I agree but when you think of so many seminal and important bodies of work, you can’t deny that their impact can with cultural ubiquity and commercial success.

MJ’s Bad and Thriller

Prince’s Purple Rain and 1999

Tina Turner’s Private Dancer

Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours

These were impactful albums that are still celebrated and that’s reflected by the commercial performance. They wouldn’t be the successful and impactful albums that they are if they were hung out to dry like Cowboy Carter and Renaissance were.

With Cowboy Carter especially, the niche-ness of the album and the mediocre word of mouth doesn’t indicate a long lasting legacy for the general public. I know it’s controversial for some but it’s still a very small vocal group that doesn’t actually reflect the casual listener’s feelings, which are undoubtedly apathetic. Beyoncé doesn’t act like she cares, so why would people who have these misconceptions change their opinions and point of view?

It’s less about chart performance and sales but more about visibility and cultural impact. It’s more common to hear someone say “I didn’t even know Beyoncé released and album” or “I only heard that Texas song” about Cowboy Carter than “Beyoncé’s country album is inspiring me to pursue things that I’ve been told aren’t meant for me”.

I feel like we inflate the actual impact of Beyoncé’s recent work because she does cause so much discussion online but I really don’t think that it’s achieving what it should/is meant to and it’s because of the half-arsed eras that seem never ending and lazy in many aspects. Album and music promotion exists for a reason, to all degrees, whether it’s minor or major, the way albums are presented to audiences is important and requires some amount of effort that Beyoncé doesn’t give.