c/o Beyonce
When Beyoncé released her leading singles “TEXAS HOLD ’EM” and “16 CARRIAGES,” discourse surrounding her entry into the country genre quickly erupted. Many supported her leap into a style that has historically been linked to discrimination against Black artists. In fact, she herself faced censorship for her performance of her country song “Daddy Lessons” (2016) at the 2016 Country Music Awards. The video was removed from all platforms in response to racist complaints from a majority-white audience, despite the fact that her performance was the highest rated 15-minute slot in Country Music Award history. The Recording Academy even rejected the song from running in the country music category. Many Black artists, such as Lil Nas X, have been excluded from the genre, while others such as Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Elle King, and Bon Jovi are celebrated for their ability to seamlessly weave between country music and other genres. Those with restrictive, racist opinions about this predominantly white genre continually fail to acknowledge the real foundation of country music: its roots in Southern Black culture. Early country artists like Lesley Riddle, Rufus Payne, and DeFord Bailey, who helped turn Nashville into the modern country music staple we know it as today, are seldom recognized as being instrumental in the creation of country music. This racism continues to limit the successes and legacies of Black artists in the genre, like Ray Charles, Tina Turner, and Linda Martell.
Yet, in one of the most anticipated albums of this decade, Beyoncé, a proud Houstonian, returns to her Southern roots in her new genre-expansive, transcendent album COWBOY CARTER (2024). From the first song, “AMERIICAN REQUIEM,” a defiant, rebellious call to reckon with the racist isolation that continues to affect Black Southern artists, Beyoncé reminds the listener of her country roots: “Used to say I spoke too country / And the rejection came, said I wasn’t country ’nough / Said I wouldn’t saddle up, but / If that ain’t country, tell me what is?” Still, to call this album country-only would overlook its experimental, genre-bending nature, incorporating elements of rap, R&B, rock, and even opera, which she uses to display her incredible vocal technique in “DAUGHTER.”
The production on this album is flawless. As a producer, Beyoncé continues to experiment with unconventional sounds and samples, delivering an extensive array of gorgeous harmonies and a masterful consolidation of both conventional and emerging sounds. Songs like “BODYGUARD” and “YA YA,” which sample Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Are Made for Walkin’,” (1966) incorporate a light country groove, while others like “PROTECTOR” and “II MOST WANTED,” the latter of which features Miley Cyrus, deliver heartfelt ballads, highlighting Beyoncé’s great command of the country genre’s diverse melodic elements. The album features covers of both the Beatles’ “Blackbird,” on which she collaborates with some of the most exciting new Black country artists like Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, and Reyna Roberts, and Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” Fans hear more traditional aspects of Beyoncé’s repertoire in songs such as “SPAGHETTII,” and the concluding songs on the album combine the melodic and lyrical symmetry from her last album RENAISSANCE (2022) and the acoustic production elements of Cowboy Carter.
Throughout the album, Beyoncé incorporates samples and musical interludes to connect the record’s diverse elements on songs like “FLAMENCO” and “DESERT EAGLE.” To highlight the historic nature of the album, Beyoncé includes interludes from country music pioneers like Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton. She features modern Black country artists like Willie Jones and Shaboozey and samples the groundbreaking Black Southern musician Linda Martell, who begins “SPAGHETTII” by stating “Genres are a funny little concept, aren’t they? / In theory, they have a simple definition that’s easy to understand. / But in practice, well, some may feel confined.” Cowboy Carter serves as liberation from this concept. It combines a radical array of disparate genres with an unprecedented fluidity, a rebellion against the continual attempt to confine Black artists in urban and rap genre that defies attempts to define Beyoncé and her artistry.
The album concludes with “AMEN,” which further explores the deficiency discussed in “AMERIICAN REQUIEM.” It describes the “crumbling” of a house built of blood and bones, symbolizing the unacknowledged foundation of Country music—it is built on Black contributions, through R&B and Black folk music. The track echoes the lyrical pressure of the beginning. It denounces attempts to restrict the artistry of Black artists: “Say a prayer for what has been / We’ll be the ones to purify our Fathers’ sins / American Requiem / Them old ideas (Yeah) are buried here (Yeah) / Amen (Amen).”
Throughout the album, Beyoncé collaborates with artists such as Ryan Beatty, Raphael Saadiq, Pharrell, No I.D., Raye, and, of course, Jay-Z. This album, like most of her work, was crafted with the empire of collaborators and the meticulous team that she has cultivated throughout her career. With these co-workers, Beyoncé continues to create flawless albums that speak to the very soul of American culture and human nature. She has continually been applauded for her great vulnerability, as highlighted in her album Lemonade (2016), and her ability to seamlessly transition into various genres while highlighting artists who have frequently been overlooked; in RENAISSANCE she emphasizes the legacy of queer artists of color on house and ballroom music.
However, I wonder what this body of work, as well as her whole discography, would explore melodically, lyrically, and thematically if she were less of a frequent collaborator. While I believe Beyoncé has great creative merit, and that her tenacity and talent have produced some of the greatest works of the 21st century, I would be interested to hear a body of work not manufactured behind the cushion of her empire.
Regardless, Beyoncé continues to succeed. She has crafted one of the greatest albums of this decade and motivated a culture-defining reckoning that is vital in this moment of genre liberation. It is now on our collective selves to take what we will from this album and confront systemic racism in country music—and in all music overall. It is then that we can appreciate music as its very essence and not restrict artists to certain stylistic forms.
Thank you, Beyoncé! You are a legend! “AMEN”!
Carter Appleyard can be reached at cappleyard@wesleyan.edu.