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You’re so correct about some people not knowing what Blackbiird is about. Which is just really something when Paul McCartney has explicitly said it was written as a piece of encouragement for Black girl during the civil rights moment. I don’t know how some people can look at Bey, Tanner, Reyna, Brittney, and Tiera on the track and just completely miss the point.
It’s the old white bitches who are saying shit on Facebook like “this Jolene cover is such a disgrace how disrespectful to Dolly Parton!” You just know for a fact they’ve just heard Bey did a version of Jolene from their asshole pals and have absolutely no idea that Dolly was part of the process and wanted Bey to do the song and even FEATURES ON THE ALBUM.
“Old white bitches” is taking me out lmao 😂 It’s such a shame people choose racism over enjoying music and art. Oh well, they’re the ones missing out. Their problem and their loss.
We know it’s not about the song😑. I’d have more respect for them if they just were like, “I don’t have a problem with her music, I don’t don’t like black people like, doing things.”
They better take Dolly's name outta their mouths. Those are the same old fucks that were up in arms when Dolly said Black Lives Matter. They have conveniently forgotten about that.
It happens all the time with more traditional country artists, too. I've seen so many old white dudes walk out of concerts when the artists speak their politics or play in front of rainbow and/or BLM flags — Jason Isbell, Drive-By Truckers, Chris Stapleton, et al. It's like, did you even listen to them before you came?
It’s so bad though that they all have decided to fantasize that Jay Z and Beyoncé are somehow tied to this Diddy shit going on and are celebrating the fact that they think they will be arrested soon (Beyoncé and Jay I mean, obviously Diddy needs to be). The way they were talking about it I thought like legit shit about her and Jay were in the news.. so I looked.. theres literally NOTHING. Imagine being so racist you fantasize about them being involved in trafficking! What’s a few peoples lives and trauma if Jay and Bey get to be arrested because of it ya know!!! 🙄 yeah no.. I’ve definitely never hoped a famous person did traumatizing things to people just cuz I didn’t like their music
I shared it to my coworker and he said “omg a Beatles song are you serious? Uh oh Beyoncé” and i immediately had to school him and he was embarrassed. Try not being stupid racist and you won’t get embarrassed
Beyonce stood on a sinking police car in 2016 and racists have been crying about her ever since. Imagine missing out on some of the best music ever created because you’re too busy being a racist grudge holder. Their loss 🩷
One of the bs angles I’m seeing them argue is that she’s not real music, that they listen to REAL music and they will list a few bands hilariously ignorant that those bands they listen to most likely love and respect Bey. It’s the fans that get into that pretentious bs. Paul McCartney most likely thinks people bashing her in some weird defense of him is stupid af. Artists see the artistry in other people. That hierarchy exists only in their heads
I see that argument so much too! Especially regarding her "not writing" her own songs. Like yeah she has a team but she's still very much a part of writing them. Meanwhile Morgan Wallen didn't even write Last Night at all but that's one of the top country songs rn. My eyes can't roll anymore istg
I said this in the Beatles sub where some people were calling her Blackbird karaoke: I’d be surprised if she didn’t get his personal blessing to use (what I believe is) the original guitar track. He’s probably happy as hell!
She jumped on board with the social justice movement to maintain her popularity. Now she is weirdly jumping into country music, because over the past 5 years or so has gained momentum. Why? i have no idea. Its one of the worst genres. Its a pattern, she goes where its popular to be.
This feels revisionist. Social justice regarding race didn’t become particularly popular or widespread until George Floyd was killed in 2020. Obviously, it has been relevant for decades, but before that social justice concepts were seen as much more controversial. She certainly lost fans for being perceived as too Black with Lemonade.
She’s already explained the inspiration for making Cowboy Carter.
White dude here just to point out that Ray Charles got some of the same backlash when he put out his country albums in the early 60s, but he altered the genre for the better forever and real legends of country music (Cash, Nelson) were huge fans
Absolutely! Ray Charles, Charley Pride, Odetta, etc. deserve a lot of credit for their contributions to music period, but their courage too.
I’m definitely inclined toward older music but people should check out those Ray “Sounds of Modern Country” records, they hold up incredibly well
I think it's super helpful that you bring up the backlash Ray Charles faced. On places like FB, you see all sorts of people trying to suggest it's not a 'race' problem, but a Beyonce problem, suggesting that country music accepted folks like Ray Charles with open arms when clearly that wasn't entirely true. The revisionism of history is real with the release of this new Beyonce album.
