so let’s get right into it…
last night,
i fell knocked early and missed the official “renaissance” listening party.
as you know,
that’s beyonce’s 7th album.
i avoided the leaks cause i wanted to indulge on release day:
my thoughts…
for some,
the album is mid to terrible.
ya’ll said her self-titled was terrible.
ya’ll said lemonade was terrible.
ya’ll said 4 was terrible.
i’ve learned,
through the years,
that everything beyonce does is “terrible” at first.
once the album gets to circulating,
and people really listen to it,
singles start being played everywhere,
a majority of the opinions start to change.
Everyone hated Lemonade until she lost the Grammys to Adele.
i stopped listening to these people on social media.
a majority of them are miserable.
black artists have it hard tbh.
weren’t black folks the ones who booed whitney for singing white music?
okay,
thanks.
Stop listening to some of these miserable black folks.
people are saying she is rapping too much on it.
are they drunk?
i hear a lot of singing on this album on most songs.
if beyonce released an album with a majority of ballads,
the conversation would be she is uninteresting and acting old.
if ima really stir the pot:
Ya’ll have accepted people “singing” in 2 to 3 notes.
Ya’ll have accepted people who can’t sing to sing in autotune.
Ya’ll have accepted r&b singers singing trap n’ b to sell.
if b is doing it too,
what is the issue?
beyonce is a polarizing artist.
what i find interesting is if rihanna came out with an album,
a majority of the hive would be dragging it.
the hive confuse tf outta me like how dare people criticize bey.
aside from all of that:
I really like it.
Like,
really into it.
i’m not the biggest bey stan these days but i fuck with the album.
i like the lyrics and production because it’s a feel-good vibe.
ima dance during these weird ass times,
be happy to be black,
therapy has me in my bag,
and ima eat the rest of these folk up.
typical bey “i’ m the shit” content tbh.
my only confusion is the album isn’t “house” like break my soul.
compared to drake’s dance album,
it gives a lot of afro beats to me.
i’m not a ballroom fox so i could be wrong.
Does the foxhole have any thoughts on Renaissance?
lowkey: the last half starting from church girl is my shit.
Eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it, eat it
Mm, yummy, yummy, yum, make that bummy heated
Make a pretty girl felt that shitty…
Fine, fine, f-fine, f-fine, fine, fine
Liberated, livin’ like we ain’t got time
Yadda, yadda, yah, yadda, yadda, yah, yah
Yadda, yadda, yadda, bom, bom, ka, ka…
Monday, I’m overrated
Tuesday, on my dick
My initial thoughts on this album at first was like what in thee entire fuck am I listening too?!? There were moments that I recognized her, there were moments were I recognized black gay culture and there were of course musical moments that were top notch yet it was a whole lotta mess leftover. Somebody said there is an underlying darkness to these records and I’ve kinda felt that since 4 with the Rather Die Young song then it weaved it’s way into Self Titled and definitely Lemonade that something was off as well. The whole horsewoman thing just plays into all the other conspiracy theories about her and I’ll leave it at that. It doesn’t sit right with me but I also don’t want to over complicate my love for Bey cuz it’s been 22 years and counting.
On repeated listens, my favorites started to really emerge like Cozy, Church Girl (which is wild and outrageous to turn a Clark Sisters gospel song into a twerk bop), Plastic Off The Sofa, Virgo’s Groove, Pure/Honey and Summer Renaissance. I think my favorite is Cuff It, it’s really me in a nutshell! Break My Soul is good too. The rest is mid to me. I was really looking for a house record where she gave BIG vocals but I guess that’s Kelly Rowland’s lane. I’m surprised that she isn’t featured on act 1. Her rapping and talking shit does wear thin over the hour runtime. I’m sure her giving us a few anthems and bops ala B’Day wouldn’t have hurt.
I’ll be checking to see what the other acts give and what this entire era is looking to accomplish. So far this is her love letter to the black gay community after Lemonade being her love letter to black women, Homecoming her love letter to American blacks, Black Is King her love letter to the African diaspora. I think Self Titled was the culmination of Beyoncé the Icon and these last few projects are apart of her legacy chapter. She honestly has nothing left to prove and good for her for making the kind of music she wants too on her terms. I’m sure whenever she announces tour tickets that she’ll have Chloe be the opener to really help push her solo career that feels like it’s on life support.
I’m still hoping for a Destiny’s Child reunion which could have 4 acts as in 3 solo records and 1 group album or 1 soul, 1 mainstream, 1 Bsides and 1 live album. That a legacy that needs to be revised and revisited quiet as it’s kept.
