base talk Better Writing Camps: Rihanna Vs Beyonce

[Kimmo]

Is 2024 and is not a surprise some artists like Selena, Demi, Carly Rae etc, and more use writing camps, most notably Rih and Bey… but which one of these two has a better ear to pick the best hit songs from those camps? 

[Parallel]

Rih tbh, so many of her rejects were hits for other artists too

[slw84]

Rihanna.

Rihanna's was more public and an event.

 

The back to back to back to back to back slayage of the camps were a cult classic me fears especially that three peat: Loud - Talk that talk- Unapologetic 

[Kimmo]

8 minutes ago, slw84 said:

Rihanna.

Rihanna's was more public and an event.

 

The back to back to back to back to back slayage of the camps were a cult classic me fears especially that three peat: Loud - Talk that talk- Unapologetic 

Loud and Talk that Talk really packed hits after hits, Rihanna really was on fire during that time 

[Odette Violet]

I love Bey but Miss Avon this time. Her catalogue of hits is immaculate  

[PYT]

 

She has the ears for BOPS and BOPS! Still waiting for R9 

[Slap]

The blasphemy! The only writing camp Beyonce has ever been on was in HEAVEN with god when they wrote Ave Maria together. 
 

[itshyolee]

As a fan of both, you're messy as hell for this thread.

 

Might have to go with Rih though

[Summerboy95]

In relation to making high-quality music that is commercially successful for all ages, cultures, and transcends generations? Rihanna

 

In relation to creating music for headlines or tweets where an illusion can be created that the music is of unparalleled quality and absolute perfection, when in reality, the music is quite generic and something anyone could make? Beyoncé

 

 

[Josh]

Rihanna's writing camp never gave her a song as bad as 1+1 or If I Were a Boy

[Kimmo]

25 minutes ago, PYT said:

 

She has the ears for BOPS and BOPS! Still waiting for R9 

Unfortunately with all the money her brands are making shes busy being a Boss Lady making more sitting at home and attending fashion shows while bossing people around… she has no time for an album

 

She's got all the money, I wouldn't even touch a studio anymore …

Edited September 18 by Kimmo

[bielneira]

Beyoncé's

[JonginBey]

Bey's. The acclaim speaks for itself 

[sweetkiss]

they had same songwriters so it all comes down to who we like to hear sing them, i clicked on rih , no disrespect to beyonce but rihanna voice is more pleasant

[charot]

The one with good melodies and replay value 

[yonsé]

they literally had the same people in both writing camps.

 

the dream, sia, tricky stewart, pharrell, mike dean....i can go on

[trainsskyscrapers]

I'm going to say both:

 

Rihanna comes in looking for handfuls of hits, and always finds them. I'm not talking about songs that were commissioned for her (her work with Sia, Dr. Luke, Ester Dean/StarGate, Mike-Will-Made-It, and Kanye), but demos:

 

"Stay" (w/ Mikky Ekko), "Umbrella", "Love On The Brain",  "Disturbia", "Loveeeeee Song", "We Found Love", Cheers (Drink To That)", "Work", "Needed Me", "California King Bed", "BBHMM".

 

 

Beyoncé, on the other hand, comes in looking for both amazing album tracks and diamonds in the rough, and finds ways to bend the rough diamonds into her overarching vision, sometimes splicing multiple songs together.

 

Case in point:

 

- "Jealous" being taken from this:

 

To this:

 

 

- Her splicing together Caroline Polachek's demo for "No Angel" with a rapped verse to fill in an instrumental break from another song presented by James Fauntleroy.

 

- Adding separate song "Cherry" to create a bridge in "Blow".

 

- "Pure / Honey" & "Sweet • Honey • Buckin"

 

- Her splicing together a verse/hook from Father John Misty, a chorus from Vampire Weekend/Diplo, her own rapped second verse, a bridge from MNEK, and an outro from Soulja Boy to create "Hold Up".

 

- Sean Garrett offering his "Ne-Yo album track"-sounding version of "Lay Up Under Me", and Beyoncé restructuring it, changing verses, adding a post-chorus, and turning it into something Quincy Jones + MJ / Prince would've been proud of.

 

[James_Joint]

The numbers say Rihanna 

[Smarticle]

Rih for the GP friendly hits

[I'm JAVIng Fun]

I say Rihanna's tbh

[Minto]

bey's writing camp is more refined and tasteful whilst rih writing camp just throw anything to the wall and then sell off what she doesn't like to the next pop girl…..rih & her team just know how to pick the diamonds in the rough.

 

Edited September 18 by Minto

[Calvin]

Rihanna

[trainsskyscrapers]

32 minutes ago, Minto said:

rih & her team just know how to pick the diamonds in the rough

This is where I disagree.

If the song isn't to a level that a hit can be made, Rihanna & her team reject flat out.

I can't think of any instance where a "rough diamond" demo came in and Rih + her team actually took time to improve it or make it better. That's Bey's MO.

 

However, Rihanna's lack of song development has become a blessing in disguise for the pop world (and Roc Nation) as it literally created full albums of Rih-jects with BIG UK hits for former Roc labelmates Rita Ora and Alexis Jordan, birthed Jessie J the singer (not the songwriter) with "Do It Like A Dude", helped craft Selena Gomez' / Miley Cyrus' musical identities outside of Disney ("We Can't Stop", "23", "Same Old Love", "Come & Get It"), as well as created 2 of Willow Smith's first 3 singles (21st Century Girl + Fireball w/ Nicki Minaj).

[Pikachoo]

this is so shady  

[LOTF]

Both way more interesting than the output of certain singer songwriters whose catalogs are mostly self written that's for sure