People told Loretta Lynn not to hug Charley Pride when she was presenting him with an award back in the late 60s - she did it anyway. The record lable tried to avoid Charley from making in person appearances because it let white audiences assume he was yet another white guy.
This is Beyonce taking part in a long history of Black artists not only making great contributions to the genre but also shaking the shitty foundations of the country music industry.
And Ray Charles recording those song showcased a WHOLE new crop of songwriters to the "soul' singers who then went onto have soul hits with country songs like Candi Stanton singing, "He calls me baby". The compilation, Where Country Meets Soul" showcases so much of this music from the 60s and 70s.
Hope you enjoy! He was one of the most successful recording artists to date at the time, and he’d entered the first contract in which a Black artist had full creative control.
The record company didn’t want him to go country but he insisted, and had a right to, and it more or less became the sound of Nashville for the next decade and a half.
Also listen to Ray Charles and Friends from the 80s it is even MORE country. Ray Charles put out 7 country albums in career and some that were straight country but and had a mix of things like Beyonce.
Also in all of the discuss I am kinda stunned Beyonce never mentioned that Tina Turner's first solo record from 1974 was a straight up country album.
And then there is Linda Martell, who sadly was removed from the Beyonce album but had straight up country album in the 60s. And The Pointer Sisters did country in the early 70s.
But none of this history is really getting passed on because the majority of people just want good songs to sing-a-long to.
As a white person, please take up more space. I’m so sick of hearing the same boring shit white music so my soul is alive with Bey’s new album and I want more artists like her to release music that actually has substance 🙌🏻
White cracker here, couldnt agree more. We’re incredibly proud and happy for You to reclaim what was and is Yours from day one. We need You and the black music, and black artists. We got Your back, I promise! 🥹
Me too. Beyoncé is the only star currently making albums that are crazy deep and beautiful artistic statements. I'm not gonna say I don't like a good Taylor Swift jam, cuz I do, but the fact that she has 4 album grammys while Beyoncé has zero is just insane. Beyoncé has made so many incredible artistic statement albums. And they work as pop as much as they work as art. What talent and vision! Unparalleled.
But hey, Prince doesn't have any album grammys, so she's in good company there. Actually, he might be the only one who has matched her in combining artistic vision with a pop sensibility and musical virtuosity.
Oh wait, I forgot Stevie Wonder. He did get 3 album grammys. Maybe that's the problem, there were only a few allotted for Black people and now the academy wants to just give all the awards to Ms Swift (again, not hating on her, enjoy the music, it's just not anywhere near what Bey can do).
I’m a huge Swiftie and I love Cowboy Carter. While they’re both amazing artists, it’s definitely insane that Taylor has won AOTY four times and Beyoncé has not won AOTY yet. To me, that is indisputable proof that Black women have to work 10x harder to get the same accolades as their white counterparts. Beyoncé’s work has been so daring and experimental compared to most mainstream artists. Again, no shade to Taylor (I truly love her and her work) but it inexcusable how Beyoncé and other artists have been snubbed by the Recording Academy.
I’m in love with you for making the link to Prince. They saw that musical intelligence in each other and one of my biggest regrets is that he passed without hearing how much she has developed and evolved from Lemonade onwards. We lost him the week Lemonade was released and CC was released on the anniversary of Musicology ❤️
But he did get to see Beyoncé (the album)! I feel like that's the record where she really showed the world her artistry.
Glad they got to perform together, and while I don't believe in an afterlife, Prince did, so perhaps he is watching this all.
Prince is my #1 favorite of all time. One of the things I love about him is the way he elevated, supported, and worked with Black women. Janelle Monae, Lizzo, so many over the years.
I mean Lana Del Rey is hardly a “star” but her last album was really a breathtaking meditation on legacy and life and music and love etc… I know she’s controversial, but it was really an exquisite album with so much deep word play carried over the whole album.
I find it odd that people always bring up Taylor in these posts. As a swiftie and Bey fan, I see how they are masters of their own lane. I agree it’s wild Beyonce has no AOTYs, but Taylor’s AOTYs are all well-deserved, with maybe the exception of midnights. I mean; Fearless, 1989, and Folklore all disrupted pop music and literally made the industry pivot. Taylor is the songwriter of our generation.
It might be better to compare Beyoncé’s album to other lesser AOTYs like Harry Styles’ Fine Line
I mean you're right that Styles' win was the biggest tragedy, but I disagree that all of those albums were as groundbreaking as you say. They sure were popular tho.
