Thuggin

It remains my favorite album I can listen all the way through without skipping a single track

When you consider this album is a depressing reflection on her relationship with fame and quite the uncomfortable listen - rather than a collection of fun, upbeat pop bops about love and heartbreak with big choruses - yeah the numbers make sense and it becomes easier not to care about them

I already have my vinyl but bought the two iTunes copies just to support her

The album is just not very accessible to her casual listeners, which is okay. She made the album she felt like she needed to make, and it resonated with her biggest fans. If it's her last album for a long time, it definitely speaks for itself, and she even got one decent sized hit out of it. I'm glad she's getting the chance to finish out this tour feeling love from all the fans paying so much to see her before she retreats to a more private life. No more content for the starving haters, poor them. She has a wonderful support system around her, and she'll continue to collect her royalty checks in peace, including a yearly Christmas bonus for Santa Tell Me

htimylm is hitting especially hard right now. She went from saying "wait for you to like me again" to regretting having been given a platform by the public to begin with. She probably knows she could've just put out ES 2.0 and that would've satiated people, but I think at this point she's feeling like "I don't even know if I want you to like me again. Why would I want the adoration of people who treat me like this? Why would I choose to bind myself to your expectations again?" She told us "you borrowed my body" and she wants to take ownership back. You have all these people demanding she go back to looking like she did during TUN, despite her telling us that's when she was at her absolute lowest, drinking all the time while on antidepressants. It must be so scary to feel like your body is something that's public domain, whether your body is healthy or not. Even if you're a public figure, you should get to feel like you can keep some things for yourself, including the freedom to do whatever you want to your body, even if it's choices people see as wrong. "No I won't do what you say freak"

It's too much for any one person to go through. Like God, if only people kept this energy for actual abusive men with way more power who get way less scrutiny, maybe **** would actually get done in this world Career turbulence is expected, but 13 years in you'd expect to be an industry veteran people mostly respect. Yet in her case it feels like it's been nonstop hate from the public since 2020 and it's worse than it's ever been now. It must be so frustrating to simply just want to share your music and connect with your fans, and it feels like all that gets overshadowed by conversations about you that have to do with anything but your talent. I don't blame her at all for being over it and wanting to reclaim her personal life. That said, she's a strong woman. This woman has been through a terrorist attack. If there is anyone who can bounce back better than ever, it's her. Though when she does, I hope she remembers no one is entitled to her time again.

See and this is why Rih made points retiring after your career high before the public can decide they suddenly hate you

Sad that this means we probably won't get any additional videos for this era. But I hope she prioritizes taking care of herself first and foremost. She should just stay offline, focus on the tour, and then take a well-needed break. An actual break, not throwing herself into other projects. She's been a work horse the last few years.

Right, like the nerve to play the victim of "cancellation" as if this hasn't been the overwhelmingly dominant conversation about her for the past two years Why? Because she has some fans who refuse to join their chorus of anger over her body? Most of us are agnostic to this beaten to death topic and just want to celebrate the music and tour, but we're shamed for ignoring some elephant in the room, as if this must be treated with SUCH urgency because she's literally about to die any second. Like what is the point of any of this anymore? Yes she's skinny. You're uncomfortable with it? We heard you. The situation has not changed and is not changing. So if people are so concerned with everyone "platforming" someone they consider ill or a bad person, why do they continue to drive so much conversation about her? they far and away drown out anything the fans have to say, which is never about her body anyway. Like I promise there are a million other things that are a better use of people's time But the truth of the matter is people like to engage in tabloid gossip.

Oh trust it'll be negative again after the drop tomorrow but we will enjoy it while it lasts

I kind of get the Blinding Lights / As It Was comparisons now, but my first thoughts listening to bad thing were that it was giving more Transparent Soul by Willow meets Billie's last album

People will use Elon's Twitter and Bezos's Amazon guilt free but Ariana Grande is where they draw the line and shame people for even listening to her music thereby "enabling her" And with all the male abusers in the industry who remain successful and never get a fraction of the scrutiny too. You just have to laugh.

oh well makes me feel like

It also reduces women's value to just their bodies. Sorry, people are more than their bodies, whether they're healthy or not. People can have bodies that make you uncomfortable and still be kind, talented people who deserve to be celebrated. I too have chosen to mostly not engage with this topic.

All that **** talk keeps me well fed Through thick and thin