I’ll pass!! She sings crossover music!!! Give me Jazmine Sullivan, Summer Walker, Ari Lennox for R&B!!
I enjoyed Jazmine Sullivan’s latest album. I’m going to check out Ari Lennox.
Jazmine delivered THE R&B album last year and the deluxe this year is still better than most of what I’ve heard this year. Her talent is just beyond what we’ve been getting for the last decade. I really hope she continues to win more awards and accolades. Ari is dope and her album is long overdue. It’s sad when artists don’t release when they have a hot record out. Pressure was a damn good commercial single to get her truly recognized and they need to follow up before nobody cares. I love how Muni Long is capitalizing on her moment. I don’t care for her vocals or songs but she’s making the most of her 15 mins.
Hated it! Only one song was worthy of a repeat for me.
I feel if any other artist released this body of work, it would smell like the trash it is, but because it’s B, it has to smell like the best scent known to humankind.
Maybe there will better selections in Part II & III. But this Part I deserves to go straight to jail and not collect $200.
I loveeeeee this album! Looking forward to the next two acts.
APPLAUSE .. Its amazing and in my opinion where she should be. ( Musically) Beyonce is ahead of the curve and this represents that. It highlights her self -confidence and talent and more than that its “FUN!!!!!!!”
The thing that’s funny about Beyoncé is
People who don’t like something will try to twist and turn their way into liking it
It may not be an album for you and that’s ok
The same way they tear down other female artists when they drop something bc they compare it to Beyoncé 🤷🏾♂️
It doesn’t take 37 listens and a deep dive analysis to figure out whether you like it
U just don’t baby and that’s ok
Acts 2 or 3 may be more your speed
#ItsOk
I definitely want some more of R&B Beyonce, so I’m looking forward to them.
Monica just dropped a song with Ty Dolla Sign and I’ve long felt female vocalists do duets with men who can’t sing. I wasn’t feeling it and the song felt incomplete.
I would love an R&B era like the late 90s/early 2000s. Sza and Summer Walker are cool, but I need more grit and life experience in my R&B, heck give me Blues or Soul!
As a former Monica fan, I too am left uninterested in that mess she called a duet. She’s somebody who I wish could enroll in some vocal lessons to challenge her vocal game and really embody the “MJB that can sing like Whitney” aesthetic that she’s always had. She looks amazing and if she wanted to be an Instagram model then she’s winning in that category but for a veteran singer, her legacy feels incomplete.
at first listen i loved the album….then it just started zapping my positive energy. overall the sound of the album is kinda dark, almost witchcraft-like. something about it just messes up the equilibrium of my naturally positive spirit/energy. not sure if i will continually play this. might give it another go and see how i feel…but for now, i need my energy restored, lol.
Interesting. Well, sorry that was your experience. She’s had Illuminate rumors for years.
Burn some incense, throw salt and invest in crystals?
Plastic, Move, Cozy, Energy/BMS, and Summer Renaissance get some replay from me. I will go ahead and say I’m uber-tired of “talk yo shit, B” Beyonce but I get that’s what this generation likes it’s stars to do. I’m more a “walk softly, carry a big stick” person. The marketing campaign was top notch but this album as a whole…meh. I will come back and see what that afrobeats Act 2 is doing but I will gracefully let the ballroom and city girls gays have this one.
I love this analysis. Beyonce isnt a microwave artist. You cant listen once and get it. You have to let this album marinate. I fucks with this album Alien Superstar she talking her shit. Church Girl is hot but Cuff It and that transition into Energy is everything. These transition are everything. I was jamming all night twerking and all and i DONT twerk often lmao. Lizzo and Bey albums are my fav Summer albums this year. It just felt good to see my Twitter timeline going crazy. It felt like 2013 all over again with self titled.
**My faves are i Am that Girl, Alien Superstar, Cozy, Cuff It, Church Girl, Energy, Break my Soul, Plastic Off the Sofa, Virgos Groove, Heated, Move and Thique. The Ballrooms about to eat this album up 🔥🔥🔥 definitely a fun dance album
I concur .. She has created her own lane and people need to catch up.. ITS F**KING FABULOUS!!!! Thank God for rescuing todays Bland ,Weak Musical Landscape!!! Folks no longer comprehend a “Good Music”
I live for this reply.
The transitions proved that people don’t make ALBUMS anymore, Whether you like the songs or not, there was THOUGHT!
So it stands more as a body of work and less as a bunch of unreleased songs thrown together. When a song ends, it makes you start singing/anticipating the next one.
Ya’ll have accepted people “singing” in 2 to 3 notes.
Ya’ll have accepted people who can’t sing to sing in autotune.
Ya’ll have accepted r&b singers singing trap n’ b to sell.
