JayZ vs Nas everything. I'll share: for my $, Blueprint was better than Stillmatic, but I liked the two albums. I hate those albums and the 'drama' because it turned cats who all liked rap music into Democrats and Republicans.

As for D'Lo and Bilal, I like em boaf. Lots even. I see Love For Sale as THE music tragedy of the last 15 years that I know about. Having that work be shelved is rough. White Turns to Grey is still insane and I listen to songs on that thing with some regularity. I agree with the stance that Love For Sale not coming out derailed what could've/should've/would've been a 'bigger' career. And Airtight being largely ignored is also sad. Or at least it 'felt' ignored. I caught hell trying to find someone outside of OKP to get with about that album. I remember using Flying to try to street team for it like I'm using Another Life and Really Love for James Riv...my bad, Black Messiah.

To answer the OP's question, momentum and/or being a part of an institution/movement is and will forever be important to how albums get treated. D'Angelo has the 2nd one (his mystique, 15, and being involved with the 2000-ish Soulquarian body of work before Break U Off sent D'Angelo away from Quest and into depressio...JUST KIDDING!).

His forever-but-maybe-never-coming 3rd album is probably THE album to release 'out of nowhere'. And they did it. And it is easily good enough to not ruin the ideas of what MOST folks 'imagined' the record was going to be. And the gap in time since Voodoo breathes life/momentum into Black Messiah that might not've been there if it would've come out in 2006 before the full 'okay, this isn't happening' feeling kicked in. Black Messiah is the 'Winnie Cooper letting Kevin Hit It' of albums for folks right now. And folks are happy about it, so superlatives are gonna get thrown around. It is fun. Let it be and then we (Bilal fans) can get back to street-teaming for Bilal.

Jimaveli

>OK the captain obvious shit out the way
>He does have Voodoo or mid 90s fame
>Bilal doesn't have a 14 year hiatus check.
>
>They both are of the Prince Sly and Family Stone lineage.
>
>Love Surreal to me is better than this latest D album. Cmon
>music snobs.
>
>
>http://nicholaspayton.wordpress.com/2014/12/17/will-the-real-black-messiah-please-stand-up/
>
>This blog sums up how I feel.