Current Events > SZA about to break a record held by Thriller album.

(+) Yeah! (+)

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


I find that incredibly hard to believe.

Edit: apparently you're not alone either. Yikes.

gamepimp12 posted...

SZA album is good. But its streaming numbers are being carried by the facts it has the best RnB song in at LEAST 15 years on it.

Yall not knowing who Sza is at all tells me yall arent very attached to black culture or people.

Well we knew that already. CEs demographics are pretty obvious once you get the vibe of the posts.

But even I'm surprised people haven't heard of sza. You have to avoid the outside world to an impressive degree to achieve that.

Toonstrack posted...

Well we knew that already. CEs demographics are pretty obvious once you get the vibe of the posts.

Toon cannot make a post without criticizing the CE population

ssb_yunglink2 posted...

Toon cannot make a post without criticizing the CE population

Most of CE does that lol.

Also that was more an observation than a criticism.

ssb_yunglink2 posted...

Toon cannot make a post without criticizing the CE population

To be fair, he's not wrong. Hip Hop and R&B topics don't get that much love. Those usually die out by like 15-20 posts. So this one being at 100+ now is pretty impressive.

NoxObscuras posted...

To be fair, he's not wrong. Hip Hop and R&B topics don't get that much love. Those usually die out by like 15-20 posts. So this one being at 100+ now is pretty impressive.

mainly because people like to argue with me over opinions that arent really arguable

gamepimp12 posted...

mainly because people like to argue with me over opinions that arent really arguable

Its CE people just like to argue. The subject is less important than the act of getting an argument in.

gamepimp12 posted...

mainly because people like to argue with me over opinions that arent really arguable

You literally argue against drake being a top 15 rapper yourself in this very topic lmao

what do you mean your opinions arent arguable

NoxObscuras posted...

To be fair, he's not wrong. Hip Hop and R&B topics don't get that much love. Those usually die out by like 15-20 posts. So this one being at 100+ now is pretty impressive.

yeah fair enough

ssb_yunglink2 posted...

You literally argue against drake being a top 15 rapper yourself in this very topic lmao

what do you mean your opinions arent arguable

I didnt argue against him being top 15 I acknowledged the actual flaws in his resume.

He chose success over acclaim at almost ever level, and while he got the success, hes a talented enough rapper, he didnt actually have to choose, at least not for as long as he has.

its like being disappointed Shaqs not a top 3 all time Nba player because he was lazy, while acknowledging that lazy or not he still made it to top 12.

gamepimp12 posted...

I didnt argue against him being top 15 I acknowledged the actual flaws in his resume.

He chose success over acclaim at almost ever level, and while he got the success, hes a talented enough rapper, he didnt actually have to choose, at least not for as long as he has.

its like being disappointed Shaqs not a top 3 all time Nba player because he was lazy, while acknowledging that lazy or not he still made it to top 12.

A rappers best songs dont make his worst ones go away. Drakes last even remotely decent album was More life and that album still had a lot of misses. Since scorpion his albums have been straight up bad.

I like Drake when hes actually trying, but he hasnt in a long time, and its not enough to make him top 15. Not even close.

ssb_yunglink2 posted...

A rappers best songs dont make his worst ones go away. Drakes last even remotely decent album was More life and that album still had a lot of misses. Since scorpion his albums have been straight up bad.

I like Drake when hes actually trying, but he hasnt in a long time, and its not enough to make him top 15. Not even close.

see, when the argument shifts from drake cant rap, to drake doesnt try to rap anymore and he shouldnt be rewarded for mediocrity. I respect the opinion, because I do view that as the biggest flaw is his resume as a rapper.

My thing is Celtics Shaq doesnt take away from what Laker Shaq did.

this last year or so of music with the diss tracks, and scary hours 3 is honestly the most technical rapping hes done in a single year in like a decade. (My last good drake album was IYRTITL)

Im however of the opinion that the first half of his body of work from room for improvement to if your reading this its too late is comparable to most top 25 or so rappers whole careers and he has a whole 9 albums of mid after that that just stat pad.

gamepimp12 posted...

see, when the argument shifts from drake cant rap, to drake doesnt try to rap anymore and he shouldnt be rewarded for mediocrity. I respect the opinion, because I do view that as the biggest flaw is his resume as a rapper.

