Sincerely, A Black Girl Who Loves Country Music
Beyoncé recently unveiled her latest album, Cowboy Carter, a boundary-breaking masterpiece that defies genre norms and exceeds all expectations. For the past two weeks, I've found myself practically inseparable from my headphones, with Cowboy Carter serving as my own form of those baby stimulation videos. From my morning commute, where I gaze out the MTA bus window introspectively listening to "AMERICAN REQUIIEM," to dancing alone in my dorm room, performing to an audience of none with "YA YA," Beyoncé's music has transported me into the depths of her artistic vision.
Beyond her popularity, Beyoncé has ascended to legendary status, yet her hunger for excellence remains insatiable until she has silenced every last doubter. With Cowboy Carter, she settles scores with her critics and confronts the deeply ingrained racism entrenched in country music history. Throughout her life, Beyoncé has poured her soul into her craft, and this album, along with her last album Renaissance, which celebrates Black icons in the LGBTQ+ community and the house music scene, provides a platform for Black people to finally be credited for our contributions to these white-dominated spaces.
Recall Beyoncé's 2016 CMA performance with the Chicks, a moment where the divide within the country community was laid bare. As they delivered an addicting rendition of "Daddy's Lessons'' (dare I say one of her best), a track off Beyoncé's iconic album Lemonade, reactions ranged from enthusiasm (Matthew McConaughey’s soulful embrace, stomping his foot in the audience with her) to outright racist trolls that prompted the CMA to remove the video from all their social media pages following the backlash. It was this environment that birthed Cowboy Carter — a defiant declaration of Texan pride and a refusal to bow to expectations.
In the lead-up to the album's release, speculation swirled about whether it would meet the criteria of "country," those in the comments of the CMA Instagram claimed Beyoncé could never achieve. Yet, growing up in Texas and possessing a voice saturated in Southern cadence, Beyoncé's roots in the genre run deep. To question her country credentials is to ignore the rich diversity of Southern culture, specifically its Black contributors. Cowboy Carter acts as a guide, peeling back the layers of racial complexity that underpin country music's facade of inclusivity. Beyoncé challenges the rigid boundaries of genre, offering a scathing critique of those who seek to confine artistic expression within narrow confines. With an interlude featuring Linda Martell, one of the country's pioneering Black artists, saying “Genres are a funny little concept, aren't they? Yes, they are. In theory, they have a simple definition that's easy to understand. But in practice, well, some may feel confined”. Beyoncé forces a reckoning with country music, battling the stereotypes put on her as a Black female artist. Beyoncé exposes the superficiality of genre labels and demands a reckoning with the stereotypes imposed upon her.
If country music celebrates Southern heritage, why does Beyoncé's Houston upbringing not qualify as "country" enough? If songs like "Goodbye Earl" by the Chicks, which delve into dark aspects of human nature, are lauded when sung by white artists, why are they met with controversy when similar is performed by a Black woman? If country music praises family values, why aren't her own family dynamics embraced as quintessentially American? Addressing these questions honestly necessitates confronting issues of race, gender, and politics — topics often deemed taboo within the genre.
By virtue of her identity as a Black woman challenging the gatekeepers of country music's establishment, Beyoncé is inherently political. The tired debate over who is "authentically" country enough feels trivial in the face of her bold and genre-bending exploration of the scene. The Nashville-controlled brand of country often serves as a cultural extension of white politics, a tradition perpetuated by conservative forces resistant to diversifying the genre. Beyoncé's venture into country territory within this contentious political climate was destined to spark controversy.
So who gets to define country music? Is it Morgan Wallan who got away with screaming the n-word in empty streets, only to be recently arrested for throwing a chair off a balcony at a bar? Or is it “Try That in a Small Town” Jason Aldean who has taken every chance to denounce the Black Lives Matter movement? Both have found a vicious, loyal audience and chart-topping success despite these events. This fact became painfully evident when Beyoncé released "Texas Hold ’Em" in February of this year, only to face rejection from an Oklahoma radio station. Their refusal to play the song implied that Beyoncé did not fit their mold of a country artist. However, Beyoncé's return to country music, accompanied by the spotlight and her devoted fans, feels less like an exploration of the genre and more like a revolutionary act. Cowboy Carter presents mainstream culture with an opportunity to recognize the significant contributions of Black artists to the sound and history of country music. Beyoncé is carving out a space in an arena where she is not expected to belong, challenging preconceived notions about her identity, her music, the essence of country music, and who is entitled to participate in it.
Beyoncé's boldness in confronting these challenging topics sets her apart as a pioneering figure in the industry. There is no comparison. While some artists may avoid controversy, she boldly embraces it, leveraging her platform to ignite important conversations and drive societal change. By reframing the narrative of genre through the perspective of a Black Southern woman, Beyoncé enriches our comprehension of America's cultural landscape and leads the charge toward a more inclusive and genuine musical environment. Her impact extends beyond mere musical innovation; it serves as a testament to the transformative power of voice, both in song and discourse, to reshape our perspectives and disrupt the prevailing norms. Cowboy Carter places Black people back in the center of a genre and aesthetic that erased them, and made the moment radical.
