2016 Year In Review: Flop of the Pops (Usher, Alicia Keys, Britney Spears, More)

Published: Saturday 31st Dec 2016 by Rashad
alicia-keys-thatgrapejuice-flop-britney-spears-billboard-2016-year-review

Scribbled in history books for some good and not-so-good reasons, 2016 brought with it some of modern music’s most memorable moments.  Now, as the year draws to a close, TGJ is reflecting on 31 moments that rocked – and to some degree shaped – the Urban and Pop musical landscape as we know it.

Now, we’ll reflect on the collection of albums and singles whose barks were certainly bigger than their bites.  For, considering the hype that preceded them, great expectations were placed on their respective commercial performances.

Sadly, they failed to meet them…

john-legend-thatgrapejuice-billboard-flop-2016-year-review

tgj-flop-collage

Click links below to read more on the year’s top flops:

Maxwell’s ‘BSN Pt. 2’ debuts with a fifth of its predecessor’s sales

Alicia Keys’ ‘Here’ debuts with lowest first week sales of singer’s career

John Legend’s ‘Darkness & Light’ marks singer’s lowest first week sales & debut placement

Fergie’s long-awaited comeback single, ‘MILF $,’ drops 56 spots in week 2

Britney Spears’ ‘Glory’ Drops to #200 in less than 2 months

Usher’s Movie, ‘Hands of Stone,’ and album, ‘Hard II Love,’ Bomb Within 2 Weeks of Each Other

Lady Gaga’s ‘Perfect Illusion’ Makes Hard Fall on Hot 100

Iggy Azalea’s Comeback Single ‘Team’ Tanks

Jennifer Lopez’s ‘Aint Your Mama’ Ain’t a Hit

Tinashe’s ‘Superlove’ Gets No Love on Hot 100

 

 

Your thoughts?

Comments 36

Please Post Your Comments & Reviews

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

  1. Max December 31, 2016

    In other news
     WW SALES

    Bruno Mars
    24k Magic

    Atlantic
    216.000 sales this week / 1.013.000 sales in total

    .

    The Weeknd
    Starboy

    Republic
    111.000 sales this week / 664.000 sales in total

    .
    I thought Abel ended Bruno

    • Swit Katz December 31, 2016

      The weekend is just lucky. I wonder what his fans look like bcoz he’s not interesting enough.

    • JOHNVIDAL January 1, 2017

      No shade to him but I was shocked when some people (the usual bandwagoning haters) started to say he was ending Bruno… when he ended selling barely more units first week than Bruno or Gaga. Kids…

  2. Danny Bey December 31, 2016

    As sad as it is, a lot of these albums were really really good bodies of work. If the material outweighs the commercial success, then I could care less about a “flop”. Glory is probably my favorite Brit album to date.

    • BEYSTAN_ SINCE 1997 December 31, 2016

      Very true!

    • Jasmine December 31, 2016

      Glory is a decent album but lacks hit songs. The songs are cool, not smash records though and her team should have gotten her some smash songs fore a proper comeback after her last album flopped.

  3. @ASAPicon December 31, 2016

    Sad

  4. Swit Katz December 31, 2016

    Lady gaga didn’t flop. She just didn’t promote the album the right way. Her album is one of the best released this year.

    • Kordell Stewart December 31, 2016

      What? Sis was everywhere the gp just didn’t give a f***.

    • BEYSTAN_ SINCE 1997 December 31, 2016

      Gags promoted the hell out this album. She is a flop this time around!

      • Sharona December 31, 2016

        I would hardly call Gaga a flop with 800K albums sold WW in two months. And the 2nd best start for a female artist this year. Joanne is definitely a good selling album…
        But I agree her biggest weakness is getting a hit song… But is Joanne made for getting a hit ? I doubt of it, the goal is more selling albums.

    • XYZ December 31, 2016

      Seriously, Gaga had a lot of promotion and was everywhere. People weren’t just into her and that new music. But the sales are def not the result of no promo

  5. BEYSTAN_ SINCE 1997 December 31, 2016

    Amazing how all these artist used to be on top of the world now these people can’t even sell 100,000k first week or go GOLD without streams. Britney Spears is just the saddest, your debut album sold 25 million.

    • Kordell Stewart December 31, 2016

      And their fans have the nerve to come for Bey kiiiiii jokes on them ???

      • Citi December 31, 2016

        Britney actually sold pretty good first week considering her weak ass first single. Glory is extremly underrated and done all wrong. But hey, 19 years in the game and she’s still selling tickets sooo…. USHER is the saddest story.

    • Jasmine December 31, 2016

      You cannot use sales from 20 years ago for comparison. NObody sales 25 million these days. Streams are the new thing and artists have to get onboard with streaming. Perhaps older artists really just focus on touring, since that is where the money is at these days. The same artists flopping in sales are the ones winning in getting tour money and tour sponsors.

      • Maurice January 1, 2017

        “nobody sells 25 million these days.”

        Adele, 21 – 34 Million
        Adele, 25 – 25 million

      • Sam January 1, 2017

        Okay @Maurice
        I guess it’s just 1 body.

    • Janet January 1, 2017

      Back when Britney sold a ton, people bought albums. They dont now, its all about downloads and streams. I never compare Beyonce to Britney as I love them both. No one sells like they did in 1999.Glory was a solid album and I am still listening to it.