My thing is Celtics Shaq doesnt take away from what Laker Shaq did.

this last year or so of music with the diss tracks, and scary hours 3 is honestly the most technical rapping hes done in a single year in like a decade. (My last good drake album was IYRTITL)

Im however of the opinion that the first half of his body of work from room for improvement to if your reading this its too late is comparable to most top 25 or so rappers whole careers and he has a whole 9 albums of mid after that that just stat pad.

Where did Drake get like 20 albums from? And nearly everything after Nothing was the Same has been pretty panned critically. No one cares how good he could be if he's just gonna have ghostwriters and spend 90% of his discography chasing whatever trends in pop music.

I won't even say he sucks. But most people aren't going to throw someone in as "one of the greatest rappers ever" because he makes inoffensive pop music and occasionally raps well when he makes a mixtape or gets called a pedophile.

hockeybabe89 posted...

Where did Drake get like 20 albums from? And nearly everything after Nothing was the Same has been pretty panned critically. No one cares how good he could be if he's just gonna have ghostwriters and spend 90% of his discography chasing whatever trends in pop music.

I won't even say he sucks. But most people aren't going to throw someone in as "one of the greatest rappers ever" because he makes inoffensive pop music and occasionally raps well when he makes a mixtape or gets called a pedophile.

I just counted hes definitely at 17 albums/ mixtapes

and you could push that to like 23 if you count the care packages the young money comp albums (I wouldnt)

and youre a little off most people say drake fell off with views.

but between nothing was the same and views he dropped to mixtapes that people love.

my point is that the first half of his career is 8 albums and thats a body of work is easily comparable to most top rappers.

even if the second half of his career is shakey at best *cough*Kanye*cough*

Toonstrack posted...

I find that incredibly hard to believe.

Edit: apparently you're not alone either. Yikes.

I think ppl don't realize how big the music industry is today. With how many artist there are and different platforms, it's possible for an artist to be very popular and still be largely unknown to the general populace. This is similar to how there are Tiktok celebrities with millions of legit followers, who are completely unknown even amongst informed people.

gamepimp12 posted...

acclaimed and considered the greatest RnB song in at least 15 years.
its extremely hard to have never heard that song.

you actively avoid the radio or your friends the club etc etc.

real? I like the song, but it's a pretty standard radio track. Other than the lyrical content it doesn't really shine in any aspect. I don't know if it's just cuz RnB has been largely considered dead, but that's a crazy statement.

Link_of_time posted...

I think ppl don't realize how big the music industry is today. With how many artist there are and different platforms, it's possible for an artist to be very popular and still be largely unknown to the general populace. This is similar to how there are Tiktok celebrities with millions of legit followers, who are completely unknown even amongst informed people.

Post Malone just went number one on the charts with an artist Ive never heard of yesterday. Appears to be a country artist.

real? I like the song, but it's a pretty standard radio track. Other than the lyrical content it doesn't really shine in any aspect. I don't know if it's just cuz RnB has been largely considered dead, but that's a crazy statement.

RnB got replaced by rap-sung a while back I feel. SZA being the stand out acts that survived the purge.

Link_of_time posted...

I think ppl don't realize how big the music industry is today. With how many artist there are and different platforms, it's possible for an artist to be very popular and still be largely unknown to the general populace. This is similar to how there are Tiktok celebrities with millions of legit followers, who are completely unknown even amongst informed people.

real? I like the song, but it's a pretty standard radio track. Other than the lyrical content it doesn't really shine in any aspect. I don't know if it's just cuz RnB has been largely considered dead, but that's a crazy statement.

RnB is in this really awkward stage and has been for awhile, where all the good writers (sza Victoria Mont Muni long) are good enough singers they can just sing the hit song themselves and all the amazing singers (Chole Bailey, Coco Jones) are stuck singing all right songs instead of the amazing songs.

basically you have to be Beyonce or Rihanna or Ariana grande at this point for the writers to give up their best songs now adays.

so its a lot of good music, but not alot of great music.

but snooze really is just that well written of a song (baby face helped on it so that makes sense) and sza had enough voice to bring it where it needed to be.

But yeah Im not exaggerating when I say snooze is considered that iconic of a song.

gamepimp12 posted...

