Wavey✨️
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Post by Wavey✨️ on Oct 8, 2015 9:23:01 GMT -5
The cover actually reminds me of when Yonce did the Bow Down cover. But I like the meaning behind the cover. Rih Rih came a long way man. Everything seems more "serious" than ever now, and I'll give her a chance for an artistic approach.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2015 9:30:36 GMT -5
She's trying too hard. However I feel like the public (specifically pop fans) eat this shit up regardless and will think she's so artistic.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2015 10:22:09 GMT -5
This is so contrived. I honestly can't buy into Rihanna of all people suddenly tapping into some dormant creative force. Those artist statements (seriously, why did each piece need to be so explicit?) were a f**king mess, too. The more I read, the more forced and predictable it got. Hilarious. The individual braille panels were far more subtle and exciting than the official cover.
The only real winner here is the artist-- all he did was plagiarize himself with a cheap knockoff and cash the check.
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XXX.
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Post by XXX. on Oct 8, 2015 10:25:36 GMT -5
This is so contrived. I honestly can't buy into Rihanna of all people suddenly tapping into some dormant creative force. Those artist statements (seriously, why did each piece need to be so explicit?) were a f**king mess, too. The more I read, the more forced and predictable it got. Hilarious. The individual braille panels were far more subtle and exciting than the official cover. The only real winner here is the artist-- all he did was plagiarize himself with a cheap knockoff and cash the check. x 1000000000000000000000 Yes.
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Post by when the pawn... on Oct 8, 2015 11:16:01 GMT -5
Awesome cover. I dig all of the stuff that was revealed yesterday. Hopefully the music is good. She obviously wants this to be her Beyonce/The Velvet Rope. I liked Unapologetic more than any other Rihanna album so hopefully she keeps onward and upward.
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nighttime
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Post by nighttime on Oct 8, 2015 12:45:26 GMT -5
Awesome cover. Haters gonna hate. There's nothing to have such strong animosity over here.
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Post by Live Your Life on Oct 8, 2015 12:54:26 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2015 13:02:28 GMT -5
The artist statements bugged me. Art is kind of like a joke - if you have to 'explain' the meaning, it actually loses its punch. I wish she would have just let each piece speak for itself. Also, I would have preferred the album to be called Antithesis. Oddly, the full word takes away some of the (clearly Kanye-influenced) pretentiousness that 'Anti' seems to carry here. Rihanna has often been the antithesis of general expectations for how a pop star should act or what one should do, so that works for me. But this 'anti' filling in for antiestablishment just doesn't not ring true to me.
The cover, I want to like, but knowing it's just a lesser version of the guy's previous work takes so much away from it. It's not like she added anything to the concept to make it her own. And that red dripping down from the top looks like blood and is creepy.
At the end of the day none of this matters as long as I like the music, so I don't care one way or the other about this, other than it being a hopeful indication of something finally arriving soon.
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Ling-Ling
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Post by Ling-Ling on Oct 8, 2015 13:16:14 GMT -5
She collaborated with an artist for the album artwork and they did a show to exhibit it. I don't understand why everyone is getting so worked up. But whatever, I dig the cover, can't wait for the album.
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Enigma.
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Post by Enigma. on Oct 8, 2015 13:41:40 GMT -5
I'm feeling Artpop here a bit
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kmbgs
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Post by kmbgs on Oct 8, 2015 13:44:14 GMT -5
Sometimes I get her. Sometimes I don't understand.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2015 14:18:05 GMT -5
She collaborated with an artist for the album artwork and they did a show to exhibit it. I don't understand why everyone is getting so worked up. But whatever, I dig the cover, can't wait for the album. Nobody is getting worked up, but as someone who has paid way too much money to learn about this s**t, worked in galleries and actually does this for a living, etc.; and considering the way she went about it, I find myself agreeing with the universal panning going on here pretty easily? She's not above criticism, particularly when she does this much to present the work.