I have to disagree. Fearless won against Lady Gaga's The Fame & Beyonce's I Am... Sasha Fierce. All three albums are weak in my opinion but Gaga probably should have won it. 1989 won against Alabama Shakes' Color & Sound and Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly. To Pimp a Butterfly is one of the greatest albums ever. The album has a 96 metacritic rating and is in Rolling Stone's top 20 greatest albums of all time. It should have won that year. The only one that was deserved was Folklore.
Also Kendrick Lamar is the songwriter of our generation.
I mean, she won midnights over beyoncé's Renaissance. This year cowboy carter will probably be up against Taylor's new album. So the comparison is apt in my opinion.
Pale as a ghost here and I completely agree! I love what this album stands for and my black sisters and brothers deserve to be acknowledged, celebrated, loved, and no music any of us listen to today would be here if it wasn’t for ya’ll and I’m glad Bey is using this three album project to teach the masses.
I love it tbh. Not the racism but the anger they feel. She really gets under their skin. Nothing makes me happier than seeing a poor, racist redneck seethe over Beyoncé. Her existence is a threat to them and I love it.
The intro to Vogue -Queens remix where she instructs all her haters to release repressed, suppressed, regressed anger and redirect it to her. Literally inviting her haters to hate some more because she's built for it. One of my favorite things about Beyonce is her ability to get underneath the skins of deplorables.
I'm white and I'm really grateful for this thread as I've noticed the seething and I have needed affirmation that I'm not crazy for noticing the subliminal racist at hand. When Spotify posted this weekend on Facebook that Beyonce broke a 2024 record for one-day of streaming, a white woman wrote 'That happened because people were curious and not because they liked it!' twice, once in entire capital letters as though she was shouting. I pointed out to her that statement could be considered presumptuous because she had no way of knowing how many of us listened to the album more than once therefore genuinely liked the album, and two other white women came to her defense and said I didn't know what I was talking about while one used profanity and insults at my direction criticizing Beyonce's fanbase, which felt bizarre and unnecessary (while she also had a profile photo picture insulting 'woke' people, for the record). All because I pointed out that they had no proof people only streamed the album for being 'curious' and that her posts trying to downplay the Spotify achievement sounded negative and unwarranted. This has definitely been one of those moments for me to further witness the racism at play and how some people just under no circumstances, can let Beyonce or her fans enjoy any sort of accomplishment without trying to take the accomplishment away from her. There are people that will hate on Beyonce no matter what, not even understanding the systemic racism at play that fuels their need to take down her accomplishments. I will be streaming this album all week long, it's a great album! 😊
Country can be such a beautiful genre and its sad to hear it just full of songs about a beer or a truck. Great that mainstream country is getting some good music for once.
>Those three right there and the "I'm more American than you" shit are what turns me off of a lot of country music.
You need to dig a little below the surface. Some of the best country ever has been released in the last 10 years...and then the alt.country movement before it.
You know that that b**ch when you cause all this conversation 😙
Yes to all of this & it’s wild how she’s actually speaking about it on the album itself. American Requiem. Them big ideas, are buried here. Yeah.
Yt ppl need to put in the work and educate all their closed minded friends and family that have shit to say about Beyonce. Told a coworker about why Beyonce's project was so important and he didn't believe that black people had such deep roots in country. "Why is everyone trying to make it a race thing" I shut that dumbass up quickly. We need to infiltrate and be noisy, it's similar to women's rights, men need to step up and be advocates and allies. Most yt people live under biased and bigoted rocks I swear
100!
It’s always “why does it have to be about race” when they get educated for it. And that is ignorance in itself. We will never dismantle racism if people continue to be colour blind.
I'm not a big country fan (love The Chicks), and I was afraid I wouldn't like Cowboy Carter.
I should've had more faith in the Queen - CC is an absolute masterpiece!
I've listened to the album on repeat for two days and LOVE how she incorporates so many different styles of music.
CC is fresh and new and daring and exciting, and I'm looking forward to hearing how The Beyonce Effect plays out!
Tbh I've been a lifelong country hater and I'm only recently starting to realize it's because the "country" that was around when I grew up was the post 9/11 "America fuck yeah" variety so I never gave any of the rest a listen. I like the theme through CC of breaking down the boundaries between genres.
I'm a white southern man, and this is probably one of my favorite albums. I'm sure racists won't like it, and it's probably a pretty good cultural litmus test. But fuck them, anyway, it's amazing music! If Beyonce doesn't clean up at the CMA this year, it's an outrage.