RnB is in this really awkward stage and has been for awhile, where all the good writers (sza Victoria Mont Muni long) are good enough singers they can just sing the hit song themselves and all the amazing singers (Chole Bailey, Coco Jones) are stuck singing all right songs instead of the amazing songs.

basically you have to be Beyonce or Rihanna or Ariana grande at this point for the writers to give up their best songs now adays.

so its a lot of good music, but not alot of great music.

but snooze really is just that well written of a song (baby face helped on it so that makes sense) and sza had enough voice to bring it where it needed to be.

But yeah Im not exaggerating when I say snooze is considered that iconic of a song.

I feel like you're way overhypying snooze lol.

NoxObscuras posted...

I feel like you're way overhypying snooze lol.

I might be overhyping it. But Im definitely not way overhyping it.

gamepimp12 posted...

I might be overhyping it. But Im definitely not way overhyping it.

You're talking about how iconic it is and how it's the greatest r&b song of the last 15+ years. It's for sure one of her best songs and probably the best R&B song of 2023. But of the 15 years is overselling it lol.

NoxObscuras posted...

You're talking about how iconic it is and how it's the greatest r&b song of the last 15+ years. It's for sure one of her best songs and probably the best R&B song of 2023. But of the 15 years is overselling it lol.

Rolling stone for example had it like 19th best song in the last 25 years

and the only songs within 15 years they have better was

Adorn
Thinking about you
and best part (which I personally dont think should be next to the other 3 songs)

I get you think my statement are ridiculous but its a general consensus that the song is that good, and at the very least clears every major RnB song in the last 5 if not 15 years

Who or what is SZA?

Makeveli_lives posted...

https://twitter.com/offtheidea/status/1792301418520383707?s=46&t=MclOgjiC_DZiKahxLVoZDg

3 months is subjectively short in the entertainment industry.

Tweet is correct.

Also, people dont even buy albums anymore so Im kind of curious how they quantify this for the current Billboard.

The tweet is correct, but good for SZA. That album is really good

divot1338 posted...

Tweet is correct.

Also, people dont even buy albums anymore so Im kind of curious how they quantify this for the current Billboard.

Streams + album sales.

1500 streams =1 album sale.

this also counts TikToks and casual listens in like play list and stuffs

gamepimp12 posted...

Streams + album sales.

1500 streams =1 album sale.

this also counts TikToks and casual listens in like play list and stuffs

Yeah. They should just have a new category because thats bullshit.

I know when I hear a song I like I stream it over and over until I get it out of my system.

If I still like it, I buy the track.

A streamed song is free though. No matter how many times you play it.

divot1338 posted...

Yeah. They should just have a new category because thats bullshit.

I know when I hear a song I like I stream it over and over until I get it out of my system.

If I still like it, I buy the track.

A streamed song is free though. No matter how many times you play it.

its not free though.

your subscription either pays for it or your ads pay for it..

The system its self is fine I just dont think people realize how much more music we listen to today Vs 20 years ago

gamepimp12 posted...

Rolling stone for example had it like 19th best song in the last 25 years

and the only songs within 15 years they have better was

Adorn
Thinking about you
and best part (which I personally dont think should be next to the other 3 songs)

I get you think my statement are ridiculous but its a general consensus that the song is that good, and at the very least clears every major RnB song in the last 5 if not 15 years

They had Adorn? Thinking about you I accept, but Adorn. Nah. I'll give you the last 5 years, but honestly snooze is just ok. I dont think ppl will even talk about it in 5 like "thinking of you".

gamepimp12 posted...

Yall not knowing who Sza is at all tells me yall arent very attached to black culture or people.

Is it not gross to say this about any particular artist?

I know of her, but I don't really enjoy her music and so I don't care to listen. Not saying she doesn't have skill or anything, just not my cup of tea (which I coincidentally also don't like).

I prefer Lil Nas X's stuff way more, does that mean I'm not attached to black culture or people just because he's not SZA?

I don't think you can declare something like that just because they don't know/care for one particular artist that you think they should.

Touch posted...

CE didn't even know who Ed Sheeran was, whether trolling or not. They constantly choose to live under a rock and act like it's the norm lol

Or maybe there's people who tuned out of the pop music world a long time ago and listen to bands or genres that don't get radio play and you'd never heard of.

Thinking everybody must know about pop artists because people who like that music/listen to the radio all know about them doesn't add up. They could be listening to way better (skilled/talented) artists you'd never heard of because you prefer whatever's on the radio (not saying that's what you actually do, just making a point).

