50 minutes ago, futuresuperstar2023 said:

I don't have a problem with Rihanna success at all. I'm actually happy that she has sold records all across the board. My problem is her fans be trying to humble Beyonce and it always comes across as Anti Black American with a hint of jealousy towards Beyonce Acclaim in the industry.

I completely see where you're coming from. But I've just come to grips with the fact that her fans and even the GP will ALWAYS be like that. But Beyoncé doesn't care so I don't feel we should either too much. We just gotta back her up lmao.

The General Public is finally starting to catch on though as to why Beyoncé remains miles above most mainstream artists in general. Male or Female.

 

I think the competition game between Rih and Bey is so played out imo. The thing that sets apart Bey from most artists is that she isn't just "talented". She's nearly (imo) prodigious lmao. Not only that, it's up to the point where she's such a master at what she does that it's polarizing and hard to NOT watch. Watching someone whose such a genius at what they do, and being able to translate such high concepts of art to millions of people is such a once in a lifetime thing and goes beyond just talent.
 

And of course a Team helps with all of this, but we see how MOST of these teams botch soooo many of these concepts and eras, when Bey (especially with Lemonade) created such a MOMENT. She hit everything on the head with that Album. We're witnessing a phenom that can't be replicated, and most mainstream artists KNOW this about Bey. And I think that's why at the end of the day her acclaim, talent, and genius will always be the denominator and the reason why you can't compare her to anyone. 

2 hours ago, cuteboyzay said:

The General Public is finally starting to catch on though as to why Beyoncé remains miles above most mainstream artists in general. Male or Female.

 

I think the competition game between Rih and Bey is so played out imo. The thing that sets apart Bey from most artists is that she isn't just "talented". She's nearly (imo) prodigious lmao. Not only that, it's up to the point where she's such a master at what she does that it's polarizing and hard to NOT watch. Watching someone whose such a genius at what they do, and being able to translate such high concepts of art to millions of people is such a once in a lifetime thing and goes beyond just talent.
 

And of course a Team helps with all of this, but we see how MOST of these teams botch soooo many of these concepts and eras, when Bey (especially with Lemonade) created such a MOMENT. She hit everything on the head with that Album. We're witnessing a phenom that can't be replicated, and most mainstream artists KNOW this about Bey. And I think that's why at the end of the day her acclaim, talent, and genius will always be the denominator and the reason why you can't compare her to anyone. 

Bey has the larger than life Superstar energy that Old Hollywood had and has pure talent lol. It's crazy how Self Titled really put her in the legendary Box while making Alternative R&B. Bey did it her own way and I love that she stopped catering to the GP after I Am Sasha Fierce. Dumping Matthew also did wonders. I appreciate him for all he did for Bey but she became more powerful without him. **** Respectability politics and I'm glad she wasn't doing all them damn ballads.

I wish Bey was as pressed to update her certs cause too many locals/stans try her when it comes to that.

Anyways, I was compelled to do a year comparison for Renaissance's streams of today.

May 31, 2023:
Cuff It- 538M
BMS- 331M
Alien- 153M
Energy- 96M
AHAP- 83M
ITG- 76M
Cozy: 75M
Summer Renaissance: 74M
Heated: 69M
Church Girl: 67M
VG: 61M
Pure Honey: 60M
POTS: 59M
Thique: 53M
MOVE: 49M
AUIYM: 39M

Today:
Cuff It- 791M (+253M)
BMS: 441M (+110M)
AHAP: 257M (152 OG + 105M remix) (+174M)
Alien: 237M (+84M)
Energy: 169M (+73M)
Heated: 157M (+88M)
Cozy: 128M (+53M)
ITG: 127M (+52M)
Pure Honey: 110M (+50M)
Summer Renaissance: 110M (+37M)
Church Girl: 100M (+33M)
VG: 97M (+36M) 
POTS: 90M (30M)
MOVE: 85M (+36M)
Thique: 84M (+31M)
AUIYM: 63M (+24M)

Oh what could've been 
 

Do you guys remember 2 months ago how my vinyl showed delivered in michigan when I live in Illinois? They finally emailed today saying they are sending me a replacement.

