Cbreezy

A big part of why I want her to finish this trilogy neatly (both from an album and tour perspective) is because I legit feel she'll be free to get real edgy/diverse with her moves after the fact. She's one of the biggest touring draws and need not be tethered to new music or a full album cycle to hit the road. So, I fully would love to see her explore all the things. I've BEEN wanted for her that ish Taylor was trying to do before the pandemic hit. The whole LoverFest East / LoverFest West setup. Effectively one huge self-mounted festival, with one show on the East Coast and one on the West. Select international. Spot festivals like Copa as and when. And Vegas if she feels to. In an ideal world, she would mount stuff like these for her side projects as a way to extract the most $$$ avail from her activities without being married to them for long stretches. Like, imagine any of the above for The Gift if a full-fledged tour wasn't an option? Or the LoverFest example for CC instead of a tour? Like, I thought she was really going that route with the whole traveling Rodeo concept with the acts featured on the album. Would have been perfect and hella creative (despite how much I still enjoyed the CCT).

Ohhhh....I was confused for a sec lol. Ps. Still don't see Copa/Super Bowl crossover for reasons unpacked already lol. But would like to see her do both. If we can get to the visuals soon-ish, I wouldn't be mad at a Copa Homecoming-esque doc/concert film later next year. Especially if it's another case of album in 2027 and a tour in 2028. Copa as both a performance and standalone special would work as perfect promo for a follow-up Act III tour.

Yes, but no. IMO, certain acts set the level high (MJ as the genesis, and later Bey, Madonna, Gaga, Shakira & J.Lo). The problem is that there is simply no longer a wide pool of artists that can reasonably meet the moment in the same way. And I blame that on the wider shapeshift/collapse of the music industry that now favors relatability and viralness over outright skill. So, it leaves us in this weird spot where the platform has the justified legacy it has, given the magical moments it has played host to in the past. But the present-day names tasked with creating more moments make for slim pickings. Add the layer of politics and supposed need for "fairness" (aka some years have to be x gender, some years have to be x genre) and it just makes it more of a roll of the dice as to whether it will be any good. I guess what I'm saying in so many words is that what used to be a near guarantee of an epic show has become very unpredictable.

Friend, I'm confused. You want ALL of that in a Bey segment within a Jay Halftime? I'm not a Jay stan, but I think you may be underrating him/his catalog. In a 13-ish minute performance, we'd be lucky to get a solid 3mins of Bey. And even then, I could see them having her pop out at separate points for both pacing and to maxmize her visibility/participation. And even still, her total screen time would be lucky to be 4mins. Jay has a catalog and also an arsenal of other collaborators. The US-based, US-serving Super Bowl is highly unlikely to be used as a vehicle to promote a festival...in Brazil lol. At best, the hope would be that she's paired up with a streamer (Netflix, Prime etc) for a livestreamed special of the show. THEN, it becomes kinda feasible for them to buy one of those coveted ad slots as Halftime for some kind of cross promo/visibility play (like Verizon). But that's still a stretch.

Kanye is not touching that stage. Not sure where you've been but he came for Jay and his family. Not to mention his own public fall from grace and favor. Again, he's not touching that stage. When it comes to Bey, the songs you mentioned are all plausible, but Donk is not happening at Halftime lmao. A seconds-long instrumental interpolation at best. But even that feels like nah. The Bey Factor is an interesting one. They could go for the obvious like Crazy in Love (which makes the most sense for the audience, platform, and is, dare I say, brand-safe). But she's already performed it at hers. And, if you count the lil audio sprinkle of it she did with Bruno/Coldplay, she's actually done it twice. So, there are clear openings for other songs: Drunk in Love, Upgrade U, Bonnie & Clyde. Will they make for comparably big "moments" to Crazy? Maybe Drunk in Love, but iono. We'll see.