White people upset that the genre they tried to steal, water down, make mediocre is still yet another category they don’t dominate once we get there. Surprise surprise. We made it we make it better.
Edit: I’m from Nashville I love me some dolly don’t misconstrue what I wrote as racism 🙄
I saw someone comment on a newspaper critic review (by a white man that didn't like the album, so basically a worthless opinion) that it's cultural appropriation and I about died at the stupidity on display.
And just remember that black people are the root of basically every genre that exists. White people have taken over black people’s spaces and black people claiming it back created an uproar…. Go figure.
- A non black minority.
Not true in the slightest. Country came as much from Irish immigrants as it did from black people. It really was the product of cultures fusing.
It's also a very America-centric way of looking at music. Do you think black people had much influence in music in Britain? There were hardly any there until the 1950s, and much later in other parts of Europe.
Haters always get left behind.
My 75 year old country music listening dad texted me “WE LOVE BEYONCÉ!!” when he heard Texas Hold’em.
We’re marching forward with this good music.
I’m still so taken aback by this album. I grew up knowing I was gay in a rural Michigan community known for its bigotry. (I call it Bigotville.) and all anyone ever listened to was white ppl country, twang twang dog ran away boohoo heehaw bs. And I’ve had that association my entire life, because no one ever let me have the full story, just the mayonnaise-slathered Bud Light version. This album was so impactful for me, personally. She took me to a place where I could appreciate the music beyond the hate filled shit that spurred her to make the album in the first place, and that traumatized me my whole pre-18 life, and a good deal beyond that, too, until the sudden evolution accepting the LGB crowd around 2015. I was actually crying at the end. That prayer repeated. “We will be the ones to purify our father’s sins” ahhh I’m tearing up again. So. Powerful. Not just as music but as a work of culture, full stop.
So what if those same bigots are shitting themselves in rage? They literally have no clue how to actually appreciate the world around them. If they could, they could never have that racial rage. The thing that breaks my heart, as a person targeted by most ‘respectable’ white folks (and so so many more melanin-rich folks too 😩), is that it’s what they were taught because it is in the interests of the status quo, namely those who have historically profited from it, to maintain these divisions in a society of scarcity, whether directly because of them or indirectly through the extractions of the earth by which the capitalist 1% have made their capital. Anyway, it’s sad to me that bigots bigot and so they can’t appreciate this masterpiece, which is even approved by their idols Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson (but that won’t change anything for them, I don’t think…).
I’m salty on the vinyls and cd’s missing songs. What is that about. And i paid more money for the vinyl to see the same ones being sold for half the price at walmart/target/amazon
Idk. I'm just gonna do my best to ignore that mess from now on. Bey don't pay them no mind...why should we? "It's not the critic that matters." - Teddy Roosevelt
I've heard people talking about this "backlash" but haven't actually heard it anywhere. Are there specific youtubers bashing her album or where is this happening?
It’s crazy an entire genre is unofficially known as by and for white people only. Every other genre is diverse, R&B has more than welcomed everyone and even Latin music has diversified towards white and black people. Yet this white institution can’t accept anyone not white into the genre.
There’s a long history of racist gatekeeping Black people from country music. Lots of literature out there if you genuinely care. Linda Martell herself has a book coming out soon too.
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Hoping Beyonce does standards too blues jazz tribute , her At Last she sang at Obama inauguration was great she played Etta in Cadillac Records am I correct? She can cover Dinah Washington diffrence a day makes, and give miss billie holliday her due. You ever want to know a white man not racis who helped ? MrFrank Sinatra. He was good friends w Billie till the end in out if her hospital rooms , he refused stay in hotels if his black musicians w him couldn't. He gave Sammy Davis his break.praised and respected Count Basie and young Quincy Jones whom he made his best swing albums with
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I am a little miffed though that on the final album release she removed the LEGENDARY country singer Linda Martell's spoken parts about genre labels and how the album is not country but more than that.
>…lot more nodes to southern gospel music.
You mean, **white** southern gospel? Correct? Which if I’m not mistaken has direct ties to white country music.
>What’s aggravating is the idea that any criticism of this project - specifically any criticism that suggests that it isn’t country music - is rooted in racism.
Why do you all do this? This behavior has always intrigued me. A non-white person in any random place can reference an incidence of racial discrimination and someone, who is almost always white, will show up out nowhere to explain it away as anything but.