 

woohoo 

6 hours ago, Cbreezy said:

Literally came to comment on the on Rih post in the context of Bey. The following ain't for the Kumbaya or sensitive stans lol. 

 

IMO, it was shade. Light shade and not necessarily Bey shade specifically as much as it is a flex on all the girls, but it's still shade nonetheless. The same tasting shade as when Bey told the girls to Bow Down and when she present-day flexes about her own brilliance ("no one else can think like me" on Alien). 

 

BTW, this ain't even Rih jab on my end. I think competitiveness keeps ALL the girls on their toes. Bey included. 

 

Our girl gets a lot of flack around here for supposedly "not giving a f**k", but I really don't think she's that tapped out nor in any way ready to play the legacy game. 

 

In a way, Rih gets to bask in the potency of her commercial performance with singles, Bey has the girls (and boys) in a headlock with tour gross, critical acclaim, and world stop moments. The latter isn't always measurable, but it's "the" thing that will always keep Bey a thorn in the girl's sides as it's not something that can be bought, sold, or promoted into existence. 

 

I'm excited to see how Bey continues to up the ante and essentially compete (because that's what she's doing until the point she goes the legacy route).

 

Convenient sounding perhaps, but I love that Bey all at once manages to tick box commercial expectations while simultaneously de-emphasizing it to ensure the validity of greatness isn't measured by the plaques she receives.

I like that you'll never be caught making a low effort post but do you not think this is veering into micro-analytical territory? 
 

I had to check out Rih's post out of curiosity. There's absolutely nothing shady about it. She has every right to bask in the glory of her accomplishments especially through the prism of hindsight since she hasn't been active musically in years. It's not like she does it in every other post either. 
 

Now I know that's not the crux of yours and some other posts here. Maybe I'm being cute, there's nothing eyebrow-raising for me about a dancer congratulating Rih. They're not "Bey's dancers", they're freelancers. There's no obligation for either party to ever work together again. Even if they did, there's no shade in showing love to other artists. These people are in the industry; stan mentality of 1 Queen, Everyone Else  = Peasant, is not going to cut it, unless they want to starve during eras and build a negative reputation. Now the Nicki associates that go out of their way to come for Bey deserve all the smoke but they're also aware they've shut that opportunity door forever. 
 

 

6 hours ago, jane said:

I cant believe she is on the best selling list with such price for the vinyls lol. That's why she will continue to do whatever she wants. In the end where it matters, the money is still being made and very well.

In a way, it is our fault her roll outs leave much to be desired. We must stop giving this woman our money until we get music videos and televised performances.
 

She knows her loyal fan base is enough to secure a successful first couple of weeks. She clearly don't give a damn about the maximum profits she can make off the GP as an era anymore (until it's time to tour)

47 minutes ago, Bey'Knight said:

I like that you'll never be caught making a low effort post but do you not think this is veering into micro-analytical territory? 
 

I had to check out Rih's post out of curiosity. There's absolutely nothing shady about it. She has every right to bask in the glory of her accomplishments especially through the prism of hindsight since she hasn't been active musically in years. It's not like she does it in every other post either. 
 

Now I know that's not the crux of yours and some other posts here. Maybe I'm being cute, there's nothing eyebrow-raising for me about a dancer congratulating Rih. They're not "Bey's dancers", they're freelancers. There's no obligation for either party to ever work together again. Even if they did, there's no shade in showing love to other artists. These people are in the industry; stan mentality of 1 Queen, Everyone Else  = Peasant, is not going to cut it, unless they want to starve during eras and build a negative reputation. Now the Nicki associates that go out of their way to come for Bey deserve all the smoke but they're also aware they've shut that opportunity door forever. 
 

 

Cbreezy micro-analytical? Never.

 

I need RENAISSANCE movie on streaming ASAP. 

