It’s important to note that Britney’s full potential as an artist was blocked and muffled due to the amount of control her record label had over her. She recorded an entire album behind their back which she talked about on a radio show but which was then blocked and never released by the record label. Point is, they desperately wanted a pop puppet but at her core she was so much more than that. Her most prolific albums are the ones where she had creative control. Imagine that. A true artist through and through despite what the little TMZ trolls and their TMZ influenced opinions say about her. Edit: noticing some ignorant individuals in the comments that I would like to check. Britney is one of the most highly scrutinized artists of all time. So if she is gonna write about a toxic situation or situation that would be considered controversial, why would she take credit for writing it. She’s busy getting threatened by Karen’s wanting to shoot her for a pierced belly button and chewing gum. For instance, Justin had not only cheated on Britney several times way before “CMAR” and their breakup but she always kept quiet about it to protect him. So if she writes her own version of “Cry me a river”, exposing him for how he treats her during their relationship why on earth would she want a credit for that. To get dragged, cause drama, get scrutinized and expose a person she loves? Come on now yall. She wrote a few songs about him but the one I’m talking about is called “Lonely”. Enjoy 😊

“Blackout” and “In the Zone” were Britney’s best albums. In my opinion.

Fun fact her label didn’t wanted her to release toxic, she was the one had to convinced them to do it. And it won a grammy

This album was so ahead of it’s time and still sounds fresh today. Blackout is the blueprint for so many careers today

I said it at the time and I still say it now… “Break the Ice” should have been the first track. It was so clearly written lyrically and sonically as an album opener and would have SLAPPED as a launch point into the album. This was her first album in 4 years which was a lifetime for Britney at the time. The opening lyrics are, “It’s been a while… i shouldn’t have kept you waiting…” and the song itself is called BREAK THE ICE. I mean, come on. I always make it track 1 on playlists that include the album. Instead, clearly the record label simply wanted the big lead single as track 1 (Gimme More). The album is still a dark pop masterpiece though.

Missing a shoutout to Keri Hilson for writing so much of the songs on the album. You can hear her backing vocals everywhere.

been a fan since 1998. blackout is her best album PERIOD. She literally helped usher in the dark, moody EDM styled pop that then dominated for many years to come.

This lady has nothing else to prove. If she ever makes music again I hope she does it for herself and the people that are actually fans of her. Yeah she might not get a number 1 album but that doesn't mean anything anymore.

I think Blackout and Circus was peak Britney. I’m talking in terms of a full album of work. But I have to say, I haven’t listened to any of her albums after Femme Fatale. I think In the Zone was a strong album, too. But she was firing on all cylinders with her next two releases. Blackout being the best. I still play it. It’s rare that a week goes by, where I don’t play at least half of it. Edit: I remember feeling sorry for Britney. The world was laughing (crazy how people view mental health has changed). She looked so lost. Her glow. That “IT” factor about her, was gone. The spark in her eyes…gone. Then, her eyes looked haunted. Eventually, they looked glazed over. Which is interesting. It looked like the return of the old Britney we loved, when Circus came out. As time went on, she started looking…different. Now we know why.

The album that brought dark electronic club sounds to mainstream. One of the most important pop albums of the 21th century and invented albums like The Fame and Rated R. Britney is the trendsetter once again. Credit also to Gwen Stefani, Madonna and Nelly Furtado for laying the groundwork for this

Blackout is the ONLY album that she was executive producer for, it’s the only one where she had the final say creatively on everything

This era (blackout) was probably my favorite. I still go back and listen to that album sometimes to this day lol

Justice for original doll 😭

I still listen to this album weekly. It still holds up. It was inducted into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame for a reason

Blackout was her best body of work IMO… I still listen to cuts from it til this day. I always kinda liked that it flew under everyone’s radar, no pun intended.

Blackout is responsible for the person I am today. This showed me we go through chapters. I paralleled my break up situation with the Gimme More video. The Britney dancing on the pole is confident n so free of being perfect. Seriously Gimme More gave me confidence.

I was in high school when black out dropped it was huge and everyone was so happy to see her f everyone and create . This and then circus is probably the best comeback in music history every back to back

Justice for In The Zone which was also very personal and had a lot of innovative sounds going for it. She was experimenting with techno, Japanese sounds, reggae and a lot of different unique styles. The album also tells a story from front to back and she wrote almost every song on there. It's imo her best and most Britney record!!

Blackout bangs to this day. A perfect pop album. Dark beats over sultry pop lyrics. I just love it.

I got so hype when I saw the video title cause I've been saying it since this album came out.. Blackout doesn't get enough credit for being an amazing pop album because people were too busy focusing on her personal life to respect it. I still go back to it time and time again and love it.

It's probably the album that influenced late 00s and 10s the most. Quote me.

literally my favorite album ever it’s literally pop cultural perfection

Break the ice is SO underrated

‘Why Should I Be Sad’ is still a loaded question, when it comes to Britney. I still see it as a true escapist album, which is why I love it. She didn’t have to be Madonna, Janet., or Robyn, as far as subject matter, to achieve this poignant masterpiece.