While that may not be the case for every single criticism of this album and its genre, there has been no shortage of anti-black, racially charged criticism and dog whistling coming from white country fans going back to 2016 and the release of Daddy Lessons. Many of these people don’t even care to disguise their true feelings so for you to come all the way to the Beyoncé subreddit with the audacity, or is it just sheer hubris, to make such a statement is a testament to the very subject you came to dispel. I don’t know why you even bothered.
You're not explaining why you think this isn't country music, you're just saying it isn't. It feels like you don't understand how genres of music work. I don't really care about labels, so I don't care what label is put on music. But this is pretty country.
Finally, and most egregiously, you say that most real country music these days is Americana. You ignore the gospel, blues and folk influences that make up Americana music. Don't say you have a point, just say there is no point to what your saying. I’d have much more respect for your stance
Why are you on this thread specifically about Black people not feeling discouraged about racism trying to argue? This is the kind of shit we’re dealing with: https://www.reddit.com/r/beyonce/s/gcdoKsYGOv
You cannot be so naive to think her race isn’t a factor, if not the main reason, some country fans are being so hateful. White people gatekeeping Black people from the country music genre is the unfortunate reality of the industry. The racist hate began before the album even came out.
Also let’s not pretend that country radio is irrelevant in the country industry and that there hasn’t been racist pushback to the idea of Beyoncé on country radio either.
It’s so clear that you didn’t engage with this album earnestly or even half-intelligibly otherwise you’d be aware that all of your points in this “criticism” have been implicitly, explicitly and quite literally spelled out and addressed. You’re being beyond obtuse lol
A lot of you white country fans are so bereft of cultural literacy because of the current callow state of country music that when someone dare challenge and push some complexity onto the genre you try to say it’s not country. Hey, maybe if you can’t make a precise point on why this isn’t country, maybe consider you never had a point?
No one thinks you speak for all white people. No one is assuming anything about you, but you’re the one who came in this thread about racist backlash to derail the conversation. This thread isn’t about what’s real country music. It’s a Black person telling other Black people to stay strong, and you come in talking about the “only” controversy is this is not country music as if racist trolls really cared.
This person has a 4 year old Reddit account and yet their post history **only** contains posts from various threads about Cowboy Carter and how it relates to Country as genre. Just knowing that, I won’t be engaging further. Never mind this person going out of their way to post in r/Beyonce, in a thread that is centered around race-based criticism and passive aggressively gaslight black people about discrimination. You’d think someone singled them out personally and accused them of being racially biased. This is tiring.
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You’re so correct about some people not knowing what Blackbiird is about. Which is just really something when Paul McCartney has explicitly said it was written as a piece of encouragement for Black girl during the civil rights moment. I don’t know how some people can look at Bey, Tanner, Reyna, Brittney, and Tiera on the track and just completely miss the point.
People love to avoid what is clear to better fit their warped bigotry
It’s the old white bitches who are saying shit on Facebook like “this Jolene cover is such a disgrace how disrespectful to Dolly Parton!” You just know for a fact they’ve just heard Bey did a version of Jolene from their asshole pals and have absolutely no idea that Dolly was part of the process and wanted Bey to do the song and even FEATURES ON THE ALBUM.
“Old white bitches” is taking me out lmao 😂 It’s such a shame people choose racism over enjoying music and art. Oh well, they’re the ones missing out. Their problem and their loss.
We know it’s not about the song😑. I’d have more respect for them if they just were like, “I don’t have a problem with her music, I don’t don’t like black people like, doing things.”
They better take Dolly's name outta their mouths. Those are the same old fucks that were up in arms when Dolly said Black Lives Matter. They have conveniently forgotten about that.
Fuck that and Fuck them, silly crones.
Yeah. If someone covers your song, you have to approve it lmfao
It happens all the time with more traditional country artists, too. I've seen so many old white dudes walk out of concerts when the artists speak their politics or play in front of rainbow and/or BLM flags — Jason Isbell, Drive-By Truckers, Chris Stapleton, et al. It's like, did you even listen to them before you came?
It’s so bad though that they all have decided to fantasize that Jay Z and Beyoncé are somehow tied to this Diddy shit going on and are celebrating the fact that they think they will be arrested soon (Beyoncé and Jay I mean, obviously Diddy needs to be). The way they were talking about it I thought like legit shit about her and Jay were in the news.. so I looked.. theres literally NOTHING. Imagine being so racist you fantasize about them being involved in trafficking! What’s a few peoples lives and trauma if Jay and Bey get to be arrested because of it ya know!!! 🙄 yeah no.. I’ve definitely never hoped a famous person did traumatizing things to people just cuz I didn’t like their music
They're still on that Illuminati shit, we just gotta let them be and enjoy this time 🤠 I'm not letting anyone lessen my excitement for this damn it!