You preached Jamari.
I saw a video on how the former artists were able to sang, because music education was a part of school and church. With all of that vocal training, my highschool you were an expert based on how many hours you need to be considered an expert at something.
Music education is cut from many schools and mumble rap and singing in cursive is the new wave.
The album is different. It’s not for everyone and seeing as there will be 3 parts to this album, people need to be quiet.
If Beyonce’s not for you, don’t write paragraphs about how she’s overrated. If she is for you, I’m sure a few tracks from maybe Act 2 or 3 will be for you.
I’ve gone from “Black excellence” to not caring what white people think. Black people have too many restrictions. We’re always “too”. I was vibing to the album and definitely have favorites, but I’m not mad at her trying something FRESH FOR HER.
There’s nothing new under the sun, but it’s new FOR HER. That’s how you grow and find what does and doesn’t work for you.
She’s anticipated for a reason. She puts effort into everything.
She’s one of the last few who doesn’t show us their 24/7 on social media. The bridging of the gap of celebrity privacy has made us lose respect and cringe at most of them.
She does what she’s supposed to do..make music and lets it speak for itself instead of wanting to quit music every 5 seconds because her album didn’t chart at #1 or she didn’t get an award. AHEM
^ such an intelligent comment.
i felt this.
good job!
eta: we live in an era where artists are lazy.
they don’t put effort into anything.
all the trap shit sounds like one long song.
you can barely tell who is who from what.
everyone is biting off each other drone style.
in turn,
we as a people have become lazy.
we are lazy in dating and other things.
the theme of the 20s is lazy shit because that sells now.
thats fine but i appreciate artists who still put effort into their releases.
i appreciate people who effort into themselves and their relationships.
my thoughts to bounce off your comment.
^the thing that kills me is that people don’t even put a bridge in a song anymore.
its the chorus,
verse,
chorus,
verse,
chorus,
chorus,
and then the end LOL
They
Sing in that one key, Keyshia. No versatility. Just titties and ass, no class. Seli, Jamari and the 🦊 hole crew, you said it all.❤️🌹❤️
That’s why I can’t listen to the radio. It’s like they sing 2 verses and then copied and pasted themselves singing the chorus or hook. And DON’T get me started on Remixes.
Remixes used to ELEVATE the original song, not copying and pasting unrelated lyrics in from whoever is trendy.
I miss the Part II to songs or when they’d preview a new song at the end of a music video.
And music videos……….we have lost the art of storytelling. The last time I remember music videos being REGULAR EVENTS were Lady Gaga with Telephone and Beyonce with the visual album
We have radio music now. Music videos used to REALLY sell a song.
We have to go beyond the laziness of leaning on a car with your homies and posing in cute clothes.
Missy Elliott and Busta Rhymes should be the most sought after for music video directing. They were DECADES ahead of their time and the newer videos…aren’t even worth the watch.
PREACH!!
I think a part of this is technology. You don’t have to meet up to get to know someone. You can scroll through their social media and see their evolution.
It’s SO easy to do things that took way more effort in the past.
And with people like Addison Rae getting record deals off of TikTok..the majority of “artists” wouldn’t make it through American Idol, let alone a songwriting competition. I don’t get how we saw what TLC and many others went through and people still want a record deal. You can’t just have the look or talent, you need BUSINESS ACUMEN.
I personally see ghostwriters just as bad with singing as they are in rapping. If you don’t connect to what you’re singing..how is it genuine? And how will you eat?
THANK YOU!!!!
Well said buddy. 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿💯
I fux with this whole album. It feels like a full body of work. I liked Drake’s too after a few listens. Bey is a different level artist though. The toppest of tiers and I’m not a hive member at all but she truly gave us a great piece of work. Her vocals are amazing on this especially on Plastic Off The Sofa. It gives me Solange vibes. The shit talking vibes are high on this project and I am here for it all! 👑
^ word.
i love the shit talking.
i appreciate that from a b record.
she be in her bag and gives no fucks.
i needed this album.
what song is the kelis song?????
i don’t hear any kelis “get along with you” sample…
Ok so it wasn’t just me who didn’t hear it either! I was thinking B pulled a switcheroo and was like “oh you talking shit, lemme take it off here at 11:43 pm before the album drops at midnight” lmao! Skimmed through and liked about half and imma give it a shot in the gym today… just glad to have some new to be excited about 🤷♂️
^i’m was like did i miss it???
i thought it was something that popped up as a transition.
i’m gonna listen with headphones on soon to see if i’m missing it LOL
The Virgo Vibes vocals were ethereal.
She did her thing on Church Girl
^love love love love church girl