At some point, we’ll have to discuss how and why Virgo Queen Beyonce released Renaissance during Leo Szn. [Buzzfeed]
Shawn Mendes relaxes with a friend after canceling his entire tour. [Just Jared]
This story made me miss Lisa “Left Eye” Lopes. [Dlisted]
Jessica Biel & Justin Timberlake are vacationing in Italy. [LaineyGossip]
I love Joan Cusack, what a star. [Seriously OMG]
Ryan Gosling looked cute in New York. [Go Fug Yourself]
I also enjoy little trips to the grocery store. [Gawker]
I kind of can’t believe that Physical is still on? [Pajiba]
Kelis is accusing Beyonce of stealing her song. [Towleroad]
The Photoshop on Tom Brady’s swimsuit ads, omg. [Egotastic]
Yes! Let’s bring back Lilith Fair. [Jezebel]
BEYONCE DEADASS TOOK MY HAND AND IS DRAGGING ME TO EVERY CLUB
— THIQUE (@ScottieBeam) July 29, 2022
— BEYONCÉ (@Beyonce) July 29, 2022
Beyoncé is an album artist. I’m sorry. WHAT A PROJECT. The transitions. WOW.
— Desmond (@vincentdesmond_) July 28, 2022
Beyoncé really said “cause them Karen’s just turned into terrorists” #RENAISSANCE pic.twitter.com/QfVrTcbixs
— Sungani ☀️ (@TheSungani) July 29, 2022
The first single was terrible, so hopefully the rest of the album is good…
The album has a ton of house influence, as well as some disco. It certainly won’t be for everyone but those who love it will really love it. I am digging several of the tracks and I love how black her influences are and how she pays so many nods to ballroom culture.
I grew up in the 90s when house beats were all over and dance music in general was mainstream and hot on the pop charts, radio, and everywhere. Break My Soul did not give me the fun vibe from back then, even with the sample. I’ll give the rest of the album a listen, but my hopes aren’t high.
Beyoncé has some amazing albums with no filler. This album… idk.
Sid
90s dance music is still incredible!
Counterpoint: the first single was a BOP.
Already listened 3x through. COZY is my new life mantra. Carry on.
@ Lucy. BMS is in deed a bop but for me, it has to grow on you. I can listen to that jam over wns over again and the vibrations and message will get me hype. What I appreciate with this album is that on the surface it’s got the dance beats but the lyrics are still content-heavy. The whole thing is like we got an album in the vein of the song 7/11. Just fun, playful, and light-hearted.
I am a fan of old beyonce music. It’s hard to reinvent yourself, the new sound is just not for me, i wouldnt listen to it in my car. But i think maybe i’d use it for a background vibe at home with friends, pre-dinner
It took me a min to warm up to BMS. But it fits so well in the album and the transition to it is so good. I was nervous about this one cus it seemed so out of her wheelhouse but she delivered!! It’s fun and fresh and shes really great at mixing genres. She really doesn’t have peers.
I’m looking forward to spending some time with her new album.
Is it me or does Tom Brady look like James Mardsen in that photo?
He looks like another version of chris pratt to me
Tom Brady wishes he looked like James Marsden.
I feel so disconnected from the side of pop culture that is obsessed with Beyonce and Adele. I respect their talent but I just don’t get it.
I do too, maybe it’s because I’m too old, I’m Bey’s age by the way lol. I was just telling my husband though that I just, as a human, never understood or will understand the worship of other humans/celebrities/orange politicians. Like I get loving and appreciating people’s work and stuff and having it really connect with you and being a meaningful part of your life but I just can’t wrap my mind around the hero worship. I just would feel so silly staning another person so hard that doesn’t even know I exist. Parasocial relationships are so strange to me.
Me too.
I respect their talent, Bey work attitude, but it’s not for me.
I really want to talk about Beyoncé et al ripping off Kelis.
This is a recurring theme with Beyonce. Lots of “borrowing” from other people and only giving credit when she’s called out on it (see: choreo for Single Ladies). It’s a concentrated effort to make her look more clever and talented than she is. She and her fans exhaust me. She and T Swift are so overrated it’s ridiculous.
Beyoncé is both a performer with an amazing work ethic and natural talent. She is also someone with a team that makes sure she gets the most credit. Changing a few lyrics to give her a song writing credit. “Borrowing” from other artists just enough to not have to battle them in Court. It’s very well done.
She’s not original. She’s just a very hard working and talented performer with a massive team around her. She deserves credit for that and career longevity.
IMO
Agree on the over-rating of both.
My friend posted on fb a link to an article about every time Beyoncé stole from other artists. It was damning.
Further down several producers and song writers took ish w how Beyoncé talked publicly about writing a song she clearly did not write to the extent that she has made up anecdotes and repeated them in interviews.
One guy went to her dad to complain about the lies and he was like “nobody wants to hear about how Ron whatever from englewood NJ wrote this song.”