Like, what would someone who exclusively listens to EDM or House music have to do with Ed Sheeran? Maybe his songs get remixed, sampled, and all that, however they're not listening to those songs for Ed Sheeran, they're listening for whoever the dj is that used Ed Sheeran, often along with others, to make a new product.

Kradek posted...

Is it not gross to say this about any particular artist?

I know of her, but I don't really enjoy her music and so I don't care to listen. Not saying she doesn't have skill or anything, just not my cup of tea (which I coincidentally also don't like).

I prefer Lil Nas X's stuff way more, does that mean I'm not attached to black culture or people just because he's not SZA?

I don't think you can declare something like that just because they don't know/care for one particular artist that you think they should.

Or maybe there's people who tuned out of the pop music world a long time ago and listen to bands or genres that don't get radio play and you'd never heard of.

Thinking everybody must know about pop artists because people who like that music/listen to the radio all know about them doesn't add up. They could be listening to way better (skilled/talented) artists you'd never heard of because you prefer whatever's on the radio (not saying that's what you actually do, just making a point).

Like, what would someone who exclusively listens to EDM or House music have to do with Ed Sheeran? Maybe his songs get remixed, sampled, and all that, however they're not listening to those songs for Ed Sheeran, they're listening for whoever the dj is that used Ed Sheeran, often along with others, to make a new product.

No I think its totally reasonable to question his current you are with black American culture if youve never heard of snooze or Sza.

like obviously were speaking in generalities but to have no idea about the songs or the artist does pretty much mean youve been living under a rock.

gamepimp12 posted...

No I think its totally reasonable to question his current you are with black American culture if youve never heard of snooze or Sza.

like obviously were speaking in generalities but to have no idea about the songs or the artist does pretty much mean youve been living under a rock.

Dude can you please stop saying this about being current with Black American culture. It's a really weird proclamation to make.

yea, questioning someone's status in relation to the black community because of how they aware of SZA and/or Snooze is dumb and arbitrary.

especially when citing Rolling Stone - idgaf about what Rolling Stone has to say, and I definitely don't use them to gauge blackness, lmao.

anyway, as someone who listens to rap & r&b, I've been aware of SZA for years, but she was never my favorite artist (nothing against her, but I just didn't go looking for her music), so I haven't listened to Snooze until this topic.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


I never said it was ?

I said this song has been so significant and major, on a hugely successful album. Thats it hard to have not heard it and not be culturally be living under a rock.

I could list a lot of songs that honestly if you havent heard I would question your relationship with black American culture.

Baron_Ox posted...

yea, questioning someone's status in relation to the black community because of how they aware of SZA and/or Snooze is dumb and arbitrary.

especially when citing Rolling Stone - idgaf about what Rolling Stone has to say, and I definitely don't use them to gauge blackness, lmao.

anyway, as someone who listens to rap & r&b, I've been aware of SZA for years, but she was never my favorite artist (nothing against her, but I just didn't go looking for her music), so I haven't listened to Snooze until this topic.

Youre conflating two separate points I made.

I never used rolling stone to gauge its blackness. I used rolling stone, its awards won and its overall success, as points that snooze is wildly considers that massive of a song. As people felt like I was exaggerating its success.

Basically you guys are mad I said it, but cant actually tell me that Im wrong for saying it lmao.

Hey I havent heard the most popular urban radio song for the last two years, but how dare you say Im not up to date with Black American Culture

Snooze is definitely a dope song. The last time I enjoyed a newer R&B track as much was Boo'd Up.

[LFAQs-redacted-quote]


Its not but many have that perception. It is a black dominated genre, partially because the community was pigeonholed by execs in that direction.

Anyways, SZA us one of those artists so big in the genre and other genres its hard to miss her. Shes featured on the main credits of the black panther movie in a song with Kendrick Lamar, she's headlined multiple shows and done features with artists from all over the music industry. From pop artists like Rihanna and dj Khaled and full on rappers like Travis Scott and Megan thee stallion and has been doing so for nearly a decade. She's featured several artists herself including Phoebe bridgers.

You basically have to not listen to or follow at least 4 or 5 different genres, including radio play and just random encounter at ALL not know who she is or have encountered her. So you can imagine its hard to believe when someone says they haven't heard of her at all.

Im not even a huge sza fan. Shes got good stuff but I prefer her as featuring on other artists songs than her own stuff.

Literally never heard of SZA.

