The 3 act project sounded good in theory, but I feel it was just too ambitious. Now it's become a bit of a mess and seems all over the place with no real direction.

Seemingly a rare misstep for her. But I firmly believe her perfectionist nature is fully to blame here.

At this point I am convinced act iii is no longer rock.

46 minutes ago, Redporus said:

At this point I am convinced act iii is no longer rock.

I kinda feel that way now, too. I feel like she changed it.

38 minutes ago, Ari29 said:

The 3 act project sounded good in theory, but I feel it was just too ambitious. Now it's become a bit of a mess and seems all over the place with no real direction.

Seemingly a rare misstep for her. But I firmly believe her perfectionist nature is fully to blame here.

I mean, that's the point of it. No one else can commit to a project like this. It's a matter of experience, industry respect (she's got Grace Jones, Stevie Wonder, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Nile Rodgers, Sheila E and an approved Beatles cover on the albums, custom garments for herself, Blue and the dancers in the tours that change in most dates) and economic investment (the possibility of working on 3 albums at the same time, having writing camps for each album, the amount of samples, filming visuals for all three albums with their respective reshoots that might or might not ever come out).

She's at the perfect intersection of her creative peak, not being bound to certain commercial expectations (like releasing gp friendly music every year to keep streaming afloat) and having enough money to actually develop her ideas to their full potential. No one else is at that stage on their careers and no one is actively working to being at that stage. Some mistakes are inevitable with a project of this scope, but calling the project a misstep feels like an overstatement.

1 hour ago, Ari29 said:

The 3 act project sounded good in theory, but I feel it was just too ambitious. Now it's become a bit of a mess and seems all over the place with no real direction.

Seemingly a rare misstep for her. But I firmly believe her perfectionist nature is fully to blame here.

I disagree - all she logically needs to do to wrap this trilogy is release a good album in a new genre territory and it'll be an instantly classic music project. I don't think we're far off from that reality.

When it comes to extra-musical content that supports the three-act album project (tours, visuals, single pushes, live performances, promotion, merch, vinyls, etc), that's where Bey and Parkwood have stumbled. But even within those, they've been quite good at making new leaps for the Beyonce brand;

• Successful back to back stadium tours

• Re-defining Bey's performance style

• Multiple viral performance moments / choreographies / routines / challenges

• Multiple solo No. 1s

• Better merch than the Lemonade era

• Decent vinyl packages (in the end)

• Pre-order bundles

• Mystery bundles

• Merch bundles

• Pop-up shops/exhibits

• A tour film in cinemas

6 minutes ago, nooniebao said:

Now is the time to read unbiased reviews. It was scientifically tested 3rd party on 30 people. The Cecred website has exactly 30 reviews from months ago. I love the transparency on their website!

1 hour ago, Redporus said:

At this point I am convinced act iii is no longer a thing

Fixed it for you

21 minutes ago, alien superstore said:

When it comes to extra-musical content that supports the three-act album project (tours, visuals, single pushes, live performances, promotion, merch, vinyls, etc), that's where Bey and Parkwood have stumbled.

I wasn't really clear in my initial post, but I didn't mean the entire 3 act project itself was a misstep - the handling and forward facing communication of it is, imo. There's too much confusion around it not to be labeled as such.

Also feel like calling it a trilogy created an unofficial time frame - I may be in the minority but i thought we'd be wrapping up this trilogy by 2027, now it looks like it'll just be starting in '27.

I have no complaints about the musical output (except that Morning Dew remix) just wish the messaging was more clear.

thee horse album being the only act 3 in sight

not all these paragraph responses lord.

lives and holes were changed

35 minutes ago, Devin said:

not all these paragraph responses lord.

how else would u like us to talk to eachother x

24 minutes ago, cloudbusting said:

lives and holes were changed

Pharrell put his whole p*ssy into this song

its over.

7 minutes ago, Devin said:

its over.

It´s over FOR WHAT? Nobody cares about such a random "record"

2 Albums and 2 Tours have passed, and we are STILL waiting on the "traditional rollout and promo that we have never seen" that Yvette promised us. I guess she meant promo we will never see.

3 hours ago, Ari29 said:

The 3 act project sounded good in theory, but I feel it was just too ambitious. Now it's become a bit of a mess and seems all over the place with no real direction.

Seemingly a rare misstep for her. But I firmly believe her perfectionist nature is fully to blame here.

