I wonder how many people used to denounce Michael Jackson back in his prime when people compared him to the greats that came before him. Certainly now is not the time to hold the same torch to Rihanna, but it will be interesting to see how history remembers the pop artists that rose in this last decade.
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Rihanna is on Michael Jackson's level
- Thread starter Mau ®
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ReturnOfTheRAT
Member
People acting like they have no idea who Rihanna is, I'm dead! Hihihihihi
Hilarious
Like we're talking about a girl that just SOLD OUT her WHOLE TOUR WW, yet no one knows who she is? She just sold out STADIUMS in EU all because people wanted to see her so much, I don't believe for a second that people don't think she's an icon or don't care for her hits. She has had too much success in her short career (so far) for me to believe that she isn't a legend, an ICON, and a forced to be reckoned with in the industry. Try as you might to discredit her or marginalize her success, but the tea remains, she has SURPASSED MJ in #1 hits, she has sold out arenas and stadiums Worldwide, she's the highest selling digital artist EVER, she's the most played artist on the radio EVER, and she's a household name.
Rihanna is going [ N O W H E R E ]. And if you haven't heard her before (but everyone has) you will soon cause she is just getting started.
#ShineBrightBitches
This means nothing to me as I do not actively seek out her music. And I don't come across it even when I'm not looking for it.
WhereAreMahDragonz
Banned
That's the thread, everyone.
teruterubozu
Member
In the 80s MJ was already FUCKING HUGE. He already had immense credibility from The Jackson 5. He was already a Mowtown Great.
You don't get Quincy Jones producing your album from just being a pop star.
Waiting for something ICONic from Rhi...
Rih is iconic in other ways, though. She's one of the first popstars who truly 'gets' social media, which makes her human and accessible in a way that none of those popstars ever could be.
And that's the tea.
She shouldn't even be associating with Chris Brown and she should definitely not be making songs with him like everything is okay. Especially after some of the remarks Chris Brown has made about the incident, post-incident. It sets the wrong tone and, as you say, girls look up to her. She needs to be held to a higher standard because of her status as a big pop star with millions and millions of followers that imitate her actions and perceive what she does as the gold standard. Sexuality is one thing but when you show a relationship with a proven woman-beater it gives the impression that that is 'okay'. There is rarely a case where there should be a second chance for what Chris Brown did and friendship and collabs should be off the table just to set an example. People not in the spotlight have enough trouble staying away from those types of relationships without reinforcement from such an influental source.
Always-honest
Banned
I don't like jackson's music much, but even i think this is rather insulting.
Ah well, Beatles earned their crown.
Ah well, Beatles earned their crown.
I know, right?
People are going to find it funny that we used to compare someone like Rihanna to MJ.
...we have Psy stans in PopGAF?
No, don't worry, but the dance is iconic and will be performed at weddings for years to come...
Rookje
Member
That's only interesting to her fans or to online pop fans, not to the general public. Go grab someone on the street and ask them what makes Rhianna interesting. Her witty Instagram replies? Nobody knows or cares about that except Tumblr.
freenudemacusers
Member
plenty of time to start molesting young boys
Grab someone over the age of 20 and ask them that, maybe. But old people not really getting pop culture is a tale as old as Cher.
A quick summary
Her #1singles
I'm sorry, could you list those #1s for me? I can't seem to remember them. All I know is that she keeps putting out a song every week. It's hard to keep up with them all.
This is me, too. I mainly know of her from goofy antics that show up on WWTDD and the like.
Devolution
Member
FairXchange
Member
Personally, love me some RiRi.
teruterubozu
Member
And yet nothing has really changed since Cher.
WhereAreMahDragonz
Banned
To this day MJ is the only pop artist I've heard that made truly memorable songs. Everyone else makes disposable hits that are thrown out and forgotten about a few months later when the next one comes out. That attitude is even worse nowadays with this smartphone and youtube generation. It often feels like songs are thrown out weekly and people put out 2 albums a year now.
Khalifa Jayy
Banned
I heard she's good with them soft lipsssssss...
if your memory is this poor you might want to consult a doctor, it's possible you have suffered a stroke
Which, in my opinion, is the biggest problem with modern pop. It's all about who has the most #1 hits or most views on Youtube.
Quality is subjective and even forgone just to make sure you get your video/song out before the next.
Remember Katy Perry vs Gaga with Roar and Applause then Prism and ARTPOP?
Justine Timberlake is the only person that has put out two years in an album recently. And both were forgettable.
Just the desperate ones like Justin Timberlake.
I'm just saying it feels like that to an outsider because these people are on every fucking song in existence now, Rihanna is particularly bad with this.
There is god, her name is Rihallah
teruterubozu
Member
It really is weird. I've never seen music so blatantly turn into a "popularity contest" like it is today. Nobody had MJ vs. Madonna bullshit back in the day. You appreciated the entire Top 40 countdown.
freenudemacusers
Member
That's be the case since ... radio.
Maybe your just not that into music.
Maybe on the radio stations you listen to.
I listen to the radio almost daily, and I'm talking about modern rock and not some retro genre station. I have never ever heard a Rihanna song on the radio stations I listen to.
There is this huge assumption that Pop is mainstream. It's not.
The #NAVY's gonna tell you that she recently won some kind of icon award but seeing as how I don't stan Rih I'm going to agree with you.
Taylor has grown on me...
ICONOGRAPHY is subjective, but the AMAs just presented her with the ICON award, so she's an ICON, and that's the tea.
Devolution
Member
I think some people aren't realizing they might be outside the demographic now that these acts are mostly going to be exposed to. My parents have been out of the loop a long time but the stuff they were really into their parents were like "lol what is this", when I was born and listened to popular music, same thing.
I dunno, man. Saw some kids get in schoolyard shoving matches and shit over the top 20 MTV countdown, as late as the early 90s.
I'm not familiar with this saying... enlighten me. It's getting really confusing in here.
Soulscribe
Member
Rihanna songs >> Rihanna the artist
Reminds me a bit of my personal faves, Simon and Garfunkel. Some of the most impactful songs of all time were written and released by them (The Boxer, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Sound of Silence) but people are much more likely to recall those songs than the guys who made them. Are Simon and Garfunkel considered legends on the same level as some of their contemporaries? Not at all. In fact, you can argue that they've been pretty much defunct in the "relevance" category since the early 80s. Their songs outpaced them as pop culture figures, and sure the songs get all the glory but the artists fade out. Of course there's no real parallel between S&G and Rihanna other than that.
I feel like in 30 years a lot of people will know Rihanna songs but very few will know who sang them.
Reminds me a bit of my personal faves, Simon and Garfunkel. Some of the most impactful songs of all time were written and released by them (The Boxer, Bridge Over Troubled Water, Sound of Silence) but people are much more likely to recall those songs than the guys who made them. Are Simon and Garfunkel considered legends on the same level as some of their contemporaries? Not at all. In fact, you can argue that they've been pretty much defunct in the "relevance" category since the early 80s. Their songs outpaced them as pop culture figures, and sure the songs get all the glory but the artists fade out. Of course there's no real parallel between S&G and Rihanna other than that.
I feel like in 30 years a lot of people will know Rihanna songs but very few will know who sang them.
Tea = truth.
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