3 hours ago, Just a Gay on ATRL said:

Lemonade > Renaissance > ST > B'Day > 4 > Cowboy Carter > I Am...Sasha Fierce > Dangerously In Love

 

thank you

 

1 hour ago, Just a Gay on ATRL said:

Can the girls disliking my post tell me what they didn't like? Could be a fun discussion! 

Lol. 

 

I love the Hive and the vastness of Bey's base, because the answer about her best album will always elicit a different response. 

 

As for your picks, I'm with you on the Rennie, B'Day, 4 love (though the order, for me, goes a lil something like Rennie+4 tied > B'Day > then the rest).

 

I don't see it for Lemonade (in the way the gworls all do), though. And I will scream it til the end of time (no pun intended). I cannot shake the belief that the stans more so go up for the ERA than the ALBUM. There's a false equivalency that I think goes over most heads. 

 

The Lemonade era is objectively iconic. The Formation video drop, the Super Bowl, the visual film, the personal revelations, the FWT, the critical acclaim of it all. It tangibly brought about a shift in how she was seen and ushered her into bonafide legend status. Not icon alone, but legend. 

 

HOWEVER...

IMO, it's hilarious for the girls to sit here and pretend that its MUSIC holds any kind of candle to her truly resonating iconic material (and I don't just mean the old stuff, cus the Rennie material is now up there with her most culturally iconic). There are no petitions and marches in the street lol when she constantly omits most of the Lemonade material from her tours besides Formation the song. IMO, the lack of concern en masse says everything that needs to be said. 

 

Plus, much like CC to me, I will never get a world where the least sounding Beyonce albums (in the guise of what her actual trademark sound, image, and aesthetic etc give) are the projects some will claim to be her...best. Like, I'm elated she won AOTY, but it will always be tinged with a smidge of irritation by the fact that she wins/is most revered when she does the exact opposite of what her mainstay is. IMO it minimizes the quality perception of what she "usually" does.

 

Lemonade, to me, will always stand as a narratively necessary era for her career arc (same with CC), but for so many reasons is borderline ineligible to objectively/genuinely be her...best. 

 

Just my two cents.

so is all night already dead on streaming despite still getting viral tiktoks ?

6 hours ago, Cbreezy said:

 

Lol. 

 

I love the Hive and the vastness of Bey's base, because the answer about her best album will always elicit a different response. 

 

As for your picks, I'm with you on the Rennie, B'Day, 4 love (though the order, for me, goes a lil something like Rennie+4 tied > B'Day > then the rest).

 

I don't see it for Lemonade (in the way the gworls all do), though. And I will scream it til the end of time (no pun intended). I cannot shake the belief that the stans more so go up for the ERA than the ALBUM. There's a false equivalency that I think goes over most heads. 

 

The Lemonade era is objectively iconic. The Formation video drop, the Super Bowl, the visual film, the personal revelations, the FWT, the critical acclaim of it all. It tangibly brought about a shift in how she was seen and ushered her into bonafide legend status. Not icon alone, but legend. 

 

HOWEVER...

IMO, it's hilarious for the girls to sit here and pretend that its MUSIC holds any kind of candle to her truly resonating iconic material (and I don't just mean the old stuff, cus the Rennie material is now up there with her most culturally iconic). There are no petitions and marches in the street lol when she constantly omits most of the Lemonade material from her tours besides Formation the song. IMO, the lack of concern en masse says everything that needs to be said. 

 

Plus, much like CC to me, I will never get a world where the least sounding Beyonce albums (in the guise of what her actual trademark sound, image, and aesthetic etc give) are the projects some will claim to be her...best. Like, I'm elated she won AOTY, but it will always be tinged with a smidge of irritation by the fact that she wins/is most revered when she does the exact opposite of what her mainstay is. IMO it minimizes the quality perception of what she "usually" does.

 

Lemonade, to me, will always stand as a narratively necessary era for her career arc (same with CC), but for so many reasons is borderline ineligible to objectively/genuinely be her...best. 

 

Just my two cents.

Friend. . . I thought I'd never see the day where I'd have to admit that you were dead ass wrong and bat **** psychotic❗️Like, MY GOD! We're usually on the same page, babe, we're not even on the same book shelf about "LEMONADE". 
 

 

 

Definitely agree about CC though! Some of her most prestige and masterful songs, but not her greatest album after pumping out straight masterpieces 'albums' for twelve years straight! I think I view "COWBOY CARTER" the was ppl view "I Am. . . Sasha Fierce". 

Lemonade slander? Oh wow

 

Also the performance argument is really weak and wrong. Shes performed Freedom, Hold Up, Dont Hurt Yourself, Daddy Lesson to an extent and Formation quite frequently in the past 10 years.

 

What has she performed from 4 or Bday frequently in the past 10 years?

Bday: a bit Deja Vu and Resentment?

4: LOT, I Care, RTW

 

Thats not more than the songs shes been performing from Lemonade @Cbreezy 

"4" is still my personal fav album of hers.