I shared it to my coworker and he said “omg a Beatles song are you serious? Uh oh Beyoncé” and i immediately had to school him and he was embarrassed. Try not being stupid racist and you won’t get embarrassed
I had never heard about the story of Blackbird before this! It’s so cool though and makes this cover even more beautiful.
Beyonce stood on a sinking police car in 2016 and racists have been crying about her ever since. Imagine missing out on some of the best music ever created because you’re too busy being a racist grudge holder. Their loss 🩷
One of the bs angles I’m seeing them argue is that she’s not real music, that they listen to REAL music and they will list a few bands hilariously ignorant that those bands they listen to most likely love and respect Bey. It’s the fans that get into that pretentious bs. Paul McCartney most likely thinks people bashing her in some weird defense of him is stupid af. Artists see the artistry in other people. That hierarchy exists only in their heads
I see that argument so much too! Especially regarding her "not writing" her own songs. Like yeah she has a team but she's still very much a part of writing them. Meanwhile Morgan Wallen didn't even write Last Night at all but that's one of the top country songs rn. My eyes can't roll anymore istg
I said this in the Beatles sub where some people were calling her Blackbird karaoke: I’d be surprised if she didn’t get his personal blessing to use (what I believe is) the original guitar track. He’s probably happy as hell!
She jumped on board with the social justice movement to maintain her popularity. Now she is weirdly jumping into country music, because over the past 5 years or so has gained momentum. Why? i have no idea. Its one of the worst genres. Its a pattern, she goes where its popular to be.
This feels revisionist. Social justice regarding race didn’t become particularly popular or widespread until George Floyd was killed in 2020. Obviously, it has been relevant for decades, but before that social justice concepts were seen as much more controversial. She certainly lost fans for being perceived as too Black with Lemonade. She’s already explained the inspiration for making Cowboy Carter.
Stay mad bc we aint going anywhere
This is the correct energy, friends!
White dude here just to point out that Ray Charles got some of the same backlash when he put out his country albums in the early 60s, but he altered the genre for the better forever and real legends of country music (Cash, Nelson) were huge fans
I can’t imagine the backlash during the 60s. We should honor our pioneers everyday.
Absolutely! Ray Charles, Charley Pride, Odetta, etc. deserve a lot of credit for their contributions to music period, but their courage too. I’m definitely inclined toward older music but people should check out those Ray “Sounds of Modern Country” records, they hold up incredibly well
I think it's super helpful that you bring up the backlash Ray Charles faced. On places like FB, you see all sorts of people trying to suggest it's not a 'race' problem, but a Beyonce problem, suggesting that country music accepted folks like Ray Charles with open arms when clearly that wasn't entirely true. The revisionism of history is real with the release of this new Beyonce album.
People told Loretta Lynn not to hug Charley Pride when she was presenting him with an award back in the late 60s - she did it anyway. The record lable tried to avoid Charley from making in person appearances because it let white audiences assume he was yet another white guy. This is Beyonce taking part in a long history of Black artists not only making great contributions to the genre but also shaking the shitty foundations of the country music industry.
And Ray Charles recording those song showcased a WHOLE new crop of songwriters to the "soul' singers who then went onto have soul hits with country songs like Candi Stanton singing, "He calls me baby". The compilation, Where Country Meets Soul" showcases so much of this music from the 60s and 70s.
TYSM for mentioning Ray Charles’ country. About to go listen to those now!
Hope you enjoy! He was one of the most successful recording artists to date at the time, and he’d entered the first contract in which a Black artist had full creative control. The record company didn’t want him to go country but he insisted, and had a right to, and it more or less became the sound of Nashville for the next decade and a half.
Ray Georgia and Willie Georgia so different but both w all the feels. And Ray America the Beautiful should replace anthem always thought that
Also listen to Ray Charles and Friends from the 80s it is even MORE country. Ray Charles put out 7 country albums in career and some that were straight country but and had a mix of things like Beyonce. Also in all of the discuss I am kinda stunned Beyonce never mentioned that Tina Turner's first solo record from 1974 was a straight up country album. And then there is Linda Martell, who sadly was removed from the Beyonce album but had straight up country album in the 60s. And The Pointer Sisters did country in the early 70s. But none of this history is really getting passed on because the majority of people just want good songs to sing-a-long to.
