AccioEmpireBuilder

Beyoncé started off her solo career with a Jay-Z proclamation ("History in the making") and a loaded question: "You ready?" She hasn't taken her foot off the gas / our necks since, and the pop world was never the same. Best performance:

I don't know if you (with a username reminiscent of that infamous Lady Gaga SXSW vomit incident) are the right person to diagnose people with mental illness. Just me? I'm sure there's enough room in the asylum for the two of us.

I love it when I come back to a thread I create and see a bunch of hidden posts from people I ignored/muted months ago. I hope y'all had nice things to say, because I will not be reading those.

In both cases Ted, the streams really didn't save her where it mattered: the charts. I find it downright comical that ASiB Soundtrack charted the same amount of songs on the Billboard Hot 100 as The Gift, and less than Everything Is Love. ASIB (4) Shallow Always Remember Us This Way I'll Never Love Again Is That Alright The Gift (4) Spirit Mood 4 Eva Brown Skin Girl Black Parade Everything Is Love (5) Ape**** Nice Boss Summer Friends Why don't Lady Gaga's streams ever help her where it actually matters?

If she doesn't care (no 4K videos as discussed in the press release, no deluxe edition CD, "A Woman Like Me" ( + performance video already made) still unreleased, "Kitty Kat" full video still unreleased)... why should we? I'm very glad 4 additional tracks charted, and B'Day will probably move another 500K units before the year is over (reaching 6x Platinum), but it's tough to get hype when B isn't giving the execution 100%. I had the same issue when the Cowboy Carter CD issue was never fixed.

Question for the culture. (1) Highly-anticipated lead produced by Max Martin with radio deals, a buzzy, world-building video, and Apple iPhone money. The video streams also counted towards the charts at this time. = 10 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. Vs. (2) A Dream / Pharrell-helmed demo that leaked 13 years ago, has been available on YouTube, no formal music video was made, no radio deal was signed, and zero video streams count towards the charts. = 11 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. (This week) Thoughts?

Also have to give a shout out to my favorite album trailer of all time: While it doesn't include the entire tracklist, it definitely hinted which artists she was collaborating with.

I really like the Cowboy Carter homage to the classic Chitlin Circuit posters that used to advertise Black blues and jazz legends coming to New Orleans, Birmingham, Atlanta, Memphis, and all points South.

She secured the official Mediabase #1.

It's official!

Listened to these records and made a bunch of additions. Thank you! Added some other new tracks as well.

Nope. I just wish TikTok would do its job and bring some people back for a second chance. Many of these acts below would be three and four (pop) albums in but didn't get a chance to get that awkward debut single/era out of the way and for the "machine infrastructure" to fully coalesce around them: Talent Show People: RIP:

A handful of records I wish B had hopped on with a full remix in the vein of "Savage" or "Mi Gente":

Welp. I hope she secures that official Mediabase Rhythmic radio #1. It's been a great run, and I could never scoff at a future Platinum single that started as a throwaway track. Are Urban/R&B playing any other B'Day 20 songs unsolicited? Or is this the end of the road?