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Relaxing Cup
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Post by Relaxing Cup on Oct 8, 2015 14:21:38 GMT -5
doing way too much.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2015 14:23:55 GMT -5
She collaborated with an artist for the album artwork and they did a show to exhibit it. I don't understand why everyone is getting so worked up. But whatever, I dig the cover, can't wait for the album. Criticism of the end product isn't necessarily a criticism of the attempt. I don't think anyone is worked up over the collaboration or the exhibit for it. Some of us just don't like the results. *shrug* I actually really dug the cover (minus the drippy red) at first...and then I scrolled down and saw someone point out Roy had already done it before. I'm now sure how 'collaborative' I'm supposed to believe this is when the only thing she did differently was insert her own baby pic and swap out lions for an overlay of red paint. Even the braille aspect was not unique to hers. Art pieces in a gallery usually do have little descriptions next to them; I just felt that the statements she gave for hers were clunky, and combined with a concept that feels like it belongs more to someone else, it felt exaggerated (and also doesn't really match with the idea behind the title Anti...kings and queens are the definition of establishment, right?). Again, not a problem at all with how she chose to reveal it, only somewhat disappointed in what was revealed. I keep thinking of other ways she could have done it better. Something similar to this pic: would have been a nice twist on it, b/c I love the symbolism here of baby Rihanna not yet being big enough to wear the crown/being blinded by it, but adult Rihanna standing underneath as if to say she's now ready to accept it and the weight that comes with it.
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Post by balletgirlmom on Oct 8, 2015 14:34:31 GMT -5
I love Rihanna and am dying for a new album!
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#LisaRinna
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Post by #LisaRinna on Oct 8, 2015 15:34:29 GMT -5
Bye Rih Rih, you tried it.
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Wavey✨️
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Post by Wavey✨️ on Oct 8, 2015 15:46:40 GMT -5
Bye Rih Rih, you tried it. No, this is trying it:
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Post by Queen of Insomnia. on Oct 8, 2015 16:10:18 GMT -5
This s*** happens everytime when a regular popstar tries to be artsy. It's not even funny anymore. It's just lame & predictable. Bye-bye, Rih the label puppet. Hello, Rih the Kanye West puppet. Way to go, girl... out of the frying pan into the fire...
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#LisaRinna
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Post by #LisaRinna on Oct 8, 2015 17:21:11 GMT -5
Bye Rih Rih, you tried it. No, this is trying it: Sick.
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Hashtag Pow
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Post by Hashtag Pow on Oct 8, 2015 18:33:58 GMT -5
I'd take a Kanye puppet Ri over a record label puppet Ri. All her shit was starting to sound the same. Like you could literally take a handful of songs from each of her recent albums, and put them on a playlist and not know the difference. I'm here for a new sound, a new look, and a new direction. I'm anticipating this album to be a career staple for her.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2015 21:56:55 GMT -5
The artist statements bugged me. Art is kind of like a joke - if you have to 'explain' the meaning, it actually loses its punch. I wish she would have just let each piece speak for itself. Eh, not sure I agree. The thing about visual 2D art, especially abstract and symbolic art, is that a given meaning is always going to be there regardless. Well ok, this applies to all art, but particularly in symbolic art, it's alright to express that given meaning if its something personal. That doesn't automatically mean the artist is forcing a given meaning on the piece, but rather is stating what it means to them. The key to this though is that, in presenting the work, they should be inviting you into the conversation too: "this is what it means (to me), but what does it mean to you?" Generally, this is implied within an artist statement and never needs to be addressed. That was my issue with this show, though. It's not that the descriptions of each piece bothered to explain them, but rather they were so f**king presumptuous and absolute about it. Specifically, "In her collaboration with Roy Nachum, Rihanna has changed the history of album art." That's some Born This Way horse s**t Actually, no, Gaga put it out in such a way that the viewer could still interact with it (the memes). This doesn't let the viewer get a word in edge wise. That's why I found the braille much more engaging. I wish they would've used an image of the brail with all the handprints specifically. There's just so much more going on with that image, between the audience interaction to the language to the what it says... God, that would've been so much better. Rihanna has often been the antithesis of general expectations for how a pop star should act or what one should do, so that works for me. But this 'anti' filling in for anti establishment just doesn't not ring true to me. This I agree with, and the definition they provided of "anti" (making it about a person) makes it pretty apparent that this is what she's going for over "antithesis". That only makes it more disappointing.
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Post by Devil Marlena Nylund on Oct 8, 2015 22:06:07 GMT -5
Is this out yet?
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Active Aggressive
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Post by Active Aggressive on Oct 8, 2015 23:30:34 GMT -5
What kind of Illuminati bait?? Oh man. She is just lost.
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Post by Devil Marlena Nylund on Oct 8, 2015 23:49:24 GMT -5
Legit though, she needs to drop a single or the album within the next few days if this whole thing is serious because nobody will care anymore.
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$uperb@tDuDe
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Post by $uperb@tDuDe on Oct 9, 2015 0:13:18 GMT -5
Rih! What the F?