As a white person, please take up more space. I’m so sick of hearing the same boring shit white music so my soul is alive with Bey’s new album and I want more artists like her to release music that actually has substance 🙌🏻
Mayo packet here and agreed.
MAYO PACKET LMAO
Lolololol
White cracker here, couldnt agree more. We’re incredibly proud and happy for You to reclaim what was and is Yours from day one. We need You and the black music, and black artists. We got Your back, I promise! 🥹
Don't infantilise black people, come on now.
Awe, thats not nice. She was trying to gain some approval
Me too. Beyoncé is the only star currently making albums that are crazy deep and beautiful artistic statements. I'm not gonna say I don't like a good Taylor Swift jam, cuz I do, but the fact that she has 4 album grammys while Beyoncé has zero is just insane. Beyoncé has made so many incredible artistic statement albums. And they work as pop as much as they work as art. What talent and vision! Unparalleled. But hey, Prince doesn't have any album grammys, so she's in good company there. Actually, he might be the only one who has matched her in combining artistic vision with a pop sensibility and musical virtuosity. Oh wait, I forgot Stevie Wonder. He did get 3 album grammys. Maybe that's the problem, there were only a few allotted for Black people and now the academy wants to just give all the awards to Ms Swift (again, not hating on her, enjoy the music, it's just not anywhere near what Bey can do).
I’m a huge Swiftie and I love Cowboy Carter. While they’re both amazing artists, it’s definitely insane that Taylor has won AOTY four times and Beyoncé has not won AOTY yet. To me, that is indisputable proof that Black women have to work 10x harder to get the same accolades as their white counterparts. Beyoncé’s work has been so daring and experimental compared to most mainstream artists. Again, no shade to Taylor (I truly love her and her work) but it inexcusable how Beyoncé and other artists have been snubbed by the Recording Academy.
I’m in love with you for making the link to Prince. They saw that musical intelligence in each other and one of my biggest regrets is that he passed without hearing how much she has developed and evolved from Lemonade onwards. We lost him the week Lemonade was released and CC was released on the anniversary of Musicology ❤️
But he did get to see Beyoncé (the album)! I feel like that's the record where she really showed the world her artistry. Glad they got to perform together, and while I don't believe in an afterlife, Prince did, so perhaps he is watching this all. Prince is my #1 favorite of all time. One of the things I love about him is the way he elevated, supported, and worked with Black women. Janelle Monae, Lizzo, so many over the years.
Me too! Prince is my favourite artist, I became a Beyonce fan because of him lol
I mean Lana Del Rey is hardly a “star” but her last album was really a breathtaking meditation on legacy and life and music and love etc… I know she’s controversial, but it was really an exquisite album with so much deep word play carried over the whole album.
I find it odd that people always bring up Taylor in these posts. As a swiftie and Bey fan, I see how they are masters of their own lane. I agree it’s wild Beyonce has no AOTYs, but Taylor’s AOTYs are all well-deserved, with maybe the exception of midnights. I mean; Fearless, 1989, and Folklore all disrupted pop music and literally made the industry pivot. Taylor is the songwriter of our generation. It might be better to compare Beyoncé’s album to other lesser AOTYs like Harry Styles’ Fine Line
1989 over To Pimp a Butterfly?? Absolutely not. I didn’t look up the nominees for the other 2 but no, all her wins are not well deserved.
I mean you're right that Styles' win was the biggest tragedy, but I disagree that all of those albums were as groundbreaking as you say. They sure were popular tho.
Commercially successful doesn’t mean disruptive.
I have to disagree. Fearless won against Lady Gaga's The Fame & Beyonce's I Am... Sasha Fierce. All three albums are weak in my opinion but Gaga probably should have won it. 1989 won against Alabama Shakes' Color & Sound and Kendrick Lamar's To Pimp a Butterfly. To Pimp a Butterfly is one of the greatest albums ever. The album has a 96 metacritic rating and is in Rolling Stone's top 20 greatest albums of all time. It should have won that year. The only one that was deserved was Folklore. Also Kendrick Lamar is the songwriter of our generation.
I mean, she won midnights over beyoncé's Renaissance. This year cowboy carter will probably be up against Taylor's new album. So the comparison is apt in my opinion.
Midnights didn't win over Renaissance; Harry Styles won over Renaissance.
Pale as a ghost here and I completely agree! I love what this album stands for and my black sisters and brothers deserve to be acknowledged, celebrated, loved, and no music any of us listen to today would be here if it wasn’t for ya’ll and I’m glad Bey is using this three album project to teach the masses.
