TRACY GARRAUD of VIBE.COM
VERDICT: Yep.
Fix ya face. Yes, as black female artists, Rihanna and Beyonce share the same contrasts as midnight and midday. For sure. But what these two kings both gun for is pop ubiquity– the one merit that binds them. Now, until America's milf-to-be gets dulled with her own godliness, Rih won't really eclipse Bey's cloud of glory. Years of eminence have pretty much ziplocked that shit. It's not so much that Bey will one day crown Rihanna—an awkward collaboration with two Hov verses would be more likely—but that the global tiara will just naturally waft onto Rih's [insert color here] dome. Beyonce is a fucking beast. Only an imbecile would attempt to question that. Besides just being a truly outstanding performer, she rearranged our standards of beauty and helped women kindle up their autonomy. She owns a generation. Owns it. However, generations are just that, blocks of time. It's inevitable that Bey's passion for female self-rule would trickle down to just about every 20-something chick's current state of ethos—sexual liberation. And guess who's clutching the whips and chains on that?
PHIL ANNAND of MADBURYCLUB.COM
VERDICT: Yep.
All things considered in the greater musical galaxy, it seems like it's time for Beyonce to gracefully fade from the spotlight. You've got to figure that eventually Jay-Z is going to start acting his age and give up the Throne for argyle Lacoste sweaters and weekend golf tournaments with Tiger Woods and Tavis Smiley sooner or later, and that Beyonce will be right behind him. Sadly, her departure leaves middle aged men with little more than her glorious memories on Youtube as she'll be off raising a child that will inevitably become either Jesus Christ or Jamarcus Russel in terms of life accomplishments. Where does that leave us? With Rihanna more or less taking over the world.
At this point, I don't see how anyone could doubt the once innocuous girl who seemed primed to pull a one hit wonder act after DJs got done playing "Pon De Replay" summers ago. Since then, Rihanna has lead an Genghis Khan like tirade across international billboards and shows no signs of stopping. She's casually transformed pop singles into undeniable global hits again and again and her once confusing inability to speak comprehensible English is now just an endearing quality in a well polished public persona. She may not have that "regal" quality we all seem to attribute to Beyonce, but it doesn't seem like she needs it. She's still in her rebellious stage, doing dangerous things like getting her ass tatted in music videos and getting into Twitter brawls with other pop stars. Her next album will be massive, and probably be the closest thing to a challenge Adele has seen in a year in terms of sales. What will really be interesting is how she grows into her position atop the game in the next four years. She's got everything she needs, and if this child means no new Beyonce music videos for at least a year, I'll gladly subscribe to the Rihanna Youtube channel in the meantime.
PAUL CANTOR of PAULJCANTOR.COM
VERDICT: Sure, why not?
Every day a new person becomes a fan of music. They have no reference point. They're just hearing something for the first time and they go "holy shit, I love that song." I don't think many people are hearing Beyonce for the first time and thinking that right now. She's just at that point in her career where she's passed the point of being amazing upon discovery. Rihanna, you could technically hear her "We Found Love" tomorrow for the first time and you might say, "Wow, what the fuck is that? It's awesome." She just has that upside moving in her direction. She's definitely got the newer audience on smash, because her music is more contemporary.
Barring how I may feel about Rihanna's voice and her actual talent— it's whiny and she doesn't have much—those are the things that make her unique, and I get it. She's more in tune with where culture is at right now and is on the pulse of what's hot. She's young and she's just that shit. Beyonce's swag is old and motherly. And while on a human level I dig that, I also think it's boring as fuck. And I like my pop stars to have some edge to them, whether it's contrived or not. If Rihanna stays progressive from a pop standpoint, she will carve her lane in a bigger space than Beyonce's. What she's doing right now just speaks to these kids. Pharrell said it best, "It's a new day. People don't wanna think anymore, they wanna feel." To put it mildly, people feel Rihanna a lot right now. All she needs to do is keep it that way.
KID FURY of SOFURIOUS.COM
VERDICT: Oh Nah Nah.
I'm quietly stanning for Rihanna these days. I still call her Curry Goat and dash in other necessary hints of shade, but her latest video and overall pop/rock trashiness are fantastic. However, Queen Beyoncé Golden Grace Mother of Time Knowles is not pop/rock trash. I don't even understand the question. Beyoncé dominates these girls vocally, choreographically, weave-ally, and she drips swagu. Rihanna is worthy of being Patra's successor...or maybe Courtney Love. We don't even need to think about a successor for Beyoncé when she's foxtrotting with a fetus. She's fine.
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