 

enough is enough! hag! drop the movie it's already done we already seen it!

 

Not some of you complaining about Rihanna celebrating her achievements.  It's giving insecure and pathetic.

 

Beyonce released "Bow down *******", "Top 2 and I ain't number 2" and a ton of other braggadocious lyrics for the past decade but Rihanna saying "Ain't no back and forth" is a slight against Beyonce and an indicator of insecurity. 

 

Imagine thinking an artist's acknowledgement of 7 diamond singles and a new record is anything but a celebration of their music hitting a major milestone.

 

These 2 SUCCESSFUL women are not thinking about each other, meanwhile their fanbases are still fighting 20 years later. 

 

And then to call the Navy anti-black when I just saw someone in here refer to Rihanna as a coconut girl. The jokes write themselves. 

 

There always has and always will be enough space for more than one Black female superstar. When Beyonce certifies her diamond singles, she will celebrate those achievements as she sees fit (publicly or privately).

1 hour ago, Bey'Knight said:

I like that you'll never be caught making a low effort post but do you not think this is veering into micro-analytical territory? 
 

I had to check out Rih's post out of curiosity. There's absolutely nothing shady about it. She has every right to bask in the glory of her accomplishments especially through the prism of hindsight since she hasn't been active musically in years. It's not like she does it in every other post either. 

 

Possibly! I absolutely may be overthinking (not like Bey is giving us much else to do lol), but I also leave room for the potential that maybe just maybe Rih was clapping back at the "who's the top dog" debate chatter around her name and her peers (including Bey). It is...a thing.

 

I'm very much of the stance that these artists are not so above the fray when it comes to competitiveness and what the streets are saying n debating. Same goes for Bey. She wasn't howling Bow Down into the air lol. It was very much a targeted shot fired and whoever was howling was undoubtedly one of its targets (a hit dog will holler). I'm sure there was a lot of silent seething too.

 

So, again, it may have been a passive/aimless comment. And I must make clear that I'm not saying there is some kinda cold war between Rih and Bey, but iono if I legit believe it's nothing. The remark literally launches itself from the viewpoint of squashing the "who's top" discourse and raising Rih's hand. So, IMO, there's an awareness of context she has that is clear to see.

 

Spoiler

On a side, but arguably relevant note, I really find the mass revionist history when it comes to Rih interesting af. To the point it should be studied.

 

Her single success has always been her calling card but never was a "Queen" "top dog" metric...until the streaming era kicked in and the recurring streams seem to have elevaed her name and status. This despite we who lived those song releases in real-time remembering that such reverence wasn't given at the time. By contrast, Billie Jean was fawned over at the time of release and is still fawned over now. 

 

Seeing how her pop culture popularity (by way of non-musical ventures like her fashion, business slays, and hiatus) has somehow elevated her standing **in** music to Queen-like levels is fascinating. And I say this as someone who likes her.

 

The performances haven't gotten better, there's no new music to measure elevation/evolution, there's no world stop moments. In short (lol), nothing has really changed yet her status has changed to something way more premium on the mere merit of time x external ish.

 

 

 

I never noticed this before 

 

 

8 hours ago, futuresuperstar2023 said:

I don't have a problem with Rihanna success at all. I'm actually happy that she has sold records all across the board. My problem is her fans be trying to humble Beyonce and it always comes across as Anti Black American with a hint of jealousy towards Beyonce Acclaim in the industry.

 

8 hours ago, kimberly said:

I think it's the caption, the "ain't no back n forth" part. she's saying "the crown is mine and no one else's."

 

to which I'd respond, drop the music. you're cute for a throwback  her music career giving Queen Elizabeth II tea.

I can be pretty verbose, but y'all hit the nail on the head. 

 

People saying it's being pressed or childish are missing the point, there absolutely was context to what Rih was saying. Even if not a direct send.

 

And much like the Hive and Monsters go back and forth (so let's not pretend to be "above" the comparisons), a big part of my confusion around the Rihanna thing is the faux equality her fans apportion to her now. Popularity with her brands and recurrent streams really have them claiming dominance over Bey.

