In a perfect world he would have released both Teacher and Numb and they both would have smashed in a small amount of time, but it didn't happen. Nick has slowly build his profile with Selftitled, Chains and Jealous. At this point it was only logical to move on to a new album campagne. A new album means a new budget and new possibilities. A new album means that media outlets are interested in exclusive interviews, listening sessions etc.
It opens more roads than if he had tried to make Teacher happen or tried to expand Selftitled an other way.
Let's just suport Levels and the new era, instead of bringing up "what could have been done". When I followed Rihanna's first two era's, I also was dissapointed that songs like Let Me (Music Of The Sun) and Break It Off (A Girl Like Me) never got full length campagnes. But in the end, I am happy they didn't, because those small era's gave Rihanna the foundation to grow out to the popstar she became during GGGB etc.
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