Finally. The delay in the announcement was puzzling. I actually think he missed a pretty unique opportunity to run that commercial at the end of his last LA show...which was at the very stadium he will be doing Halftime at. Anyway, I actually think ATRL are the ones who will be in for a rude awakening, as there just won't be the furore y'all think there will be over this. Most of the "he picked himself" spiel has come and gone with the initial leak. In the end, I think there will be one of two scenarios: 1) He aces it and brings out ALL the guests. Beyonce, Rihanna, Nas, Linkin Park, Alicia Keys, Pharrell. OR 2) He does it largely alone and has one of those "neither here nor there" Halftimes that a lot male acts have. I think his catalog is big enough for it to not outright suck, but if he overthinks the whole "let me overly spotlight MY legacy sans any guests" then it could be a slight snoozer. Whatever the case, the faux-outrage is a kii down. It's a done deal, it'll most likely give us some great pop culture moments. Ps. Call me Ms. Cleo, because I KNEW the spin would be "we asked him. We always wanted him" thing and that's exactly what the NFL press release says. It effectively neutralizes the "he picked himself" argument.

When it comes to Copacoyonce, I wish and will it for her and us. My only thing is that, in the grand scheme of things, it's kind of a stan service more than some promotional must. Also, rather crucial: Beyonce is a Western world act. US/North America will always be her main base, followed by the UK, Europe, etc. So, unless she strikes up a deal for a huge global streaming event, there's no real commercial benefit or need to use US promotional slots to promote an international show in Brazil lol. Now, this is Beyonce and her whole schtick has been: doing what hasn't been done before. So, I would not be averse to her making a commercial moment out of it. Be that via a Homecoming-like concert film or even a livestream ala Xmas Halftime. But with us still being visual-less so far and mid-trilogy, I don't know if another filmed "special" even fits into the mix right now. But you, equally, may be onto something. Use the international heat from that to benefit whatever her touring plans are on home soil. We'll see.

Glad the Jay-Z ish is official. The delay was getting puzzling. A few thoughts. Assuming we are still Act III-ing and there is no OTIII or EIL2, I think the smartest way for Bey to give her man the spotlight while benefiting from the platform is to simply...announce her ish before Halftime! Between now and Jan, she ought to announce and/or release Act III. Going into Halftime, it then makes the expectation: oh, is Bey coming to perform XYZ song rather than "omg is she (using her man's show) to announce her album/or tour". She pops out and performs...whatever. A classique, a new song, whatever. It gives us an in-era "moment" while not overshadowing his moment. FYI, my interest is 200% vested in Bey, so this isn't a "give her man his shine" thing. It's more just optics and, even in them being a power couple, recognizing that navigating their individual and joint brands still requires a bit of foresight and tactfulness. Also...

I see what you mean. But I push back a bit on the B"Day thing. Comparable to Act III, it's a relatively low-lift, low-risk expedition. IMO, if anything, beyond the main celebratory element, it was a litmus test to see if there'd be any blowback on the Dream element. Basically, establishing the commercial feasibility of working with him. And while there was no outcry, I still don't think it's coast clear. Bey is in a unique predicament in that she is relatively scandal-free. So, IMO, there has long been a bloodlust to take her down. Something she makes extremely hard by keeping her hands clean. I already noticed how much her name LEAD press titles when his case got filed, e.g., "Beyonce Producer The-Dream". So, it's not far-fetched for her to drop the lead for Act III produced by him and the media "deciding" in that moment to have an issue with it. We've literally seen how the "outcry" over who works with Dr. Luke is hella selective. Doja stays having his name attached to her credits with no blowback; Katy Perry, by contrast, got cooked. It's like the masses know it's hella contradictory, but will never play the one rule for all game. Instead, it's: if we like you, we'll turn a blind eye; if we want your blood, then we will play the faux-shock and dismay game at the loudest volume to sink the release. If I, with ample distance from her operation, can see this from afar, I don't think it's far-fetched for them to be thinking about this at an equally granular level. Bey may be loyal, but she should absolutely be most loyal to her own brand and career. Something I think, in her closeness to The-Dream, is a necessity for her that even he gets.

