NICE AS F*CK! : The Albums, 2016.

11/beyonce/lemonade

The Beyonce we're presented with in Lemonade is a woman scorned. She's been victimized, lied to, and is all up in her feelings. And for good reason. And yet, when you press play on Lemonade, what you encounter is not a pity party, nor do you ever feel sorry or sad for the woman wading through the trials and tribulations of dealing with a heart now broken. And while there are many things to take apart and champion on Beyonce's latest, this refusal to stand down and not be heard, and wallow in the deep waters of depressive solitude is Lemonade's greatest triumph. Lemonade is not the night of where you first found out about the betrayal. It is not the sweatpants and ice cream + netflix and chill while dancing on my own with tears running down my eyes period either. No, Lemonade is that moment where B hops up out the bed, turns her swag on, and decides "you know what? Fuck him, Fuck this, Fuck the drama!" It's an album long reminder and shout of "THAT'S RIGHT I'M DA BADDEST BITCH!" to herself and to he who shall not be named. She may not have asked for or wanted any of this pain and heartache, but she's prepared for it. Been groomed on how to spot trouble and how to deal with it. And deal with it she does. They say hell hath no fury like a woman scorned, and Lemonade is living proof of how on point this statement can be when applied correctly. With Lemonade, Beyonce takes her fury and anguish and channels it into her music and the "NOT TODAY!" (CAUSE I AM NOT THE ONE!) attitude she settles into throughout the album, even in the we gotta work this out/let's work through this/true love can't be denied/I forgive you moments that pop up near the album's end. Most importantly, Lemonade presents a fearless Beyonce that is hard to deny or ignore and not love. She can be your rock goddess or your trap queen; Adopt hip-hop b-boy stances; go soft, ride slow, or go high. Life handed our heroine lemons, and she responded with this: the sweetest of all teas for us to devour.

 

KEY TRACKS: Hold Up/Sorry/Formation

12/a tribe called quest/"we got it from here... thank you 4 your service"

13/nxworries/yes lawd!

14/nice as fuck/nice as fuck

15/childish gambino/"awaken, my love!"

16/rihanna/anti

17/parquet courts/human performance

18/kaytranada/99.9%

19/devendra banhart/ape in pink marble

20/david bowie/blackstar

21/the julie ruin/hit reset

22/jessy lanza/oh no

23/junior boys/big black coat

24/majid jordan/majid jordan
 
25/badbadnotgood/iv