I disagree. She has created an argument for the most musically expansive + critically acclaimed 7th, 8th, and (potentially) 9th albums while still a key figure of the music industry zeitgeist in history. The acclaim shows it, the unsung heroes each project woke up and brought renewed attention to show it, the sold-out short (but strategically-venued) stadium tours show it, the spaces each album remain sacred to show it, and the fact every song has charted on Part 1 and Part II shows it. (Multiple solo #1 singles, top 10s, and takeovers of the dance-electronic, R&B, and country songs charts)

The loss of direction you see is due to wrangling behind-the-scenes:

• Rumors swirling that Netflix (home of her Christmas special + Homecoming - with a current 3-project deal on the table) balked at the price of the visual project and left-field design (Nadia Lee Cohen), removing future teasers of visuals from subsequent album rollouts until a "home" can be formally locked down.

• The visuals themselves: will she keep them wacky-and-sci-fi (think CC tour visuals)? Or tweak pieces like Lemonade with incorporation of more "approachable" Melina / Jake Nava / Pierre Debuscherre / Jonas Akurlund additions?

• AMC's leader leaking news of her Renaissance Concert film early to satiate theater distributors angry they couldn't prepare properly for the previous Eras Tour film? BAD business, especially for someone who thrives on synergy and loyalty like a Beyonce. He broke the NDA, sabotaged the relationship, and I have a feeling the CC Tour Film and 3rd Tour Film (which I assume were to be distributed similarly - what would have been another indication of some formal promotional structure to the trilogy) were jeopardized.

• She's currently in a strange / mysterious strategic partnership with Disney (Black Is King, Making The Gift, Lion King IP) where she probably doesn't want to ask for too much as it looks like Blue might be starring in a live-action remake of Lion King 2: Simba's Pride, and they handled the entire Busbee controversial release on Lion King premiere day seamlessly.

• HBO is not the singular prestige entertainment distributor it was at the time of Peabody-winning Lemonade and her previous tour specials: she now has to contend with Apple+ TV and a few other players.

• Will there be a fashion component? Many people saw the direction of this album and think Agnes Dereon (the family fashion matriarch) might be incorporated in some way like Uncle Johnny (Renny), Uncle Butch (CC), and her paternal great-grandfather Davis Hogue (Sir Davis). Is Ivy Park / Dereon coming back to collaborate with a department store (like a Macy's). fast-fashion (like H&M), or some high-fashion atelier (Louis Vuitton, Rabanne)?

• Narrative-wise, how does "Delresto (Echoes)" fit into the larger theme of the visuals? We saw the newspaper print which brought up discussions of a fictional gotham like Echoville, aliens, and other sci-fi themes.... but the world-building has not been fleshed out (publicly) yet.

All of these could be wrapped up with a bow in time for the end of 2026 if fates allow and deals are made, so I still think there's a chance for all of the clouds behind-the-scenes to clear.

50 minutes ago, Devin said:

its over.

Makes no sense to compare records from before and after the streaming era when most of the longest charting songs on BBH100 have been released in the last 6 years (while these supposed smashes fail to reach the audience older hits used to have too).

5 hours ago, Cbreezy said:

But above all, and yes, it's been a slightly long-winded way of getting to it lol, Bey is crucially his ace card on the touring front too (where the real $$$ is made). Whether he has new music coming (which would almost certainly include new collabs with her) or a general need to hit the road in a more full-out way, it's clear as day that Bey will need to be involved to pull that off. From an optics perspective, he's pretty smartly done his "own thing" with these solo stadium shows, thus surface-countering any claims of relying on Bey should they announce OTR3 say...next year.

idk i just find it incredibly sad that such an illustrious career like Beyoncé's is reduced to being her butt ugly husband's lapdog or "ace card" to use when it's time to scam more money out of people or to use when he tries to open casinos and other dubious "endeavors"

i find it even sadder how the woman who spent her whole career preaching about female empowerment is fine with just being his little wife now and repeatedly putting her own career and projects on the back burner to help out a selfish man nobody except her likes

On 8/10/2026 at 10:06 AM, swissman said:

Beyoncé withholding Formation for three months while giving it away for free and performing it at the Super Bowl will always be one of my fave moves she's done in her career. I think valuing a #1 more than actual bold, idgaf, confident goat energy is weird.

I don't value #1s, I just thought it was a weird decision. Be nice, sister!

1 hour ago, Devin said:

its over.

told myself i would only be positive in here this week, so i will just say that it was impressive as hell for Bey to hold on to that record for so long with as much as music consumption has changed since then

6 hours ago, Cbreezy said:

I hear you, but I wouldn't say it's coast clear just yet.