I remember reports of her "lashing out" a lot during this time...wonder if this was her just fighting for control and they overreacted

I absolutely loved the blackout era! It dropped when I was still in elementary school and I remember taking my aunts iPod every time she babysat me and listened to the album on repeat😅 Radar was probably one of my favorite songs off the album

I’m a hardcore rap fan but Britney Spears is my favorite artist of all time . This whole album was what started that dark pop sound for the 2000’s /2010’s idc argue with the wind. Her song Heaven On Earth (demo) from this CD is unlike any pop song I’ve ever heard. LISTEN TO HER BLACKOUT LEAKS YALL, this album deserves 15 more songs. Britney you will always be my Queen of Pop. 👏🏼

Man I was NOT in the Britney fanbase at all - I was into hardcore punk and metalcore as a teen and still am as an adult - but even I remember hearing the songs on Blackout in the mall and thinking "man, Britney is REALLY different now". I'm not the expert on bubbegum pop, but looking back it really deserved more acclaim for being such a shift and being kinda good. As an aside, she looked really striking with that black hair, I wish she'd kept that look longer.

Within the last few years I discovered this album in its entirety and have never been the same since. An iconic masterpiece- similar imo to The Fame Monster, where truthfully ANY of the cuts could have been singles. Perfect Lover from the album is one of my favorite songs ever. This album will remain relevant and current for decades to come

its a great album. one to be proud of.

This album birthed Rihanna's Loud album. That's it. That's the catchphrase.

I have listen to this albums so many times that i have my own little remix of Toy Soldier and Get Naked I sing when washing the dishes. This album is iconiccc

Okay, now you gotta talk about Femme Fatale, because that was a huge comeback era for her. I remember how big that album was in high school and I always wanted to know more about how that came about

Fun fact: the Origional line in ‘Gimme more’ was “it’s Britney, y’all!” But a week before release Britney had just learned how to curse and so she wanted to show off her new words that she learned and asked the producer if she could say the b word. The rest as they say, is history ☺️

Nobody can touch Britney when it comes to pop. Nobody also wants to admit that she is and always was the queen of pop 👸

Blackout is awesome and my fav (I love Heaven on Earth, Freak show, Hot as Ice, Toy Soldier, Break the ice) , but I’m in a looooooong phase of Circus worship at the moment (Unusual You, Out From Under, Lace and Leather, Phonography). And Glory is great, too!! That’s the truly underrated Britney album.

Blackout is one of my favorite albums of any artist ever!

NO WAY that’s Pharrell in the back on “Why Should I be Sad?” LMAO IM GONE 💀

Britney’s “Blackout”, JT’s “FutureSex” and Gaga’s “Fame” changed the sound of 2000s pop forever and the influence from these albums is still being felt in the 2020s…

Gimme More could've been such a sick music video if there was more effort put into it. The lighting and quick cuts are pretty cool, though. Unfortunate. But in a sense the fact that she was a lot less polished during that album it kind of fit the theme. Great album.

This is actually the album that made me a fan of hers. Break the Ice is incredible

to clarify, britney was always okay with songs about her personal life, it was just assumed it was an unspoken rule that she usually wasn't into having songs about her relationships because she rejected a song abt her and JT, but when bloodshy and avant pitched Piece of Me to her, she LOVED it

'Why Should I Be Sad' is my favorite track off of Blackout. It's so underrated.

Finally someone giving get back some attention. Its literally one of the best ones on the album.

You are so descriptive in your storytelling and I love that about your channel. You are great at painting a picture. Also, the Blackout era of Britney sort of reminds me of the Erotica era of Madonna. Both somewhat ahead of their time as well as sound defining, controversial at time of release and considered a flop only to be revered as masterpiece many years later. They don’t like it when you break the mold, but with big breakout artists, I think it is often breaking from the mold that makes them legendary

Itz and blackout are literally top tier albums

Blackout is a masterpiece. I honestly haven't liked anything she's done since Blackout. Here's hoping her new found freedom means we'll get another album where she has creative control again.

Blackout wasn’t a “flop” 😏 it sold nearly 300k first week with zero promo other than VMAs performance 😝

This album. Is what I mean when I say *iconic*. It is the epitome of iconic and so fucking underrated. Definitely my favourite album of hers. 🖤

Blackout changed the music industry. It was such an iconic album.

Blackout was a great album. Can listen beginning to end.

HOW could you avoid talking not only the best track on the album but her career GET NAKED (I GOT A PLAN)??? A head of its time and a masterpiece

This album got me hooked with Britney

I would say circus is her most personal album it has her darkest lyrics, while blackout has the darkest production

True album of the millenium

In the zone is a great album from start to ending. I don’t see it falling off towards the end 😂

Blackout blacks out the negativity in my life EVERYTIME I listen to it tbh

Blackout was my favorite album she ever did

Britney is a genius. FYI In the Zone is a gr8 album

Blackout is my favorite album HANDS DOWN. Every song could have been a single

In the Zone is my favorite Britney album and I often wonder what her future releases would’ve been like if she had kept that amount of creative control over her material. With that being said, Blackout is literally a masterpiece and I will never not be impressed with her ability to deliver such an influential body of work while going through the roughest point in her life.