 

"Renaissance" is absolutely my #2. What a brilliant piece of music art. If there's an album that was robbed badly the AOTY title is Renny.

11 hours ago, Joaco95 said:

 

i need yonce version to leak (if it was recorded) 

same writer as iiwab

Alicia recorded a version of this

 

In terms of being a visionary, creating art and creating a body of work, these are the top 3 Beyonce albums:

 

First tier:

1. Lemonade

2. Cowboy Carter

3. Renaissance

 

Second Tier:

4. 4

5. The Gift

6. ST (some incredible highs, but lacks the cohesion of the first 5)

 

For the first three, she shouldve won AOTY because all 3 albums are part of the best albums of the 21st century this far.

 

Im not saying the other albums are bad, some hold some of her very best singles, but they overall read more like a culmination of singles rather than full body of works that serve as an artistic expression. Trust, Bey would agree.

Edited August 29, 20251 yr by Kristie Kuwa

4 hours ago, TizTiz said:

Friend. . . I thought I'd never see the day where I'd have to admit that you were dead ass wrong and bat **** psychotic❗️Like, MY GOD! We're usually on the same page, babe, we're not even on the same book shelf about "LEMONADE". 
 

 

 

Definitely agree about CC though! Some of her most prestige and masterful songs, but not her greatest album after pumping out straight masterpieces 'albums' for twelve years straight! I think I view "COWBOY CARTER" the was ppl view "I Am. . . Sasha Fierce". 

It's all love friend, lol!

I always brace for lashings when I let loose about Lemonade. I stand ten toes down on my stance, but I also love that our fave has such a diverse/rich catalog and career that sparks such strong sentiments both ways.

 

Interesting point re CC and IASF. 

 

For me, and it's the part I think most overlook when I unpack my take on Lemonade, CC and Lemonade are extremely vital to her catalog and story and, at their points of release, were crucial to helping her level up (commercially, critically, etc). It's just not where I (personally) feel the "most iconic/representative of Beoynce as an artistic proposition" material lives.

8 hours ago, period sis said:

so is all night already dead on streaming despite still getting viral tiktoks ?

Maybe your algorithms are heavily beyonce, but it's not that viral yet, like it's getting not even 5 k videos made on the viral sound compared to her previous viral tracks 50k videos daily.   Wait until it's getting 20k or more to decide.

 

The fact that it's getting half a million daily streams from 5k daily videos is impressive - Tyrant's viral sound has 900k videos and could barely get more than 500k 

50 minutes ago, Cbreezy said:

It's all love friend, lol!

I always brace for lashings when I let loose about Lemonade. I stand ten toes down on my stance, but I also love that our fave has such a diverse/rich catalog and career that sparks such strong sentiments both ways.

 

Interesting point re CC and IASF. 

 

For me, and it's the part I think most overlook when I unpack my take on Lemonade, CC and Lemonade are extremely vital to her catalog and story and, at their points of release, were crucial to helping her level up (commercially, critically, etc). It's just not where I (personally) feel the "most iconic/representative of Beoynce as an artistic proposition" material lives.

I think that's so interesting to read, especially since Im sure it's quite representative of a LOT of people. Your idea of who Beyoncé is and how she essentially feels stems from the first half of her career. That makes total sense: The sensual, sassy, funky RnB singer from Houston who is powerful, ferocious, and daring.

 

I think it's just that there is a phase 2 to Beyoncé that has emerged ever since taking matters into her own hands aka founding Parkwood: The curator, the music professor, the ARTIST. 

It's a different type of Beyoncé, and it's the Beyoncé you see clearest in Lemonade, Rennie and CC. 

1 hour ago, Lose My Breath said:

Maybe your algorithms are heavily beyonce, but it's not that viral yet, like it's getting not even 5 k videos made on the viral sound compared to her previous viral tracks 50k videos daily.   Wait until it's getting 20k or more to decide.

 

The fact that it's getting half a million daily streams from 5k daily videos is impressive - Tyrant's viral sound has 900k videos and could barely get more than 500k 

That's cause the geepee said no the actual song, which most of y'all want to deny 

 

 

no shade at all but Lemonade requires a type of refined musical taste that a lot of y'all simply don't have 

 

the fact that the same people who hate Lemonade will look you dead in the eye and say that B'Day is her best album kinda says everything 

I wonder how she'll announce Act III. Super Bowl again? Grammy teasing? 

53 minutes ago, Golden said:

That's cause the geepee said no the actual song, which most of y'all want to deny 

Oh, I knew they wouldn't be here for the track   I was never team Tyrant for single release lol

 

 

I wish there was a version of Lemonade on Spotify with the poems. It just elevates the music soooo much

Her teeth.... as confetti 

12 minutes ago, dnboy1 said:

I wonder how she'll announce Act III. Super Bowl again? Grammy teasing? 