Stay with me lol.

The Carters are clearly very culture-aware and, for as much as we drag, I think they read the room more than we give credit for.

Note how, post EIL/The Gift (six-seven years ago!), Jay has generally fallen back and the "collabs" have largely been red carpet appearances, writing credits and the sporadic concert pop-outs. Nothing frontline on Rennie or CC. Not even the remixes.

At the same time, it's about balancing their culture-awareness with two realities: a) they move as a unit and b) she loves that man down lol and thus will toss her own rulebook out the window to uplift him/them/their power couple status.

As it stands, it's clear Jay is testing the appetite for him in the modern landscape with these spot stadium shows. There's a chance it's merely legacy polishing and some nice pocket change. Or, more realistically, it's a strategized lead-up to...something bigger.

Roc Nation, just yesterday, denied that he has a new album ready to go. But I actually believe the rumors. The tea is that it's done, but he's looking for the right "partner" to push it. It's giving the vibe of his Samsung deal (remember that?). The tea-pourer verbatim said "he's not trying to do no 60k", so it's only coming out if he has the right infrastructure to push it. It makes total sense and is exactly how I felt any Jay album would have to land if not to flop post-444 and in the streaming era. After the tanking of EIL, I'm even more anchored in this stance.

Bey IMO is his ace on a few fronts. It's a given that she will feature on any such project. He needs her more than the other way around musically. This, I imagine, they are probably very candid about with each other.

But above all, and yes, it's been a slightly long-winded way of getting to it lol, Bey is crucially his ace card on the touring front too (where the real $$$ is made). Whether he has new music coming (which would almost certainly include new collabs with her) or a general need to hit the road in a more full-out way, it's clear as day that Bey will need to be involved to pull that off. From an optics perspective, he's pretty smartly done his "own thing" with these solo stadium shows, thus surface-countering any claims of relying on Bey should they announce OTR3 say...next year.

As much I literally do not want it, stripping out all personal/stan-like feeling, there is a logical/practical argument that almost justifies them touring together soonish. Jay toeing the line of a comeback, Bey dropping Act III thus having a ton of new material. Good ol capitalism. Mixed with the reality, they, as a family, aren't about to go on separate stadium runs at the same-ish time.

Long story short (lmao), with OTR3 feeling somewhat inevitable, I think the play simply ought to go:

2026 = Jay's spot shows + whatever this B'Day ish is
2027 = Act III music + summer tour
Late 2027 or Early 2028 = OTR3, ultra-ultra limited, possibly even Vegas.

6 hours ago, Cbreezy said:

And another thing....lol

The Jay thing is jarring because I don't genuinely believe the Hive dislike him as much as they make out during frustrated vents.

I think it's the reality that they stubbornly shove it down throats at the most ill-advised times.

I think the culture receives them well as a unit (hence the buzz around whenever they pop out at each other's shows). But in later life, their team-up timing is so so off.

We got the iconic BeyChella/Homecoming that left us salivating for the Lemonade follow-up. Instead, we get no album and OTR2. Bad timing.

A Bey/Jay album was reportedly locked and loaded in 2014 around the buzz around DIL (perfect timing. Not released. By the time they force tour #2 on us, they don't have an album nor rollout planned, rush one during rehearsal, and flop worse than either of them have before. Bad timing.

We're in the middle of a trilogy. Randomly doing B' Day reissue. No info. Fair if we are playing her mystery game. Fans confused and frustrated, but giving the benefit of the doubt. Her next play? Jay remix of a sleepy bonus track not even related to the album we're celebrating? Bad timing.

It's not doom and gloom, because she always lands on her feet/wins. And I do feel some of this affects us as stans more than the GP cares or is even paying much attention to. But it's annoying mainly because if they played the timing card right, I actually think there is still a lot of mileage in the Bey/Jay collab thing. Let's not forget that Jay - in a very actual and factual way - is one of the greatest rappers of all time. When all is said and done, their musical legacies are inextricably interwoven, and some of their best work is with each other. They just need to line up their plans with what the culture wants and be ok with tabling said plans if it doesn't make sense in the moment.

Aren't you all tired of talking about Jay-Z? It's so boring. I'd rather do rankings again…

Just now, Erotica said:

I'd rather do rankings again…

best songs about getting her pussé destroyed

1. Virgo's Groove

2. Blow

3. Speechless