Yes, I posted this in the other thread but I’d like to see some discussion about it.

When people big up MBDTF (which they should) often times they bring up critical and fan reception, cultural significance, radio hits, aesthetic, dominance of its respective lane, and overall execution of the era itself. (Copied from my own post)

Critical and Fan Reception - After Hours is The Weeknd’s highest critically acclaimed studio album in his discography, garnering a higher score than Kiss Land, Beauty Behind The Madness, and Starboy. Critics lauded its cohesive sound throughout, and the multiple storylines told throughout the album and the music videos. Many fans of The Weeknd would also place this album very highly in The Weeknd’s discography, and loved it due to its mixture of The Weeknd’s old sound and his new sound in one album.

Cultural Significance - After Hours dropped at the height of the pandemic, when other artists in the mainstream simply would not drop due to a number of factors, whatever they are. It became the soundtrack to quarantine for many people, and is now one of the staple albums, and pop culture figures in general people think of when they think of 2020 and the pandemic in general. The red suit character was also a hit with the general public, even becoming a popular Halloween costume for two years in a row.

Radio Hits - Not much needs to be said here, Blinding Lights is an all-time great pop song, which smashed records left and right, and has an unprecedented (literally) amount of longevity. Save Your Tears is following a similar trajectory, with it still being in the Top 40 of the BBH100 to this day. In Your Eyes was also a brief hit for a while. That’s 3 from this album alone.

Aesthetic - I touched on this in cultural significance, but the aesthetic for the album is nothing short of iconic. The red suit, bruised/wrapped face, and even the plastic surgery look of the SYT video which had news outlets going crazy for days. As previously said, the red suit became an iconic staple piece of The Weeknd, overtaking the famous free form dreads he was rocking in 2013-2016. Obviously the music videos come into play here, with the music videos flowing from one after the other creating a narrative completely separate from the one in a cohesive fashion. Not only do the music videos play a role in this storyline, but multiple live performances (including Jimmy Kimmel and the AMA awards) play a factor in the storyline as well. You can watch it here:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzucIuZj05NwJ9tDljs8tZV-wLu5hok7B

Dominance - You could not escape After Hours in 2020 even if you tried. The songs were everywhere, the look was everywhere, and The Weeknd himself was everywhere. The stronghold this album had on the mainstream was enough to lend him to the biggest stage in the world, the Super Bowl. Not many artists are able to achieve this feat in a single year alone, and that’s due to the dominance After Hours had on the music industry during its run.

Overall Execution - The Weeknd & Co. clearly had a vision for this era.

And they executed it perfectly. Despite being dealt a s***ty hand with the pandemic, XO played their cards with such precision to the point where they had the industry in their hands. From the music, to the videos, to the performances, everything lined up for them and they hit a grand slam in terms of what an album can do for an artist. Just like MBDTF, After Hours elevated The Weeknd to a level above his peers, and time can only tell where he goes from here.

I’m expecting a bunch of angry reactions and tons of trolling and like-bait posts ITT, but look past your initial anger from the title and think about the things I’m saying, it may open your eyes a bit.

Thank you for reading if you’ve made it this far

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Damn, we really comparing After Hours to MBDTF nowadays huh

Ye stans need to stop acting like there haven’t been MBDTF tier albums to drop after Ye made the album.

Perhaps take a few minutes to read what I wrote and you’ll see why this comparison isn’t as left field as you think it is.

Comparing anything to MBDTF is the MBDTF of comparisons

I disagree but I ain’t mad at it and it was a good write up

Yep. Blonde and TPAB are two that come to mind immediately. That’s why I said ‘latest’ cuz there’s been a few already.

After hours was a moment for pop culture

Imagine what it would have been without the pandemic

MBDTF still being brought up as the gold standard gives me hope for humanity

I DONT KNOW ABOUT MBDTF PLAYBOI

LAST ONE LIKE THAT TO ME IN IMMEDIATE MEMORY IS ENDLESS OR BLONDE ROLLOUT

Actually nah on second thought I’d put After Hours in that MBDTF, Blonde, TPAB, WLR category. Even if I think it’s the weakest. OP right tbh

i love after hours but nah it wasn’t mbdtf tier, i do think he has one in him tho so we’ll see

he ran the whole year even through the pandemic

gotta respect it

Dudes gimmick been washed since trilogy

The thing all these albums have in common is that they were true “moments” in pop culture. People stopped what they were doing to tune in and take in what was being brought to the table. Tons of longevity in all of these albums as well.

It's got some amazing tracks but it's really just like a 6-7 at the end of the day

oh i see those people have come itt already

I don't disagree with the points being made but I just feel like it lacks that special X factor to be considered at MBDTF tier. Great album nonetheless

I’d throw Take Care in that list as well.

Cant disagree. one of the only masterpieces we got from a mainstream artist since mid 2010s.

Oh most definitely