For me, it's less that I don't think there's demand. I more so question the group's collective desire to do it. There's a world where I could see the likes of Molly, Frankie, and Una being up for it, but the rebrands of Rochelle and Vanessa don't feel as organically aligned with what the group gives. Make no mistake, they aren't "above it," but it's more an individual brand positioning thing and whether the $ would be worth compromising that.

I cannot believe the Halftime headliner has still not been announced. It's almost always a September reveal and, in the Roc Nation years, has been exactly that every year sans The Weeknd (November). A part of me was sold on it being Jay, with the announcement naturally coming after his last show. But that has now come and gone, and still... crickets. It may well still be the case, and we're still within the frame where it could be announced imminently as a victory lap post his shows. But I'm now starting to wonder if it's someone else and this is either a) a deliberate bait-and-switch or b) just bad intel that was never true in the first place. We'll see.

Larger than life! Interesting thread, as I have been having this debate for ions offline. I like my superstars to always have that "super" element. Be that a "super" vocal, "super" choreo, or "super charisma". Or ideally all of the above! It clearly was how things once were. Superstars were effectively our real-life superheroes, not because they were superhuman, but because their celebrity status was attached to their super ability. I TOTALLY get today's value attachment to relatability. It's definitely commodifiable and makes sense in a post-social media world. But I only care for it when it's paired with skill. Take Cardi B, for example. She's the definition of relatable, and it's a huge part of why she's such a big name. At the same time, she has an undeniable ability to turn her "star" on when it comes to performing, charisma, and being the larger-than-life character on stage. The problem with others is that we have an endless list of names who are relatable, but don't have star power. So, at best, they enjoy moments of virality/success, but it rarely translates to ubiquitous praise or popularity because there is not much to work with, nor any legitimate wow factor. Or, we have others, huge names even, who overindex in relatability/girl-next-doorness, but are so lacking in every conventional superstar metric that it, again, will never ever let them be universally praised or adored outside of their cult-like base (which is admittedly huge) because of it. In short lol, being larger than life will always be my pick and 200% justifies a superstar being a superstar. I DGAF about relatability if the core output is compelling.

Agreed. They are absolutely tethered to a particular time and have somewhat of a so-bad-they're-good thing to them lol. Though they have some undeniably timeless bangers, and some of the individual members are extremely talented, even if the group wasn't the best hub for them to shine to their fullest ability (see: Vanessa, Rochelle especially). Because it was such a clusterf*ck of an operation at its height, a comeback (even if just for the nostalgia tour bag) would only work if the kitsch, 00s shamelessness of it all was something they leaned into wholeheartedly. Yet, with several of the members having rebranded as cooler, chic-er, etc in their individual journeys (again Rochelle and, to an extent, Vanessa with her solo attempt), it would be kinda weird going back to their messy formations, offbeat choreo, and all-around cheesiness. Rochelle would 200% Mylene Klass them (see: no thanks, but well-wishes), and they'd need Vanessa not to do the same as it literally doesn't work without at least one of them lol.

I think so, too. A few thoughts. This is the reason I will never moan too much about her keeping her cards close to her chest. Imagine she had laid out her plans for the trilogy at the point of Rennie (like many of the Hive demanded at the time); the amount of pivots BTS would make the frontend look a mess, too. From lapsed date frames, missed video launches, etc. It undoubtedly makes for a frustrating experience as a fan, but at the very least, she is keeping up the veneer of it looking like she's executing some grand plan on her own terms, when I can imagine the BTS is a very different story. The amount of vaulted material this woman must have will make her latter career and sunset years fascinating if ever they decide to open up the vault. We already know she makes tons of songs per project, but to think there are likely full-fledged projects unreleased is equal parts frustrating and exciting. Like the first iteration of 4, which was supposedly a Fela Kuti-inspired Afrobeats album (hence End of Time and RTW) and now a potential Rock album that may be subbed out for another Rock album for reasons discussed. Assuming for a sec that the reason for the possible reworking is true, should the Dream stuff blow over (and he's proven innocent), she automatically has material ready to roll for a deluxe. She probably won't (because she's not made that play with the other two acts), but it's, at the very least, an option.