If its Rock, she should premier it with a live performance and be the Rockstar baddie she wants to be 

1 hour ago, Lose My Breath said:

Oh, I knew they wouldn't be here for the track   I was never team Tyrant for single release lol

 

 

Bodyguard.. the actual hit that got away

13 minutes ago, Golden said:

Bodyguard.. the actual hit that got away

Its actually insane how that one didnt pop off considering the fact that Fleetwood Mac are still pulling in insane streaming numbers with Dreams or The Chain (more than any Bey song currently nnn). 

Listening today number 1s and stand up for love made me cry 😢 just a tear or two. I was feeling it

1 hour ago, Kristie Kuwa said:

Its actually insane how that one didnt pop off considering the fact that Fleetwood Mac are still pulling in insane streaming numbers with Dreams or The Chain (more than any Bey song currently nnn). 

Because she didn't ******* push it. Bodyguard and Tyrant scream singles.

4 hours ago, Kristie Kuwa said:

I think that's so interesting to read, especially since Im sure it's quite representative of a LOT of people. Your idea of who Beyoncé is and how she essentially feels stems from the first half of her career. That makes total sense: The sensual, sassy, funky RnB singer from Houston who is powerful, ferocious, and daring.

 

I think it's just that there is a phase 2 to Beyoncé that has emerged ever since taking matters into her own hands aka founding Parkwood: The curator, the music professor, the ARTIST. 

It's a different type of Beyoncé, and it's the Beyoncé you see clearest in Lemonade, Rennie and CC. 

You touch on something that I think is really interesting, and I appreciate the nuance of your take on my take (if that makes any sense lol), because you absolutely hit the nail on the head in some regards. 

 

As a fan from literally the first DC single, I am indeed very dialed into the DNA of where Bey started, what propelled her to new heights, and IMO, what makes up the core of her artistic proposition (even as she continues to break new ground now). 

 

She absolutely has evolved and, as you mentioned, has a career that is kind of split in two (I'd loosely say the pre-ST years and the post-ST years). I legit appreciate both, as it's not lost on me that had she carried on being the rump-shaking showgirl (alone), she would definitely not be as revered as she is now. She would probably be the queen of Vegas or something (in the most premium, "nothing left to prove" kinda way). 

 

So, trust that I will always appreciate the bold, experimental, and altogether deeper artistic ground of her post ST run. They are necessary, and there is no conceivable way she is the level of queen she is without it. 

 

At the same time, and maybe it's just because of when I started stanning her, I can't be convinced that Beyonce (even as of today) doesn't have a specific core musical DNA, sound, vibe, performance style that specifically defines...her. And I just struggle to fully giddy up to the idea that it's the music that is the least reminiscent of that which is somehow her... best. In one regard, it can be argued that she has simply evolved into her best self and most artistically astute self. I can accept that. But on the other hand (which is where the crux of my issue rests), it's odd that she is one of the few MPG most celebrated for the corners of her catlog that are the least aligned with what defines her musical DNA.

 

BTW, I must also stress that Rennie is actually my fave album of hers. So my stance is not necessarily a stance tethered to the  Old Bey vs New Bey debate. I just think I have a perpetual issue with her being most rewarded and literally awarded when she drives in the direction furthest from the material BEYONCE (the artist) is most beloved for (Rennie being the exception, as it's what I expect a Beyonce project to give in 2000-and-now).  So, in saying that, I think maybe my "beef," so to speak, is less so with fellow stans but with the bizarreness of how her music is received critically. Aka the less "Beyonce" she is the better.

 

On the Hive front, we all have individual hot takes. I will say, though, as a sidebar, in my own lil orbit and online, I've clocked that newer fans (many of those who weren't there in those early eras) naturally tend to gravitate towards the newer albums. Which makes TOTAL sense. Add to that the fact that Lemonade represented a shift that saw her most embraced by critics than ever (a stan bragging right), and it figures why it's latched on to so much. Even if she doesn't latch those songs onto her setlists. 

 

Spoiler

Don't shoot me either, but if it was what some of y'all profess it to be, those streams wouldn't be looking like they look. And trust me, it's not just a Tidal thing.

 

7 minutes ago, Cbreezy said:

 

  Hide contents

Don't shoot me either, but if it was what some of y'all profess it to be, those streams wouldn't be looking like they look. And trust me, it's not just a Tidal thing.

 

Renaissance's streams are just as bad as Lemonade's, in fact worse considering Lem has been pulling a little more these past few days. According to this logic that means Renaissance isn't all that either, right ? 

 

And Ren doesn't even have the Tidal thing to be used as an excuse 

Edited August 29, 20251 yr by ScorpiosGroove

12 minutes ago, ScorpiosGroove said:

Renaissance's streams are just as bad as Lemonade's, in fact worse considering Lem has been pulling a little more these past few days. According to this logic that means Renaissance isn't all that either, right ? 

 

And Ren doesn't even have the Tidal thing to be used as an excuse 

Fair clap back lol (although the streams aren't where the lion's share of my take resides).