base talk The Guardian: ANTI, Ctrl & Blonde revolutionized R&B

[istan4badgalriri]

Quote

Bad Habit captures all the brilliance of Lacy’s outstanding second record Gemini Rights – its sun-warmed cocktail of indie-rock, pop and R&B – but it also represents the apex of a few trends that have been percolating over the last few years.

 

It’s the most popular (and, arguably, best) song to spring forth from the new wave of TikTok-beloved lo-fi bedroom pop stars such as Clairo and Beabadoobee; at the same time, it fulfils the promise of Rihanna’s Anti, SZA’s Ctrl and Frank Ocean’s Blonde, three mid-2010s records that brought a profoundly indie, guitar-centric sensibility to the shimmering textures and graceful heartache of R&B, and went on to revolutionise a genre and inspire an entire generation of shy, weirdo would-be pop stars. Lacy is a deserving heir to those artists’ thrones – and, if Bad Habit is anything to go by, he’ll scuff and stumble his way there, Bottega Veneta-clad eyes firmly trained on his shoes.

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2022/dec/05/the-20-best-songs-of-2022

 

[PoisonedIvy]

House of Balloons/Echoes of Silence (or hell just Trilogy in general) deserve to be listed here but aside from that snub they’re right  

 

Well, I personally don’t know the impact of CTRL -on other artists- yet but maybe I just haven’t seen it in the R&B spaces I’ve landed in. Ari Lennox, Summer Walker, Kehlani, Chloe x Halle, and other contemporary female r&b artists that I listen to aren’t really replicating CTRL in the same way that Blonde, Trilogy, and Anti have been by others at this point. But if anyone has any counterpoints please send them my way. CTRL is obviously super successful and I wouldn’t doubt its influence for a moment if I had personally seen it

[Khal]

It's an extremely generous compliment to say ANTI and CTRL "revolutionised" the entire genre, despite the fact that they're good albums, but okay   

[ugo]

25 minutes ago, istan4badgalriri said:

it fulfils the promise of Rihanna’s Anti, SZA’s Ctrl and Frank Ocean’s Blonde, three mid records 

Indeed 

[Armani?]

The Steve Lacy PR working overtime 

[Sex with Rih]

11 minutes ago, ugo said:

Indeed 

[MingYouToo]

is it really fair to say ANTi is as r&b as CTRL and Blonde? I think ANTi is rihanna's shining crown of glory but its definitely a pop record with strong r&b influences, kiss it better and love on the brain alone. Rihanna and Ariana are in the same vein of r&b pop lbr.  The Weeknd's earlier works imo should be here instead.

[perfillusion]

ANTI? Meh

[Body Talk]

Ummm 4, channel ORANGE & Kaleidoscope Dream did this in 2011/2012 in the heyday of EDM/Pop dominance while many other R&B acts had abandoned the genre for David Guetta records. Disrespectful.

[EdgeofTeeth]

I get the sense that they're talking about diversifying R&B sounds/expanding the genre by successfully incorporating many others that aren't "traditional" R&B or pop. All three of these albums did this very well.

[Draper.]

Do you read when you say The Weeknd should be here?

 

“mid-2010s records that brought a profoundly indie, guitar-centric sensibility to the shimmering textures and graceful heartache of R&B”

 

The Weeknd wasn’t really doing neither indie nor R&B mid-2010s, and he never went guitar-centric like the slower songs on these records. Those records have a similar vibe, but Lemonade, DAMN and A Seat at the Table would definitely join them to define a moment in black music (2016-2017). What I think they miss to identify is that Blood Orange is easily the most recognizable sound reference in Bad Habit.

Edited December 5, 2022 by Draper.

[Sex with Rih]

The guardian>>> unemployed ATRL twinks anyday.