Ewww made my skin crawl.
I am also her age and some of my friends’ birthing plans at a private Manhattan hospital were completely jacked up when she took over the maternity ward.
So yeah I’m happy to celebrate beychella and black is king but also know that she has created her own mythology and believes it and that I think is a sad thing bc it partially relies on lifting creative vision from other artists of all kinds and not giving them the shine they deserve for their vision and work and then doubling down on false stories of how she got there.
So I’m a big nope on that as it’s clearly a pattern and there’s no excuse
Kelis is planning to sue. After the outrageous disrespect Jay-Z has shown her lyrically I think she is ready to litigate.
She’s dead wrong and if this were any other artist ripping off a black female artist who’s spent years talking about how the music industry has used her talent and then cast her aside as if she were nothing, they’d be on Kelis’ side. But since it’s “queen Bey” all that phony girl power stuff goes out the window. I’m glad Kelis called her out. She has every right to be angry and Beyonce should have been openly checked about her thievery and her fake pro-black girl sisterhood nonsense years ago.
She didn’t rip off anything. Kelis doesn’t own the song. Beyonce’s team got permission from the people who own the song. If I want to take a line out of “I will always love you,” I’m not going to go to Whitney Houston’s estate. I’m going to Dolly Parton. Because it’s Dolly’s song. If Kelis wants to be mad then she should be mad at Pharrell, the person who owns the song. And her wanting Beyonce to call her up and tell her ahead of time? Why? She could have called Beyonce up and expressed her displeasure, but instead she went on social media.
If you read Kelis’ comments you’ll see that she also calls out Pharrell. And because Beyonce is “the face” you better believe she has a right to call her out too.
I wasn’t a huge fan of Break My Soul as a single; however, in the full context of the album it’s incredible. I listened to the whole album this morning no skips and it’s incredible and right up my alley in terms of the vibe and the influences driving the sound.
I’m not sure I understand this comment. The song on its own is bad, but in the co text of the album it’s great. Shouldn’t songs be both? Cohesive to the album, but also a strong single that sells. The importance of a song being a hit single cannot be understated imo.
Her voice will always make love to my ears, so even though the vibe is not my favorite (I wish she’d do something like Sugar Mama again) I’m enjoying. She also benefits from the awful lack of originality of other pop stars, either women or men, who sound criminally generic. Also, all that bragging reminds me of the teenage stuff written on the walls in high school, ego dressed as self love.
I like Break My Soul. I’ve heard a few other songs from Renaissance now. I liked some of them, but too much cussing for me. I do think she’s talented.
I was a young teenager when House was popular and I love the album (apart from the first song that starts in an annoying way, so I skip that).
I think Lemonade was a masterpiece. But Renaissance is pretty mediocre music wise. And I am a huge fan of electronic music. It’s just not it. All songs are bland
Something that sort of bugs me is not the fact that Shawn Mendes cancelled his entire tour so he could focus on his mental health. But rather people are taking pictures of him while pumping gas and he looks really not okay, as I think he was staring at the photographer, we also now know he drives a Land Rover.
If the kid cited mental health struggles maybe leave him alone, don’t take his picture? Won’t happen I am sure because people suck but this just bothered me a bit and I am not a Shawn music fan. I guess people didn’t learn anything from the Britney chaos in the 2000’s.
Wow, Beyonce’s new album sounds so outdated!
I’ve seen this trend in everything really. It’s like 2021-2022 is having an identity crisis.
And also, I think she’s getting a bit too old and too irrelevant for this whole bad bi***s-vibe she’s been on for ages. It was cool, now it’s very…meh. I’m NOT saying you can’t be a mature woman claiming you’re the baddest, just saying there are a number of times you can repeat you’re “that bi***” before it gets too old and stale.
Wished she actually evolved and didn’t take steps back because she sees the younger generation of bad bi***s killing it and getting attention right now.
The album feels like she couldn’t stand sharing the spotlight rather then actually making music for the love of music.
The Kelis thing is only weird because Beyonce got permission from the people who own the rights to the song. Kelis is mad at the wrong person. Beyonce interweaves the influences throughput her original thought and musical procession. That’s not the same as stealing or even lifting. Interweaving samples has been a Black music staple since the 70s/80s. Beyonce is also big with crediting people for the influence. Remember how she handles the African artists on the Lion King album? So it’s not as if she’s pulling a mili vanilli or LL Cool J. Beyonce doesn’t get enough credit for the work she puts into the entirety of her albums. Everyone who worked on the album from sound engineer to producer had to undergo extreme background checks so no potential abusers or rapists are involved. But I believe some people just like to complain. Beyonce from ’02 in sound and talent sounds remarkably different from yesterday’s album drop. Each album has been a progression and maturity of sound and talent. Being 40 and claiming you are That B*tch isn’t an issue. I’m almost 40 and find it aspirational.
Loved early Beyonce, not into her new stuff. Just not my cup of tea musically.