 

My main and continued point is that that doesn't make sense. One act has consistently pushed the envelope and dropped projects and made movements that earned a certain status, one has been inactive but is being forcibly elevated to being seen on the same or even superior level. It makes no sense. But Go Rih, I guess.

AI is getting crazier

 

Just ran across something called Black Guitar on TikTok, it's wild how realistic it is

I feel like I'm un-stanning Bey day-by-day. She has done this "self-sabatog" thing for so long, that I now think she is doing it because she doesn't want to completely outshine her raggedy husband. I just saw a list of the Top 10 biggest debut week sakes for Black female artists this century. Bey could have been #1 & #2 with Beyoncé and Lemonade. She purposely screws everything up. This last release has been so terrible. My only conclusion is that she doesnt want to hurt Jay-Z's feelings. Thats why she did that whack A*S album with him and thise tours. Even her RIAA certs. She's a obviously holding herself back to not outshine him. Call me crazy. I don't care.

 

I BLAME JAY-Z!!!

 

 

Just re-watched this for the first time in years and was in awe the entire time but then I just felt so sad at the end realizing this is Madonna at the same point in her carrer Beyonce was with Renaissance... how unfortunate it is that she doesn't have the drive and passion in her to do this kind of stuff anymore Could've been a glorious chapter in her career

Edited June 1, 20242 yr by AxelFox

On 6/1/2024 at 5:58 PM, AxelFox said:

 

 

Just re-watched this for the first time in years and was in awe the entire time but then I just felt so sad at the end realizing this is Madonna at the same point in her carrer Beyonce was with Renaissance... how unfortunate it is that she doesn't have the drive and passion in her to do this kind of stuff anymore Could've been a glorious chapter in her career

I love ya and I'm all for Bey getting her tuggings as and when needed, but can we...not.

 

This "she doesn't have the drive" or "she doesn't give af" thing really irks because we literally KNOW she's cooking up visuals and other things. Her tours, as seen with RWT, are objectively getting better too and nothing she puts out is subpar. 

 

Now, IMO, it's totally fair to critique her methodology and chosen ways of navigating her present-day projects and career at large, but if she comes with a film on a scale that we could never have imagined, does her not performing at the Grammys (or similar) still translate as "not having the drive"?

 

IMO, I think a fairer assessment is that her "drive" is showing up in increasingly concentrated and unconventional ways. And her antics in general are frustrating and limiting to her own commercial potential. But IMO it doesn't present as representative of diminished dedication or motivation. 

 

Lastly, the industry is extremely different now to 2006 (when that Madge performance took place). Music still sold then. So artists, big and small, were pounding every promotional platform to sell their music. Now, there is zero coin in music and the real wins are on the road. If artists as big as Bey go about performing for "free", it arguably diminishes the "premium" of making people pay top dollar to see her live.

 

As someone who came into standom because of iconic performances, I personally don't like the changes as it means we as the fans get less. Not just from Bey but everyone. At the same time, I really respect Bey for knowing her premium and flexing it. She didn't sweat her weave out all those decades to still be hustling like the rent is due now. She worked to effectively become a special/rare attraction, which ultimately yields more $$$ too. 

 

She for sure can and should be doing more, but I don't think it's fair to suggest diminished drive.

Edited June 3, 20242 yr by Cbreezy

1 hour ago, AxelFox said:

 

 

Just re-watched this for the first time in years and was in awe the entire time but then I just felt so sad at the end realizing this is Madonna at the same point in her carrer Beyonce was with Renaissance... how unfortunate it is that she doesn't have the drive and passion in her to do this kind of stuff anymore Could've been a glorious chapter in her career

When you put it that way… it physically hurts.
 