Edited December 5, 2022 by Sex with Rih
Error

[istan4badgalriri]

11 minutes ago, MingYouToo said:

is it really fair to say ANTi is as r&b as CTRL and Blonde? I think ANTi is rihanna's shining crown of glory but its definitely a pop record with strong r&b influences, kiss it better and love on the brain alone. Rihanna and Ariana are in the same vein of r&b pop lbr.  The Weeknd's earlier works imo should be here instead.

Anti is definitely not a pop album   Work is the closest thing to pop on that album, because it's dancehall. Kiss It Better got nominated in R&B Song at the Grammys and LOTB is clearly soul/R&B

[simon]

15 minutes ago, Body Talk said:

Ummm 4, channel ORANGE & Kaleidoscope Dream did this in 2011/2012 in the heyday of EDM/Pop dominance while many other R&B acts had abandoned the genre for David Guetta records. Disrespectful.

I agree that this is a better trilogy to reference.

[Digitalism]

It seem like we are on that stage were young people are starting to write for these publications and they don't really know music history.

As people already said the guitar driven rnb started because of chanel orange and trilogy not those albums. And imo they all own that to D'angelo's Voodoo. Embarrasing article

[ugo]

3 minutes ago, Sex with Rih said:

The guardian>>> unemployed ATRL twinks anyday.

Not really there's really fine line between been a music writer and unemployed 

[PoisonedIvy]

12 minutes ago, Draper. said:

Do you read when you say The Weeknd should be here?

 

“mid-2010s records that brought a profoundly indie, guitar-centric sensibility to the shimmering textures and graceful heartache of R&B”

 

The Weeknd wasn’t really doing neither indie nor R&B mid-2010s, and he never went guitar-centric like the slower songs on these records. 

Wicked Games is probably the most notable song of his first 4 projects (Trilogy + Kissland) and that is absolutely a guitar centric r&b track. In fact there was pretty much nothing in R&B like it until he did it, and you can draw a direct map from that song to Kiss It Better imo. I know they’re referencing the mid-2010s and Trilogy is early but imo that just means -he- revolutionized R&B but they’re just not going back far enough to recognize that. 
 

And not you saying he wasn’t doing r&b when that’s exactly what he was doing at first until BBTM

Edited December 5, 2022 by WeFoundTrouble

[Kiel D-01]

Ctrl and blonde yes. anti, nope! 

[Rihannito]

I heard Rihanna has no impact when literally her album has revolutionized an entire genre! Not to mention it was in the top ten of every best albums decade list, its amazing long lasting streams speak for themselves, being on the billboard 200 end chart list for 7 years straight, longest charting album by a black female artist of all time. On its way to selling 5 millions in the US alone. 
 

*giggles hysterically***

[Rihannito]

40 minutes ago, ugo said:

Indeed 

Nuuuuursee

[RihannaLoverrr]

ANTi 

 

[Antisocialites]

it's true, it's true. three amazing records, can't say I'm surprised that ATRL is fuming. 

[Rev8]

Endless carried Blonde

[Draper.]

24 minutes ago, WeFoundTrouble said:

Wicked Games is probably the most notable song of his first 4 projects (Trilogy + Kissland) and that is absolutely a guitar centric r&b track. In fact there was pretty much nothing in R&B like it until he did it, and you can draw a direct map from that song to Kiss It Better imo. I know they’re referencing the mid-2010s and Trilogy is early but imo that just means -he- revolutionized R&B but they’re just not going back far enough to recognize that. 
 

And not you saying he wasn’t doing r&b when that’s exactly what he was doing at first until BBTM

You said it: “until BBTM”, that’s early 10s not mid. And still his sound aligns more with the darker tones of Miguel, Nostalgia, Ultra or Usher’s Climax from the early 10s. They don’t reference that sound. Kiss It Better neither, more like Same Ol Mistakes-Never Ending-Love On the Brain-Higher from Anti, which clearly aligns better with Ctrl and Blonde. They don’t state those are the only records to revolutionize R&B tho.

[Cheers]

ANTI for sure