  6. Liam December 31, 2016

    Britney and Usher albums were pretty good…Alicia and Maxwell both provided decent R&B albums the music was good who cares bout numbers in this new streaming era

  7. truthtea December 31, 2016

    Quit blaming lack of promo for Joanne flop. She did tons of promo in the weeks prior and the week of and weeks after. It’s just a horrible album for Gaga’s caliber. I’ll say Joanne is her Lotus. Just like Artpop was her Bionic.

    • JOHNVIDAL January 1, 2017

      Again, it didn´t flop. Despite not having hits to help, she barely sold a little less first week than supposed huge successes like Rihanna, Bruno and The Weekend. She has done good with the sales of this album for being such a big change of direction. She´s not on this list of flop albums of the year for a reason. Not when she exceeded expecxtations and opened with almost 200k copies.

  8. Mark111 /.\ December 31, 2016

    2016 and 2017 is the next wave of music. Done with the dumb blondes pop girls that were only popping because of EDM music. Done with the used to be greats pushing back their LPs 99 times. Usher’s album had a few good songs, but those singles were trash. I still don’t know what AK theme of her album was, nor could I finish the album, that says a lot because I’m a huge AK fan. Brit tried, but the power of her selling off her name and without LIVE performances days are long gone, and the lip singing is played out today. Gaga just proved that she was a product of 2010’s (and late 2000s) EDM craze and now that it’s dead, so is her career. Plus the budget cut was REAL. Tinashe has the talent, but tries to drive in 10 different lanes, causing a crash each and every time. John is a bore, no one cares about how much you’re in love with your bad attitude having wife. Fergie, like Gwen of last year, is late. No one was waiting 10 years for a follow up of your first solo album. White girls pop stars have a very short run, because in a matter of a short time, there will be a newer, younger, blonder girl to replace them.

    • Teflon Boy December 31, 2016

      I have to agree.., John Legend had become too repetitive for me. #AllOfMe was a well received moment that worked but he’s since shaped his whole persona around his marriage and it’s become a bore. Unless you’re willing to p**** imaginary holes in your marriage #Lemonade, then there’s no story point of interest. Tinashé is a hard working artist and there is something there but she’s throwing omelettes at the wall to see what sticks and it shows. She’s losing her identity. Usher is the same as John Legend in that he forgot that on this day and age your story is as important as your music if not more so. I used to enjoy Usher’s output but these days I have no idea who he is.., he’s a special talent but his image is all over the place. Some of these artists would be best served hiring new marketing teams.

  9. Myownstan December 31, 2016

    The weekend doesn’t interest me, usher has had his day I actually love the Alicia album especially illusion of bliss and work on it

  10. Jason December 31, 2016

    That Usher album cover is still scary!

    • Danny Bey December 31, 2016

      I know. I had to use a fanmade cover on my iTunes bc I just couldn’t bare to look it at it anymore

  11. Sippingmytea December 31, 2016

    Jlo ain’t yo mama was annoying. Britney at the Vmas #Tragic

  12. MUSICHEAD December 31, 2016

    Britney keeps recycling the same tired music. JLO has aged out of the demographic she caters to. Tinashe’s music and voice is bland. Alicia Keys has become plain and boring. Gaga is evolving as she should for longevity and with that means she lost some of her younger fans but she’ll be alright. Usher’s album was great but he seems awkward and standoffish in front of the camera now which is why there was a disconnect this era. Fergie missed her opportunity to be a huge artist by taking such a long break and now she just looks like the old lady in the club. John Legend is very talented but his music is and always has been hit or miss. His best album is still his first album.

    • Sam January 1, 2017

      I have agreed with every word you have said here

  13. JUNGKOOK January 1, 2017

    JENNIFER LOPEZ – AINT YOUR MAMA it’s still itunes top100 in 11 countries 8 months later!!

    378,838,438 views on youtube

    Germany – Platinum – 400 000
    France – Platinum 150 000
    Spain – 3 x Platinum – 120 000
    Poland – Diamond – 100 000
    Italy – Platinum – 50 000
    Denmark – Gold – 30 000
    Austria – Gold – 15 000

    865 000 Certified Copies just of EUROPEAN certificates alone a diamond certificate.

    THE SONG IS HUGE EVEN WITH NO PROMO !!!!!!!!!!

    • Sam January 1, 2017

      But still not very good. Euro pop/trash is just tacky music so the fact that they’re just eating it up says it all.

    • JOHNVIDAL January 1, 2017

      The song is the typical retarded song people listen to when they go out. That´s pucking all. Every pucking body with no respect for their own artistry and catalogue could release that and get airplay. That´s all. JLo is a flop music and albums wise (and talent wise obviously, expect for looking good and danceing).

  14. JOHNVIDAL January 1, 2017

    I swear some people are retarded or cannot read or something. The article says Perfect Illusion flopped (which it did), not that the album flopped (which it didn´t). Learn some logic. These guys at TGJ wrote it very clearly. However, the albums they pointed out really flopped. Not that it should matter to you if the music is good and talent is still there.

  15. We Nowqd Redv dimnobut it ash trjoan ivy blobukz Need UK timely Ukuno eremxil January 5, 2017

    Wow

Recommended Posts
..**