Fairly certain this will be announced tonight at his second LA show (if he is indeed doing it).

If Jay is doing Halftime, that announcement is coming at the end of one of the shows. So, it's imminent! Wondering if they will try and contain the noise by overtly marketing it as Jay-Z and friends. Or whether the guests will be more implied.

I appreciate this thread and kinda agree. Not a stan, but I have always appreciated her contributions to music and culture. I do wish the masses can get to a point where we can have unbiased, un-rose-tinted-glasses, and un-informed-by-her-popularity-outside-of-music conversations about her discography. As someone who actually lived her rise, from single #1 to now, there is absolutely no denying that quality was not the initial pursuit. Albums a year, riding the popularity of whatever sound was "in". It's paid off well, because amidst that, she authentically landed on some great, timeless bops (ironically). But I legit think that's accidental rather than intentional. I'd say from about Talk That Talk onwards, she settled into her definitive lane and image: music's bad gyal rebel with a Caribbean flair. Like, TTT, Unapologetic, and Anti all sound like sister projects. The issue, IMO, isn't the family planning or booming biz ventures (though I do think the rigor of the music industry doesn't make it an attractive concept for her given her external success). I think it's the reality that, after all that putting whatever out, she settled into a critically praised pocket with Anti and the string of preceding albums. It's kinda giving a...well, what to do next? tea. Don't drag me, but I've never quite seen her as an artist-artist in the most literal sense of the term. She rode waves, has an iconic vocal tone, and her truest talent is her ear for a hit. She has, in herself, an in-built A&R. The kinda-sorta problem now is that she's stumbled into this reverence, which was reserved for her peers like Beyoncé and Adele, and now almost "has" to deliver something next-level, grandiose to justify the hype. And I imagine that adds A LOT of pressure. The reality is that the hiatus actually works to her benefit. I have always said and still believe that she really could drop Anti 2 (sonically), and today's audience would eat it up like it wasn't exactly what she gave in 2016. Lift Me Up almost being #1 makes clear that she has the hype. What I think will be interesting is what happens after her inevitable big comeback. I highkey think R9 will be it. And from an optics perspective, probably should be. It will do well automatically, so it can really be the definitive bookend without her ever really needing to navigate the pressure of another big music run. That, or her schtick, can just be taking huge gaps - ironic given her start. But hiatuses/returns are effectively promo in and of themselves.

Just seen that his LA shows are at the very stadium the 2027 Super Bowl is happening at. I always felt they were kinda randomly placed relative to the other US shows, which were all the way in July. I thought (and it still may be the case that) it was down to venue avails. But the announcement tie-in on the final night feels a lil too neat not to be a thing. My prediction. He kills both shows and, like the EIL announcement in London, the surprise trailer goes live at the end of the last one. Simultatenously online too.

I'm with you on that, but I think two things can be true at once. I literally think Donk was a low-risk litmus test. It was always presented as a gift to the fans/bonus track. If she got cooked for doing it, there's an easy walk back: it's an old song that was going viral on TikTok. As we saw, nothing really happened in terms of blowback. At the same time, I 200% believe Act III didn't drop as intended because of that tea we heard about she/her team recalibrating after his allegations. There is genuinely a lot at stake as a "Beyonce", and audience/media reactions are impossible to predict. She could easily have released Act III, and everything would have been fine (even with his name attached), or she could have had a Katy/Dr. Luke situation. I'm interested to see what the credits look like when the album finally arrives.