The princess of pop really did her thing with blackout!

This video reminded me that I wanted to thank you for that Original Doll video you made a while back. Had I not seen it, I wouldn't have become a Britney fan - which really improved my concept of self and my mental health and assured me in pursuing a career. in music So thank you honest!

I will not entertain the fact that In The Zone "is not innovative" and "tapers off towards the end." NO ONE was doing songs like Breathe On Me, Touch of my Hand, Early Mornin', Brave New Girl, etc before In The Zone. That album is just as good if not better than Blackout. Flop opinion.

Blackout is her best album… Next Glory

I listen to blackout on vinyl like everyday

BLACKOUT AND CIRCUS ARE HER BEST ALBUMS, I LOVE THEM AND STILL PLAY IT ......A LOT....LOL

BLACKOUT is Britneys best work. It also birthed a catch phrase that will live forever "IT'S BRITNEY BITCH" I hope now she is FREE we get an album like this. Sometimes artists are a head of there time.

FINALLY IV BEEN WAITING SO LONG FOR U TO MAKE A BLACK OUT BRITNEY SPEARS VIDEO YESSSS

The undeniable Princess of Pop.

Blackout is for sure her best!

Freakshow is underrated

GIMME MORE is hands down my favorite Britney song. No doubts about it.🖤

Blackout didn't fare as well commercially because Britney did barely if any promotion at all for it (unless you count that trainreck MTV performance). It was the first album she didn't promote on talk shows or the regular album promo circuit (most likely due to her tumultuous life at the time so we can't exactly blame her). Even with the videos, she really only did 2 (Gimme More & the MUCH better Piece of Me) while Break The Ice was animated and Radar got barely any promotion and for some reason was featured on her next album Circus as well. Anyway that's just my input on why I feel it didn't sell as well as her previous albums.

Blackout is gold, I love it so much, I can listen to it on repeat everyday

BREATHE ON ME IS A MASTERPIECE!!!!

Many of the songs in the album feel relevant and appropiate for today's pop scene. I love Why Should I Be Sad and Heaven on Earth

Without Blackout, there would be no Charli XCX.

I used to listen to this album nonstop while studying when I was in college! truly was a pop masterpiece she had the best producers behind her

Breathe On Me and The Hook Up are classics on the In The Zone record.

Now u gotta talk about her come back from “blackout” to “circus”

BLACKOUT IS A BOP

I grew up on the "Classic" Britney albums ...Baby One More Time to In The Zone. Those remain my favorites, but Blackout hits differently than the albums that came before it and her subsequent releases she recorded while under conservatorship, Circus to Glory. Musically and thematically I've always thought of Blackout as a bridge between the height of her career and the "safe" albums she put out between 2008 and 2016. Despite it not being my favorite, Blackout has some of Britney's best songs. "Piece of Me" and "Break the Ice" stand out for me in particular. It is unfortunate Blackout gets so overlooked because it came out during a very chaotic time in her personal life, but at least some are recognizing the album's significance fifteen years later.

I believe the Radar video was made for the Circus album

Classic. Sounds nostalgic and new at the same time. Queen.

Best album ever 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

Also you're spot on with the observation about "The Fame" !

She legally couldn't credit herself on any song that could be considered connected to her marriage. Break The Ice was originally going to be a dance video but she didn't want to and any further singles got cut because of the conservatorship.

before i even clicked this i was like ooooo i’m excited cuz i know charli always says how she’s so influenced by black out then you fuckin go there and include them. it was the right thing to do 😘 thanks for this video

But when Taylor Swift released reputation you say it was messy and her worst yet you knew what she was going through...

What the world really needs is Blackout 2.0 and the closest we got was Coupure Electrique in her last album, Glory...

Best Britney album by far

As a lifelong Britney fan I think Blackout is truly her best work by a landslide. There are a few songs after 2007 that were okay but none of them were as urban, as innovative and as unique as any track from Blackout. It breaks my heart all the more to see where people around her steered her career, basically forcing it back to the mindless pop lane for profit. I dare to believe that had the choice been left to her, she would've taken her music to a much more interesting space. I highly recommend checking out some of the unreleased/demo tracks recorded for the album - they were all good songs in the making and serve as a little extension for those who can't get enough of Blackout. I wonder if she ever be up for releasing new music & where that will land. On one hand she matured a lot but she also has 13 years of angst and frustration to release that could serve as a driving force behind her art. Time will tell. I won't give up on her just yet, I think she still has the potential to produce another truly iconic masterpiece for us.

i think glory is really an underrated album its so amazing in my opinion blackout and glory are joint 1st place out of all of her albums

The Radar video/single was released during the Circus era. The track was originally on Blackout and due for release after Break The Ice, but never happened. It was then also added to Circus as a bonus track and release as the final single from that album. So the video was filmed in Circus era

definitely a classic and britneys best album

It seems like Britney's Blackout walked so Taylor's Rep could run.

PRINCESS OF POP

Honest with the good music journalism as usual 👍

Keri Hilson wrote my favorite song off the album "Break the Ice"