19 minutes ago, PrudenceHCharmed said:

The Gift will always have a special place in my heart. It's gonna be the album that reminded me of, Covid-19 pandemic, something that I listened through over and over during those times. Black Parade was my #1 song on Spotify Wrapped that year. 

 

My only wish is that, I wanted a physical copy of it, hope she does it one day. 

tbh after the RENAISSANCE era she should release a box set of all her albums (and some of side projects, etc.) on vinyl....
 

• Dangerously in Love
• B'Day (Standard edition lol)
• The Beyoncé Experience (Live)
• IASF
• I Am... Yours: An Intimate Performance at Wynn Las Vegas
• Above and Beyoncé: Video Collection & Dance Mixes
• 4
• BEYONCÉ
• Lemonade
• Everything is Love
• The Gift
• Homecoming
• Renaissance
  • act i
  • act ii
  • act ii

 

and make the price only $150

 

bc tbh imagine the sales!

 

 

Edited February 24, 20233 yr by swissman

Just now, Otter said:

The fact that FYWB could of been her Happy/Can't Stop the Feeling but she wanted to lead with the Oscar bait 


 

 

 

I think Disney wanted to lead with Spirit...

 

It seems to me she wanted BIGGER to be the song that leads the album (as deserving as FYWB imo) as she joined it with Spirit to promote The Gift's release.

 

 

 

Honestly my main complaint about the era was just the confusing nature of what it was in the announcement/release phase. I doesn't bother me so much that she barely promoted it (I'm used to that), but having Spirit be the lead single for both albums, having the OST released first, then The Gift like a week later was very confusing as it wasn't clear if you didn't enjoy Spirit, or just listened to the OST that there was MORE music necessarily.

 

 

imo The Gift should have come out first... or like a month after the OST.

39 minutes ago, *-ChriZ-* said:

Well can u blame them when US Americans usually love to "take"? Its a very tricky topic tbh.

U have to understand that Bey already gets flack for singing about Black American issues because many feel shes too priviliged to honestly sing about "black struggle". Its only natural that her opening the box of African culture is side-eyed even more

 

Im not saying her intentions were bad, I really dont think so. But again, she couldve and shouldve handled it better

the capitalist discourse is blah because this is a pop musician we’re talking about but Beyoncé, and other black Americans, are not “taking” anything by trying to connect with the culture of their ancestors before being enslaved and brought to the americas. /END

 

Miss Rennie somehow placed #17 on IFPI Global Albums list. The only mid-year release sans Midnights that made it. Im just glad #that user cant make a thread now hihi 

1 minute ago, period sis said:

Miss Rennie somehow placed #17 on IFPI Global Albums list. The only mid-year release sans Midnights that made it. Im just glad #that user cant make a thread now hihi 

haha now what do me and my profile picture have to do with this!!!!!!!!!

That base is so pressed. 

11 minutes ago, Shelter said:

That base is so pressed. 

Yes I am. Where are the videos 

Déjà Vu is going viral on TikTok:

 

 

 

 

 

3 hours ago, Devin said:

BSG

FYWB

BIGGER

OTHERSIDE

ALREADY

 

I still return and give streams. 

 

where is MOOD 4 EVA 

where is BLACK PARADE

 

otherwise yes

ALREADY definitely is one of her best uptempo of the 2010s.

 

I really hope we get to see it performed...