Oh, friend, just to clarify: I don't want a tour nor a ETIL 2. No, no. I'm speaking about Halftime. Bey is not going on no Halftime to play. She'll slay, and that's the part that won't allow me to do the performative anger/distress about it being via a Jay-Z-headlined show. The actual thing I'm worried about, that someone touched on above, is that he is the one person she cedes the spotlight to. So, if she participates, it would be the perfect vehicle to get her "Act III tour announcement" on. And she's shown that she will do that ish after someone's show with no hesitation lol (Usher, Coldplay). But, if - like I hope - there's no joint Jay stuff coming in regards to music or tour, I'm equally not convinced she'd be as gutsy as to center herself straight after his show.

The way I was confused about the Jay stuff, cus y'all were reacting to a link that wasn't shared. I was like...huh, what's going on? Anyway... While I don't think this will be an easy ride, I have a hunch that some of the Hive aren't as "enraged" about the right or wrong him doing it per se; it's the inevitable Bey blowback. Where I struggle to be hypocritical is that all of us will get our lives if she is involved in any way, and will also get our lives if she uses it as a promotional springboard into Act III. So, for me at least, there's no point being faux mad, when I know I'll lap it up when it happens.

I'd like to think/hope it's all condensed into a tight, maximum-impact rollout. 2027 for everything ala Lemonade. Our girl obviously isn't hurting for coin, but it's fairly clear she generally tours every two years (evident across most of her career). It's her biggest moneymaker and runs on a relatively predictable schedule. Something went awry with the likely scheduled release of Act III for this year, but if 2027 was on the cards for the project's companion tour, it's way easier to see a scenario where that holds, and it's the music drop she can be more flexible about. Stadiums, sponsors, vendors etc are all locked in way ahead of time and I think she'd have a bigger issue switching that all up than the music.

Rooting for ha! And, as others have said, very smart play on her dropping this new video. Now, for the streaming/chart watchers, is this doing anything on TikTok, radio, etc yet? Really wishing her another big moment. I'm so jarred at how, in two successive years, she's had burgeoning moments that have been messed up by the Xmas freeze (Push 2 Start, Chanel). Both of which never recovered enough to reach their full chart potential) when the holiday songs disappeared. On the upside, the tour set proves she is definitely past the "one-hit wonder" stage because she really has a body of songs that genuinely resonate and a legit audience at her shows. She's an interesting one. Because, as someone reared in the golden era of MPG's, her commercial performance of late would have - back then - seen her on the chopping block at a major. Think Mya, and later Tinashe. But, in this era of virality, social following, and above all, touring coin, I feel her position is a bit more secure, and her trajectory may legit be a case of brick by brick. She/her team do need to knock album #3 out of the park, though. Not just musically, but in terms of proper setup, commercial collbs, etc Because something has been very off about how APOP was handled. And I feel we'll eventually hear come the next cycle or if/when she ever leaves Epic. Pre-release, the Tygers even noticed that she was barely promoting the pre-save/ore-order link. We'll see.

This! Cue a lil delulu on my part, but wondering aloud if Jay (or they) will announce at the end of his current tour run (LA show later this month). The buzz around his name is not random either. He's consistently being listed as a top contender on the betting sites. It's obviously not a guarantee, but likely speaks to some of the chat BTS. Because in the years that the likes of Pink, etc have been listed too, we then find out later that they legit were in talks. We'll see.

I'm down for some of these qualitative/niche/obscure features, but as Chart Hive, I'm looking for some big collab moments too. Give us Bruno, Rih, and/or some other surefire streaming smashers. And before anyone starts, she is not above it. If Post Malone, Miley Cyrus, and similar got the call for CC, then it's fair game. Also, granted we don't know what flavor of Rock she'll dabble in, given who she is, what she's toyed with before, etc., it's fair to expect something funkified anyway (like Suga Mama, YaYa, Freakum Dress). So, surprised to see some hang-banging Rock collab suggestions.