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KissMyAxe
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Post by KissMyAxe on Oct 9, 2015 5:14:49 GMT -5
Rihanna hunty, stop trying too hard people won't take u seriously at all Haven't u seen how American Oxygen flopped like no other? When will pop artists learn that going the artsy way is delusional and full of shit? Lady Gaga has learned her lesson from the FartPop era now it's Rihanna time to learn Good luck sweetie
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Enigma.
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Post by Enigma. on Oct 9, 2015 7:05:50 GMT -5
Legit though, she needs to drop a single or the album within the next few days if this whole thing is serious because nobody will care anymore. Basically this!
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2015 12:36:56 GMT -5
The artist statements bugged me. Art is kind of like a joke - if you have to 'explain' the meaning, it actually loses its punch. I wish she would have just let each piece speak for itself. Eh, not sure I agree. The thing about visual 2D art, especially abstract and symbolic art, is that a given meaning is always going to be there regardless. Well ok, this applies to all art, but particularly in symbolic art, it's alright to express that given meaning if its something personal. That doesn't automatically mean the artist is forcing a given meaning on the piece, but rather is stating what it means to them. The key to this though is that, in presenting the work, they should be inviting you into the conversation too: "this is what it means (to me), but what does it mean to you?" Generally, this is implied within an artist statement and never needs to be addressed. That was my issue with this show, though. It's not that the descriptions of each piece bothered to explain them, but rather they were so f**king presumptuous and absolute about it. Specifically, "In her collaboration with Roy Nachum, Rihanna has changed the history of album art." That's some Born This Way horse s**t Actually, no, Gaga put it out in such a way that the viewer could still interact with it (the memes). This doesn't let the viewer get a word in edge wise. That's why I found the braille much more engaging. I wish they would've used an image of the brail with all the handprints specifically. There's just so much more going on with that image, between the audience interaction to the language to the what it says... God, that would've been so much better. Oh, I agree with this! When I was responding to Ling-Ling I realized my post was poorly worded; I didn't mean to imply that there should be no description at all; I don't think I've ever been to an art gallery or museum where there were not descriptions next to each piece. It's just that the descriptions she gave us were horseshit, lol. The cover description could have been as simple as, "This piece, titled 'If They Let Us,' is a photo of Rihanna at her first day of daycare. Placed around her head and covering her eyes is a gold 18-point crown with the poem [poem title] inscripted on it braille. [full poem is placed on a separate placard next to this] This braille inscription is also over the entire canvas, creating an interactive experience and allowing everyone to 'feel' the message as well as see it." That is a very literal and almost painfully basic statement, but it is also very open, and thus the art 'speaks for itself' that way. I.e. it says whatever Rihanna wants it to say, but it also invites a conversation from whoever is looking at it. What Ri gave us didn't invite a conversation so much as whack us over the head with what she wanted to say. And also when I first saw the blank piece with everyone's handprints smudged on it, I thought that was going to be the big reveal and was actually really geeked. That felt like a really cool idea. Alas.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2015 13:02:15 GMT -5
With all that said, I don't agree with blanket statements like this: When will pop artists learn that going the artsy way is delusional and full of s**t? Lady Gaga has learned her lesson from the FartPop era now it's Rihanna time to learn Because this basically implies that pop "artists" aren't actually real artists, and are stupid to believe they have the right to do anything other than what the labels and fans are telling them to do. It would be like telling Thomas Kinkade that he needs to have a seat because he started doing weird abstract paintings instead of sticking to his usual pastoral scenes. Like, who cares if he wants to try something else? And the same goes for any singer. If I don't like Anti then I won't buy it; maybe she'll swing back to something I like next go round. But as much as I may criticize the art itself, I'm not going to rip her a new one for making something that didn't cater to my tastes. There has to be a two way understanding here - big pop acts have to recognize that their name alone is not going to make anything they do sell. But fans have to recognize that artists don't owe it to us to keep doing a certain thing simply because of their popularity. I don't know a single creative person who isn't self-indulgent so it should be expected that at some point most will experiment and try to find meaning in something new. If anything one could argue that the biggest ones have earned it precisely b/c of their popularity. Rihanna could give a middle finger to 80% of the Navy and still turn a profit for her label (which is all a label really cares about) because there will always be the diehards who support her. So let Ri do Ri and they can go out and find some young, hungry ingenue to be the next Big Thing to keep the rest of us happy.
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XXX.
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Post by XXX. on Oct 9, 2015 13:29:52 GMT -5
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