Rihanna, 'Black Panther,' and the Panic of Anticipation

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The Navy seems to be losing their mind. Not the maritime wing of the US armed forces, but rather the internet collective of Rihanna stans, who found out this week that the singer is releasing her first song in six years on the soundtrack. Even if it isn't her ninth album, the internet-dubbed #R9 is what the Navy is getting.

It's funny, anticipation. For fans of the show. Fans of the comic book company have been waiting for a sequel to Black Panther since it was released last year. The death of Boseman in 2020 made the wait even longer. Hope for the track reached new levels when it was announced that it was a tribute to Boseman.

It seems like it is a sin to want so much. There's a lot of fear about jinxing. Expectations of greatness are not always realized. It's a huge feat to make a song that heralds the return of one of the biggest pop stars of the 21st century and mourns the death of one of its greatest actors. If anyone can do it, it's her, especially when she's on a song written by Ryan Coogler and Ludwig Gransson.

Music, movies, and TV shows used to be on Tuesdays. With streaming and other digital media services, everything is now about the art of surprise. Fans have grown accustomed to never knowing when the next earth- shattering release will come, because they have never known when the next TV season would be dropped at once.