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Roddy Ricch's Victory Over Justin Bieber Means More Than You Think

The hot 100 victory shows a massive cultural shift.

Justin Bieber

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"Stream Yummy by Justin Bieber," 21-year-old Compton emcee Roddy Ricch tweeted last week.

The tweet was in response to a brewing controversy surrounding Bieber's promotion of his new single, "Yummy." "I'm doing everything I can on my end," Bieber says with his mouth full of food in a now-deleted Instagram video. "Let's go, go stream it right now…" he says as he takes a massive bite. "I really want this number one spot. It'd be fire." The video, which is a misophone's worst nightmare, was seen by many as an unethical promotion. It was followed by a slideshow laying out the specifics of how to stream "Yummy" and get it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100. "Don't mute it! Play it at a low volume. Let it play while you sleep," read one slide.

Roddy Ricch Destroys Justin Bieber's "Yummy" Billboard Dreams With "The Box" | HNHH Newswww.youtube.com

Five years ago, Bieber would have decimated the charts with a song like "Yummy." It's short, melodic, and has just enough of a Hip-Hop/R&B edge to stand out amongst mainstream songs. Some may even call it a "bop." But a lot has changed since Bieber owned the radio. As kids learn to survive within the unraveling socio-political fabric of the world, singing "girl you got that yummy" doesn't seem as relatable as screaming, "I WON'T EVER SELL MY SOOUULLL!" Crooning about marital coitus doesn't get kids as pumped up as the idea of putting a $100,000 bounty on George Zimmerman. As a result, a comparatively unknown rapper, Roddy Ricch, is topping the charts instead of Bieber.

Ricch's "The Box" is an absolutely magnetic rap song. Crammed with clever ad-libs, Young Thug-inspired trills, quips, and vocal flourishes. Featuring an infectious, internet-ready hook, the track thrived on Tik Tok and ultimately rose to number 1.

But no one expected "The Box" to go where it did, not even Roddy himself. "Start Wit Me," an equally charismatic track featuring Gunna, was promoted as Roddy's lead single back in December and has all the makings of a hit rap record. With the twiddling flutes, the quick rhymes about women and fame, and Gunna's infectious bars, it was formulated to be a hit. But in 2020, it's clear that young listeners are starved for authenticity. "The Box" is angry and driven, while "Start Wit Me" is bouncy and jubilant, in comparison "Yummy" is just plain corny. In addition, Ricch's album Please Excuse Me For Being Antisocial was the first rap debut to top the Billboard 200 in over 15 years. "[Many people] get so wrapped up in this industry sh*t they forget what the point of making music was," Ricch told Complex back in December. "Make that sh*t for the [people] who are going through it. Make that sh*t for the [people] who really need to hear this sh*t."

If Justin Bieber wants to be on top in 2020, he's going to have to give the kids what they want: social awareness, authenticity, and a beat that stands out amongst the crowd. If he can't do that, perhaps Bieber's reign over the music world is finally at its end.

Justin Bieber Teases Hilariously Cringey YouTube Series, "Seasons"

The Biebs overcomes years of mild inconveniences, returning to the stage in his brilliant, insulting new trailer.

Justin Bieber

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Are you a Justin Bieber fan? Cool! He thinks you're an easily manipulated idiot.

Today, Justin released the trailer for his upcoming docuseries, Seasons, on his official YouTube account. It's intimate, emotional, inspiring, and it's also overt propaganda designed to manufacture relevance and public support for a fading pop star-turned-meme. Every aspect of the trailer wants you to see Bieber as a victim, from the cliché, sad piano underpinning the first 40 seconds to the laughably melodramatic testimonial clips from "concerned" friends and family. It's unintentionally pretty funny, but also gross.

Bieber Is Back - Justin Bieber: Seasonswww.youtube.com

While no details are given in the video regarding the hardship Bieber has been going through, we do get dramatic shots of him moping in various locations. The classic rule of filmmaking: Show don't tell. Here we can actually see Justin grappling with his inner turmoil and heroically overcoming his trials and tribulations.

Justin Bieber sad in the desert Justin Bieber searching his basketball shorts for hope, unable to find it under wads of cash.

You can tell he is really sad here, because the footage is in black and white. Plus, he is in the desert, completely alone (with the exception of the massive film crew and catered food outside the shot). Just like Jesus, JB is confronting demons, like how "coffee [used to] come out better."

At one point in the video, JB's manager, Scooter Braun (the guy Taylor Swift accused of bullying her) literally says: "No one's ever grown up, in the history of humanity, like Justin Bieber."

"WHAT?!" gif

I can name a couple, Mr. Braun, and their legacies didn't age very well.

That's what pisses me off about Seasons and this ad for it. Bieber and the team behind this project are deliberately attempting to manipulate the audience to feel bad for him as if he has resembled anything close to an underdog since age 13.

"But wait," you argue, "he isn't actually hurting anyone or manipulating anyone." WRONG! This is a PR stunt combined with a promotional campaign for an upcoming album, and its sole purpose is to get public sentiment back on his side, then take your money for that album and all subsequent merchandise and tours. Furthermore, it hurt my brain to watch.

I legit loved the episode of SNL when Justin Bieber hosted. I thought he was great.

I hope I'm wrong and that Seasons is a quality docuseries with heart. Perhaps this trailer was cooked up by YouTube executives or some marketing agency and Justin Bieber is contractually obligated to push such promotional materials on his personal social media accounts. YouTube is paying $2 million per episode (10 episodes total), so I wouldn't be surprised. Or maybe he likes the video because it shows off some sweet new tattoos. To his credit, it looks very well shot. If the implicit and explicit messaging of the trailer weren't so intellectually bankrupt, insulting, and self-righteous, I'd be super psyched for this Entourage reboot.

Oh and his upcoming single, "Yummy" just sounds...creepy.

This Haunts Me: When Pop Stars Are Desperate to Go No. 1

Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez are getting flack after pleading with fans to buy and stream their new music.

This month, Justin Bieber returned with his first solo single in nearly five years, "Yummy."