base talk 1 Decade Ago: Beyoncé surprise drops her self-titled album. Thoughts on it today?

[Raspberries]

7 hours ago, Alexz said:

I feel like she needed this release with the eighteen music videos for free because the quality wasn't there so she needed a gimmick. The album hasn't endured the test of time, it’s dated and very of its time.

This from a Britney Spears fan

[Sailor Moon]

A MOMENT

I remember watching all the videos and being so hyped up

[Starshine]

Her 2nd best album.

[Gelato]

We need Grown Woman on streaming 

Edited December 13, 2023 by Gelato

[teenager]

cultural reset

[FSXP]

it’s a moment in pop culture that we will never forget. After a year of popstars constantly telling us over and over through large campaigns that an album was their most personal, it became sort of a joke that whenever an artists says that the album was terrible. Then BOOM, Beyoncé surprise drops an album that was her most personal and she didn’t need to state it. It’s an understatement to say this album changed the industry and set a standard. Beyoncé traded stats for culture currency which she still holds today. Beyond that, the music on this album STILL holds up. Most of the production is still on par with 2023 albums and songs in quality. I remember when the argument was that the visuals elevated the music, but the music is so influential. This album help moved Alternative R&B into mainstream. It’s a pre-cursor to the dominance of The Weeknd. 

Edited December 13, 2023 by FSXP

[truthteller]

this may be ageing better than Lemonade i fear

[Shelter]

What a moment it was seeing it all over ITunes that day 

 

Still a great album, can she throw Grown Woman on streaming now 

[Shelter]

1 hour ago, Raspberries said:

This from a Britney Spears fan

Pathetic right 

[Peroxide]

Yeah this was SUCH a moment. What an album too.

 

Beyoncé changed the game with this album. Surprise drop's were called "pulling a Beyoncé" for quite some time... 

 

Probably my favourite project from her.

[shyboi]

I love the album but I don't remember this moment tbh. I remember I was all about Miley back then

[Comedor]

2 hours ago, Gelato said:

We need Grown Woman on streaming 

And while we have her attention please also upload Woman Like Me.

[TMRA]

Ugh an ICONIC moment. I remember waking up, going to twitter and seeing a pirate link for a new Beyonce Visual album. Never downloaded anything faster

[Jjang]

Iconic release but the album kinda aged for me.

 

my faves: 

Blow

Partition 

Rocket

Superpower

Blue 

[El Chico]

It’s a pop culture moment I’ll never forget. I remember waking up before school and seeing all the news online them coming on here and seeing everyone’s reaction (was lurking back then). What a time to be alive 

[Doogle]

This was truly a moment in history. This was such an important moment for me at 16, it is literally MY version of whatever huge pop culture moment that left a mark on people pre internet.

 

Being on a school trip with no data or access to iTunes and having to wait until really late at night and finally pressing play. I wanna cry, the nostalgia omggg

[Just a Gay on ATRL]

She surprise dropped this album during finals week in my first semester of freshmen year of college. I was up all night anyway to study, but it was hard to focus. I just wanted to take this era in its fully glory. I was completely floored by the music and the visuals of this album.  It has held up too. One of the best albums of the millennium & one of the most influential albums to my modern day taste in music. She really raised the bar for artists of so many different genres here: pop, R&B & rap specifically. I’m still baffled it was not awarded AOTY at the Scammys over a Beck album that seems relatively forgotten in the pop culture zeitgeist. The Scammys are so unserious for that.

[Rafael]

The iconic sales prediction threads where we went from "she's flopping hard, what has she done to herself" to "she's a ******* legend" in a day

 

It started with debuting with 80K for the whole 3 days... then official reports showing she did 80K in 3 hours... then 200K for the 3 days.... then 400K.... then 600K... then 800K being the final numbers.

 

Just legendary times

 

 

[Rafael]

Also, the fact that no one can call it a gimmick since the quality of the material was there to back up the bold release strategy. It wouldn't have the same effect had the material been bad.

 

She snatched 2013 for her in the final 20 days of the year.

 

I can't with this album... it really was a pop culture moment for the books.

Edited December 13, 2023 by Rafael
.

[VerdantHue]

I will never forget going onto iTunes that day, seeing Beyoncé plastered everywhere. It was overwhelming with how many songs and videos but she really set the bar.

[kataraqueen]

It was a total gag and she'll always have that

[DamianSolo]

11 hours ago, Iyanla, Fix Me said:

The true beauty of music! Happy you had that album to enjoy while simultaneously dealing with something difficult personally. 

Thank you. I am as well, especially with it being during the holiday season. It made things brighter, truly, due to my own love and enjoyment for and of Beyoncé.

[Love4Janet]

Considering most of the conversation surrounding the album is about the way it was released and not its content even ten years later... 

 

A bad album then and now. Lemonade too, while we're at it

[KatyPrismSpirit]

This album revolutionized the pop landscape completely. It stepped the game up for music. Music wasn't the same before and after this album. And this album reminds me so much of better times when I was so young. I was only 11 when this dropped which is crazy to think about. 

 

My fav songs

Blow (het best song AND video oat)

Mine

Rocket

 

[KatyPrismSpirit]

8 hours ago, Starshine said:

Her 2nd best album.

oh pls. none of her albums touch self-titled. its her undisputed magnum opus. i believe beyonce herself would agree