1000 days is a VERY long time!!
Let’s take a short tour of some of the crazy things that have happened in pop culture since Rihanna messily dropped ANTI on January 27, 2016.
2016
- Beyoncé drops Lemonade (just a few months after causing quite a scene at the Superbowl). No, it doesn’t win the Grammy for AOTY.
- Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt file for divorce on September 26, 2016. Yes, this is important!!
- Kim Kardashian started a feud with Taylor Swift on July 18, 2016. Then Kim was robbed at gunpoint. Then Kanye canceled his tour. THEN, supported Trump. Kim and Kanye had multiple chummy sit-downs with Trump. Taylor came out as the Liberal Queen encouraging her fans to vote. Kim, now a mother of three, allegedly divorcing Kanye. What a saga.
- Drake’s album Views becomes a massive, very important, zeitgeisty, chart-topping moment with like 0 music videos. Insane.
- Two Words: Cheap Thrills
- America Traded Barack Obama for D*nald Tr*mp. If you’re an American, PLEASE vote in the Midterms.
- Prince Harry started dating and now they’re married AND she’s pregnant. Wow, right?
- Albums: Joanne. The Life of Pablo. A Seat at the Table. Coloring Book. Blonde. Starboy. Dangerous Woman. Awaken! My Love, Nine Track Mind, SremmLife 2, Jeffery, Lady Wood, 22 a Million, Energia, This is Acting, Glory, I like it when you sleep…
- New Artists on the scene: Bryson Tiller (who went on to collab with Rih in 2017), Zayn, Desiigner, Alessia Cara, Chance the Rapper, kiiara, Kehlani, Charlie Puth, Daya (a Grammy-winning queen), Bebe Rexha, Post Malone, Terror Jr, Zara Larsson, Lil Yatchy
2017
- Rihanna launches Fenty Beauty, a wildly succesful cosmetics brand. We stan an Entrepreneurial Queen!
- Lots of Pregnancies: Beyoncé, Literally almost all the Kardashians-Jenners, etc.
- Lady Gaga OWNS the Superbowl halftime performance
- Despacito became far too popular.
- Katy Perry’s Witness era. Miley’s Malibu era. Demi Lovato’s Sorry Not Sorry. Fifth Harmony album. Fergie’s flop.
- Dua Lipa becomes a strange internet sensation with one of the best songs of the year.
- Lana Del Rey hexed Donald Trump (and is currently feuding with Azealia Banks on Twitter).
- Kesha triumphantly returns.
- Taylor Swift drops “Look What You Made Me Do”, announces new Reputation era. Snatches our wigs.
- #MeToo comes into the national spotlight.
- Albums: Rainbow, 4:44, DAMN., Melodrama, CTRL, Flower Boy, More Life, Lust for Life, After Laughter, HNDRXX, SexySweetSavage, Funk Wave Bounces, Younger Now, Witness, Tell Me You Love Me, Fifth Harmony, Blue Lips, Number 1 Angel, Pop 2, Meaning of Life, Dua Lipa, 9, Beautiful Trauma, Hopeless Fountain Kingdom, Divide, Culture, Harry Styles.
- New Artists on the scene: Kim Petras, Lil Pump, SZA (who owes Rih her gratitude for being featured on ANTI), Camila Cabello, Lil Uzi Vert, Khalid, Cardi B, All the One Direction Boys, Dula Peep, Bebe Rexha, Anne-Marie
2018
- Rihanna appears in Ocean’s movie. Does lots of other business-y stuff. Releases NO music 😦
- Beyoncé: Beychella, On The Run II, The Carters present Everything is Love. “Perfect Duet.”
- Cardi B does more interesting things than Nicki Minaj (whom she attempts to literally fight) and tops the BBB Hot 100 twice.
- Justin Timberlake does the Superbowl and releases a laughably horrid album.
- Black Panther happens.
- Ariana Grande starts dating Pete Davidson, gets engaged, breaks up.
- Gaga stuns in A Star is Born.
- K-Pop charts in America. Mainstream American artists begin working with K-pop acts.
- Donald Glover becomes a movie star, tv star, and tops the BB Hot 100.
- Fifth Harmony breaks up. Normani has a STAR moment at the BBMAs, and released several amazing singles. Dinah Jane tries her best. Lauren + Ty Dolla $ign date. Not a peep from Lil Miss Ally Brooke.
- Albums: Invasion of Privacy, Camila, Dirty Computer, Golden Hour, Daytona, ye, Culture II, Scorpion, Voicenotes, Bloom, Kamikaze, Liberation (LOLLLLL), Beerbongs and Bentleys, The Carter V, Astroworld, SR3MM, My Dear Melancholy, Joyride :(, Speak Your Mind, Expectations, Shawn Mendes, Oil of Every Pearl’s Un-Insides, Sweetener, QUEEN, High as Hope, Pray for the Wicked, Youngblood
- New Artists: Ella Mai, Bazzi, Lauv, Billie Eilish, The Fifth Harmony girls (but mainly Normani), Juice WRLD, Jorja Smith, Clairo, Bad Gyal, Noah Cyrus?, Hayley Kiyoko, Kali Uchis, SOPHIE, bülow, Loud Luxury, too many heinous SoundCloud rappers to name 😦
So much has happened in this almost three-year time period. Pop music has suffered greatly since Rihanna released her magnum opus, but hopefully, a big jolt of Rih can help bring the industry out of the mires of Soundcloud rap and back into the sunlight of catchy hooks and pop swagger. Please come back soon, Rih, we need you!
Anyway, here’s a playlist of my favorite (read: best) Rihanna songs.
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