AccioEmpireBuilder

I love this. I would probably add "Show Me" (a Beyoncé / LeToya co-write that didn't make their debut album), and "Once A Fool" (from that 90s NFL compilation album series where stars sang alongside rapping/singing NFL players)

So why didn't they work with her? A narrative has been created in OP that Lady Gaga essentially had to forge her own path because her idols isolated her. It's so easy to say they were threatened... but I don't think that's the case. Correct me if I'm wrong. The message the first post gives is that she is giving respect to the new girls because she didn't receive respect from the last generation when she debuted.

Don't you find it interesting he would mention an unreleased mix of the song we're now hearing in part today? You might need to give your head a shake... because it's looking like they revisited a circa '06 chopped N' screwed version of "Back Up" but added new vocals on top.

My girl always does her homework.

Is it her biggest hit? She has two diamond records, and two other records that are diamond eligible. "Drunk In Love" (released three years later) is 8x Platinum right now. That claim seems factually incorrect. I included Beyoncé here because all of these ladies that were considered "difficult" by y'all just expected some respect.

I'm glad. It's already on streaming under "Ring The Alarm (Spanglish Mix)" ... so let's leave that embarrassment where it belongs lol.

I find it interesting how many legendary female artists and/or their strict estates (Stevie Nicks, Madonna, Bjork, Grace Jones, Tina Turner, Rosetta Tharpe, Linda Martell, Nina Simone, Barbara Streisand, Liza Minnelli, Diana Ross, Donna Summer, Patsy Cline, Dolly Parton, Selena Quintanilla) have worked with, covered, permitted sampling, or planned to work with Beyoncé in some capacity. We continually hear she reportedly reaches out in a refreshing manor; like a respectful fan and not an equal. Did Gaga approach them with humility?

Nice f. DRAM Blow (Remix) f. Andre 3000 Water f. Rema Suddenly all would be right in the world.

I call CAP. You know we can see your down-voting history, right?

I agree. If his parts went to MAXWELL, Bilal, Andre 3000, or Robin Thicke though? Considerably better song. It's a chop, Pharrell.

I agree, but ever the generous queen, it looks like it was shopped to Rich Harrison's group RichGirl soon after her project came out.

She saw the ATRL threads Gaga's fanbase has been opening the past few weeks and changed her mind. Can't blame her.

BOP.

Looks like the B'Day bonus track bundle & "Donk" are now off the market and on streaming platforms.

Very cool to see her old A&R Teresa credited on this project (YouTube track credits). Other seasoned B fans know Destiny Fulfilled was the final B project she worked on for a while as she was poached in 2005 by sister Sony company Jive to handle their pop/rock department: Britney (Blackout + Circus), Backstreet Boys (Never Gone + Unbreakable + This Is Us), Allison Iraheta (Just Like You), and Nick Lachey (What's Left Of Me). She reunited with B around 2010-2011 when Jive was dissolved into RCA and B poached her back for 4 at new company Parkwood.

Did she steal a circa 2005-06 Jay-Z or Robin Thicke Neptunes beat to make "Can I Watch You?" It's a cousin of Mariah Carey's 'Say Somethin'".

MY GOD. This new Maluma version.

Anything to separate y'all from your daily reaction privileges.

That's fine. I don't see Cowboy Carter losing almost 62% of it's streams from taking away one collaboration though. Any way you slice it, one song being eliminated from Beyonce's album still results in 2 Top 10s on the BB Hot 100, 6 Top 10 debuts on the genre-specific chart this project debuted on, and 23 chartings on the Hot 100. That's actually sad a "flop" album in a new genre achieved this feat and Lady Gaga (firmly in the dance-pop realm) couldn't even reach these stats.

LOL this is what I mean in all of those other threads: whenever y'all begin pocket-watching other fanbases and focus too hard on the streams of others... It ALWAYS backfires on the Liddos. Thank you for tuning into another episode of: WATER YOUR OWN GRASS!

You're right... but let them have it. In a world where you could strategize and connect the past, present, and future of your career in a planned, decade-long multiverse-esque project, I would also use the project and resulting plotline to prop up the lowest-selling album in that early run and the fore-runner to a visual album (B'Day). Not a far-fetched idea... but getting used to the bare minimum and being surprised is something most of us seasoned vets have learned to practice. Let them be optimistic.

My thoughts exactly. When she didn't submit The Renaissance film to Best Music Film at the Grammys... that's when I knew this really affected her and the AMC relationship was on ice. Wouldn't even be surprised if they settled with her out of court for breaching contract/NDA. Her team had to work much faster editing than initially planned, which is why I feel we never got one of those crisp edited montages for her runway walk to "Energy" in all of her outfits, as well as a fleshed out "Pure / Honey" ballroom section with interviews. I also have a feeling AMC planned to put their campaign money behind Taylor Swift's campaign, and when Beyonce didn't even submit, Taylor's team using their usual "Great White Hope" PR / marketing push against Beyonce (as her team previously tried to do with the shoddy tour books, the tours themselves, the Disney+ exclusive tour home, etc.) fell apart and Taylor's film didn't even make it to the Grammy nominations stage. In Taylor's perfect world, nominations for both would have come out, and I swear that day Variety would've released a planted story exclusive of Taylor giving hundreds of thousands to her tour staff / dancers.

... Because Harry Styles needs a big single (A "Watermelon Sugar," "Adore You," "As It Was") this era to keep eyes on his catalog and hasn't released "The Waiting Game" for the fall.

As someone on the other side of my initial Carrie Underwood respect... you need to get into Cry Pretty. That era (and Max Martin's sole career contribution "Quitter") were even further pop than Blown Away. She didn't pick any of her crossover pop tracks except "Southbound" as singles though.