Beyoncé, Act II: Cowboy Carter & and Country’s relationship with Black artists
Courtesy of Wikimedia
The signs of Beyoncé’s turn to country music were, retrospectively, heavily hinted at in the imagery used for her 2022 album Act I: Renaissance - the album’s cover art depicts her on a hologram horse, and the image of a bejewelled cowboy hat was the selling point of promotional posters advertising her 2023 Renaissance World Tour. Almost two years after the release of Act I: Renaissance, she announced her upcoming eighth studio album Act II: Cowboy Carter, in a Superbowl advert. The album will be the second instalment of her ongoing three-act project. The two joyously playful lead singles 16 Carriages and Texas Hold ‘Em evoke a distinct country sound (with the thwack of a pedal steel guitar and the strum of a banjo), and point to a marked departure from Act I: Renaissance’s house and dance sound.
The latter song recently made her the first Black woman to top Billboard’s country music chart. It’s a wonderfully light-hearted hoedown with simple, catchy lyrics: “Ooh, one step to the right/ We headed to the dive bar we always thought was nice”. Despite the song’s success, there has been a significant backlash to her supposed genre switch, with some country radio stations in the US refusing to playlist Texas Hold ‘Em.
Born in Houston, Texas, this rejection of Beyoncé’s new music by country listeners seems contradictory if roots in the genre are a prerequisite for acceptance by listeners. As her mother says: “When people ask why is Beyoncé wearing cowboy hats? It’s really funny, I actually laugh because it’s been there since she was a kid, we went to rodeos every year and my whole family dressed in western fashion”. Neither has Beyoncé ever shied away from voicing her Texas pride, as seen in hits such as Formation (“My Daddy Alabama/ Momma Louisiana/ You mix the Negro with a Creole make a Texas-Bama”).
It’s not the first time that country’s relationship with Black artists has come into debate in recent years: in 2018, Lil Nas X’s viral hit Old Town Road was excluded from the Billboard Country chart, under the reasoning that “while [it] incorporates references to country and cowboy imagery, it does not embrace enough elements of today’s country music to chart in its current version”. Critics were quick to point out that many white contemporary country stars, such as Sam Hunt and Blake Shelton, indisputably adopt a similar style of interpolating rap with country, yet do not face this exclusion.
Beyoncé has faced opposition within the genre before - her 2017 album Lemonade features the country-inspired track Daddy Lessons (with lyrical references to her Texas roots seen again), and was deemed ineligible for the Country Grammys by the Recording Academy. She later sang the song at the 2017 Country Music Awards alongside the Dixie Chicks (now known as the Chicks) in a surprise performance. This collaboration was noteworthy - once a staple of country music, the band received a huge backlash when lead vocalist Natalie Maines criticised President George W. Bush in the run-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
The ambiguity of country music’s classifications and politics is quiet simply confusing. Music is music after all, and genres are meant to be pushed against. Folk musician Rhiannon Giddens, who plays the banjo on Texas Hold ‘Em (and is an advocate for the reclamation of country music instruments by Black musicians) wrote a brilliant opinion piece for The Guardian in which she argues that ultimately “Nobody owns an art form. Everyone is allowed to enjoy and make country music, especially when done with respect, understanding and integrity”.
Genres are fluid and bleed into each other, and there’s evidently a change in the way contemporary country music is evolving, and being consumed by its listeners. Beyoncé’s achievement with Texas Hold ‘Em underlines that ultimately, if the music is good, categorisation does not matter. People love her work regardless.
As 16 carriages closes, Beyoncé states “The legacy is the last thing I do/ You’ll remember me ‘cause we got something to prove”. There’s an underlying current in country music’s relationship with Black artists that show a continued acceptance in the genre is necessary. The release of her album will undoubtedly open the debate further, and hopefully for the positive. In the meantime, there’s some excellent music to be enjoyed.