Been bumping that new Tech N9ne song heavily, tho.

except you are wrong.

you're using a standard that you made up to measure black American culture, and then you judged others for not meeting it.

as for the Rolling Stone thing, my bad, but I'm not going to make any judgements on black culture based on awards meted out by a traditionally white publication.

edit: at post 136

LonelyStoner posted...

Literally never heard of SZA.

Been bumping that new Tech N9ne song heavily, tho.

Ya see hearing that and your username being a possible cudi reference is crazy to me someone who follows hip hop has never heard of her. Like I dont even know how that is possible.

Toonstrack posted...

Ya see hearing that and your username being a possible cudi reference is crazy to me someone who follows hip hop has never heard of her. Like I dont even know how that is possible.

It is a Cudi reference. Post your favorite SZA song and Ill give her a listen.

LonelyStoner posted...

It is a Cudi reference. Post your favorite SZA song and Ill give her a listen.

I dont have one, i said im not actually a huge sza fan but I know who she is and have since at least 2017. She does good features. What I will say is due to her label she had to wait an obscenely long time to release a real 2nd solo album so I will give yall that. But that albums 2 years old and won 9 grammys noms and many other awards so you also have to not follow those either.

Listen to all the stars by Kendrick, she's on there. Or telekinesis by Travis Scott, she has a "verse" on that track.

Dont know if she's worked with cudi yet.

Baron_Ox posted...

except you are wrong.

you're using a standard that you made up to measure black American culture, and then you judged others for not meeting it.

as for the Rolling Stone thing, my bad, but I'm not going to make any judgements on black culture based on awards meted out by a traditionally white publication.

edit: at post 136

i think its a very fair metric though culture is defined by shared experiences, and while obviously not everyone shares EVERY experience, its certain things that its hard to miss without actively not participating in said culture.

I would say the same thing if somebody said they never heard anything about the Kendrick and Drake beef for example. Or had to have the Ralph Lauren FUBU line explained to them ya know (without being a young kid or a very old adult)

and not participating in the culture doesnt suddenly mean you arent black if thats what you guys are trying to imply Im saying.

https://youtu.be/GfCqMv--ncA?si=fpO3fmArzAE-L5hO

https://youtu.be/lDoLRlo4QgY?si=xHGfKXKERQ1JuW5m

https://youtu.be/dp45V_M4Akw?si=4pGneiiAF-1Uts0u

https://youtu.be/2p3zZoraK9g?si=KB2jbeOouwJe5hH6

https://youtu.be/MSRcC626prw?si=dEY4J569Kn2cXqi0

You know what album really did break Michael Jacksons record?
https://gamefaqs.gamespot.com/a/forum/f/fdbdf00d.jpg

The logistics definitely don't make sense. But I'm not going to make a deal out of it. Just as long as the records state that this was after or before internet streaming era.

gamepimp12 posted...

Basically you guys are mad I said it, but cant actually tell me that Im wrong for saying it lmao.

Hey I havent heard the most popular urban radio song for the last two years, but how dare you say Im not up to date with Black American Culture

You can assume that someone not knowing about Snooze or about SZA would mean that they don't listen to R&B much, or at all.

But you keep conflating this one artist with Black Culture as a whole, which just makes me think that you think that music is all there is to Black Culture.

Toonstrack posted...

I dont have one, i said im not actually a huge sza fan but I know who she is and have since at least 2017. She does good features. What I will say is due to her label she had to wait an obscenely long time to release a real 2nd solo album so I will give yall that. But that albums 2 years old and won 9 grammys noms and many other awards so you also have to not follow those either.

Listen to all the stars by Kendrick, she's on there. Or telekinesis by Travis Scott, she has a "verse" on that track.

Dont know if she's worked with cudi yet.

Im gonna be real, I dont follow the Grammys whatsoever.

Her name sounds familiar, and Ive probably heard her on some features, but if features are her most recognizable accomplishments she probably shouldnt be mentioned in the same breath as Michael Jackson.

NoxObscuras posted...

You can assume that someone not knowing about Snooze or about SZA would mean that they don't listen to R&B much, or at all.

But you keep conflating this one artist with Black Culture as a whole, which just makes me think that you think that music is all there is to Black Culture

i never said Sza = black culture

I said somehow missing out on the biggest song in the last 2 years that had both critical and commercial success, tells me you arent up-to-date with black culture cause how do you missed that.

it would also apply that youve never seen Black Panther so yeah