 

happy pride 

 

 

She really left CC for death 

3 hours ago, AxelFox said:

 

 

Just re-watched this for the first time in years and was in awe the entire time but then I just felt so sad at the end realizing this is Madonna at the same point in her carrer Beyonce was with Renaissance... how unfortunate it is that she doesn't have the drive and passion in her to do this kind of stuff anymore Could've been a glorious chapter in her career

People like you really really need to go stan someone else. Saying bey doesn't have passion or drive for her art is truly asinine and just plain du**. You think COWBOY CARTER was made without passion or drive? you think any of her peers have the balls or DRIVE to do that?

 

Please let us  be serious for once. 

4 hours ago, Cbreezy said:

I love ya and I'm all for Bey getting her tuggings as and when needed, but can't we...not.

 

This "she doesn't have the drive" or "she doesn't give af" thing really irks because we literally KNOW she's cooking up visuals and other things. Her tours, as seen with RWT, are objectively getting better too and nothing she puts out is subpar. 

 

Now, IMO, it's totally fair to critique her methodology and chosen ways of navigating her present-day projects and career at large, but if she comes with a film on a scale that we could never have imagined, does her not performing at the Grammys (or similar) still translate as "not having the drive"?

 

IMO, I think a fairer assessment is that her "drive" is showing up in increasingly concentrated and unconventional ways. And her antics in general are frustrating and limiting to her own commercial potential. But IMO it doesn't present as representative of diminished dedication or motivation. 

 

Lastly, the industry is extremely different now to 2006 (when that Madge performance took place). Music still sold then. So artists, big and small, were pounding every promotional platform to sell their music. Now, there is zero coin in music and the real wins are on the road. If artists as big as Bey go about performing for "free", it arguably diminishes the "premium" of making people pay top dollar to see her live.

 

As someone who came into standom because of iconic performances, I personally don't like the changes as it means we as the fans get less. Not just from Bey but everyone. At the same time, I really respect Bey for knowing her premium and flexing it. She didn't sweat her weave out all those decades to still be hustling like the rent is due now. She worked to effectively become a special/rare attraction, which ultimately yields more $$$ too. 

 

She for sure can and should be doing more, but I don't think it's fair to suggest diminished drive.

I will have to disagree. The fact that she cannot be bothered to go out there to showcase the art and performance she's worked so much on and share it with the world just tells me that she has lost the drive and passion for it. Simple as that. 
 

And I don't mean it in a 'visit every late night show' way obviously, but at least do the major award shows. Like she did for ST and Lem.

 

The tour was incredible indeed but it's not the same as televised award show performances. Very different mediums. 
 

She clearly still loves making music as the results have been overwhelmingly good, but it feels like it's just a fun side activity for her now. Which is all fair and square, she's been at it for so long and has more than earned to be in this position. But that doesn't mean it doesn't sting and disappoint as a fan.

 

I do agree however that the industry changing has probably played a lot into this. Because if she was at the same point in her career back in 2006 I'm sure things would've played out completely different. 

Edited June 1, 20242 yr by AxelFox

10 minutes ago, Kingdom said:

People like you really really need to go stan someone else. Saying bey doesn't have passion or drive for her art is truly asinine and just plain du**. You think COWBOY CARTER was made without passion or drive? you think any of her peers have the balls or DRIVE to do that?

 

Please let us  be serious for once. 

I didn't mean the passion and drive for creating art but for sharing it with the world and making people feel how proud of it she is, like she used to in the good old days. I believe they're two different things that are not mutually exclusive. 
 

Stanning somebody else does nothing and I don't see how that's related. I actually do listen to a lot of new music frequently and disocver new artists. But me falling in love with a new album doesn't mean I love Renaissance less now and don't resent the fact that it could've been a much more exciting experience for her fans. 

Edited June 1, 20242 yr by AxelFox

I think Beyonce is just tired of the music industry and noticed that the industry has  changed drastically. No offense but the new Hollywood seem like it's only for basic ******* Male or Female to thrive. I know from being an outsider scrolling through Stan Twitter to see that the ideal Superstar is just not in anymore. It's a good thing Bey already has her legacy and started early.