Zebulon

5y

masterpiece

don't get abel's fans who say he sold out, if anything starboy and bbtm were his "sellout" phase

Zebulon

5y

masterpiece

don't get abel's fans who say he sold out, if anything starboy and bbtm were his "sellout" phase

rustcohlestan

5y

actually on second thought i could see why y’all could say it’s MBDTF tier, but i believe abel can go even higher than what after hours achieved

Worldpremiere_

5y

He sold out and then came back fusing his pop sound with his arty sound. it was all part of the plan i think

Zebulon

5y

I think the main takeaway other artists can get from this is that wearing red suits makes you a musical genius

STILLSUNNY

5y

no

its just a good album

do y'all actually understand MBDTF? its not just that album with power on it

Zack From The Six

5y

Damn, we really comparing After Hours to MBDTF nowadays huh

Cam Skattebo Fan

5y

So tell me what MBDTF has (aside from your personal opinion of the music) that After Hours does not

provider

5y

I'd probably go with TPAB then Lemonade. Yes, Lemonade.

With the factors pointed out in OP, I think it deserves a shout. That was a huge moment and it still carries its significance in pop culture.

On the topic of longevity, After Hours is coming up on two years soon and I think it's proven to be on track to join the ranks eventually, regardless of my personal opinion. Nice write-up.

Cam Skattebo Fan

5y

“It was all apart of the plan”

Bingo

STILLSUNNY

5y

its the storyline and greater diversity of production

i think thats what elevates it (music aside that s*** is subjective u know)

i think its a more varied listen and the more concrete storyline

Cam Skattebo Fan

5y

So tell me what MBDTF has (aside from your personal opinion of the music) that After Hours does not

Cam Skattebo Fan

5y

· edited

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:
https://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

Cam Skattebo Fan

5y

After Hours has two whole separate storylines within it, one within the album itself, and one within the videos and performances.