Formation

with how little Lana cares--or knows--about charts and the industry she might release it on Christmas Eve for all we know

BILLBOARD: "Few artists can match her in any of the most critical basic categories of pop stardom – commercial success, performance abilities, critical acclaim, industry influence, iconic cultural moments – and absolutely no one can equal her in all of them." The Lana snub on the list is a bust but the top three are fair analysis. The long overview of Bey's career is a worth a read: https://www.billboard.com/music/pop/beyonce-greatest-pop-stars-21st-century-1235842572/

With leaks we probably already have every, or at least almost all, songs he would consider as the second half lol

For me it's who was K and whether she "dated" Gene C or not

Knowing how close the race was doesn't numb the pain. Hold your friends who value your human rights and wellbeing tight. The rest are people you know--not friends.

“Some asshole leaked it” honestly good for her for never backing down from the breach of privacy that leaking is. I am a big proponent that it commercially doesn’t actually impact artists (and honestly seems to help most), but ethically it’s objectively stealing. I would stay annoyed by it

"Part of me wishes those years had been different— I still feel the loss." Since the promotional tour of Froot, she has been so open with fans about her struggles and progress, and it is great to see how much grace she has for what she deems to be mistakes or setbacks. I appreciate that she is not afraid to discuss how previous albums were perceived while remaining optimistic about how her current work is shaping up. Excited for the poetry book tour and M6.

A moment most pleasing to me

OGs remember Shades of Cool leaking with someone on Tumblr labeling a snippet of the outro "I bought a bomb" I still can't unhear it

Birds of a Feather, The Greatest, Wildflower, Blue...this sounds like an AI generated Lana album gonna be good then

It leans most heavy into country and folk but as she said, it's a BEYONCE album. There's two specific moments that discuss the idea of genre bending. As a Mexican American with deep southern ties, this is such a beautiful project for me. Her voice is the best it's ever been and there's so much to sink your teeth into--you can tell as always she did her homework + worked with great collaborators. The GP will obviously go for the more upbeat tracks, but the most country cuts are some of the ones I see myself going back to often. A more than worthy follow up to Act I. I hope it gives an extra push in the industry to black country singers. Also here's a nice quick read ("The daughter who eclipses the father" is a beautiful sentiment for this three act project): https://time.com/6960671/beyonce-black-country-legacy-essay/

The catalyst for this album is still top 5% of Bey performances for me. I go back for the added band arrangments all the time. She looked and sounded stunning, plus incredible that she was in the early stages of being pregnant with Sir and Rumi. PLUS the political move to bring the Chicks with her--whew. So glad she's getting to stick a middle finger to anyone who questioned her right to be on that stage.

Living Legend https://x.com/PopCrave/status/1760000952784781485?s=20 https://x.com/PopCrave/status/1760002172601704725?s=20

Her continuing highlight genres created by black Americans is just so beautiful. So excited for the other 14 songs.

They’re not just on Tidal.