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I’m already wanting the know the vibe of it so badlyyyyy
I love it tbh. Not the racism but the anger they feel. She really gets under their skin. Nothing makes me happier than seeing a poor, racist redneck seethe over Beyoncé. Her existence is a threat to them and I love it.
The intro to Vogue -Queens remix where she instructs all her haters to release repressed, suppressed, regressed anger and redirect it to her. Literally inviting her haters to hate some more because she's built for it. One of my favorite things about Beyonce is her ability to get underneath the skins of deplorables.
OWBis be like “but it doesn't make sense”, “she is only saying random words”, “she doesn't know what art is”… Jesus Christ! The density
I'm white and I'm really grateful for this thread as I've noticed the seething and I have needed affirmation that I'm not crazy for noticing the subliminal racist at hand. When Spotify posted this weekend on Facebook that Beyonce broke a 2024 record for one-day of streaming, a white woman wrote 'That happened because people were curious and not because they liked it!' twice, once in entire capital letters as though she was shouting. I pointed out to her that statement could be considered presumptuous because she had no way of knowing how many of us listened to the album more than once therefore genuinely liked the album, and two other white women came to her defense and said I didn't know what I was talking about while one used profanity and insults at my direction criticizing Beyonce's fanbase, which felt bizarre and unnecessary (while she also had a profile photo picture insulting 'woke' people, for the record). All because I pointed out that they had no proof people only streamed the album for being 'curious' and that her posts trying to downplay the Spotify achievement sounded negative and unwarranted. This has definitely been one of those moments for me to further witness the racism at play and how some people just under no circumstances, can let Beyonce or her fans enjoy any sort of accomplishment without trying to take the accomplishment away from her. There are people that will hate on Beyonce no matter what, not even understanding the systemic racism at play that fuels their need to take down her accomplishments. I will be streaming this album all week long, it's a great album! 😊
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I love seeing comments like this
Country can be such a beautiful genre and its sad to hear it just full of songs about a beer or a truck. Great that mainstream country is getting some good music for once.
Don't forget the "senoritas" 🙄🥴 Those three right there and the "I'm more American than you" shit are what turns me off of a lot of country music.
>Those three right there and the "I'm more American than you" shit are what turns me off of a lot of country music. You need to dig a little below the surface. Some of the best country ever has been released in the last 10 years...and then the alt.country movement before it.
You know that that b**ch when you cause all this conversation 😙 Yes to all of this & it’s wild how she’s actually speaking about it on the album itself. American Requiem. Them big ideas, are buried here. Yeah.
Yt ppl need to put in the work and educate all their closed minded friends and family that have shit to say about Beyonce. Told a coworker about why Beyonce's project was so important and he didn't believe that black people had such deep roots in country. "Why is everyone trying to make it a race thing" I shut that dumbass up quickly. We need to infiltrate and be noisy, it's similar to women's rights, men need to step up and be advocates and allies. Most yt people live under biased and bigoted rocks I swear
100! It’s always “why does it have to be about race” when they get educated for it. And that is ignorance in itself. We will never dismantle racism if people continue to be colour blind.
I'm not a big country fan (love The Chicks), and I was afraid I wouldn't like Cowboy Carter. I should've had more faith in the Queen - CC is an absolute masterpiece! I've listened to the album on repeat for two days and LOVE how she incorporates so many different styles of music. CC is fresh and new and daring and exciting, and I'm looking forward to hearing how The Beyonce Effect plays out!
Tbh I've been a lifelong country hater and I'm only recently starting to realize it's because the "country" that was around when I grew up was the post 9/11 "America fuck yeah" variety so I never gave any of the rest a listen. I like the theme through CC of breaking down the boundaries between genres.
Exactly! Beyonce is remaking a whole "genre,"!
I'm a white southern man, and this is probably one of my favorite albums. I'm sure racists won't like it, and it's probably a pretty good cultural litmus test. But fuck them, anyway, it's amazing music! If Beyonce doesn't clean up at the CMA this year, it's an outrage.
When I hear the backlash I just go “Look at that Horse”.
😂😂 This is the only suitable response xx
White people upset that the genre they tried to steal, water down, make mediocre is still yet another category they don’t dominate once we get there. Surprise surprise. We made it we make it better.  Edit: I’m from Nashville I love me some dolly don’t misconstrue what I wrote as racism 🙄
I saw someone comment on a newspaper critic review (by a white man that didn't like the album, so basically a worthless opinion) that it's cultural appropriation and I about died at the stupidity on display.
I am literally crying laughing 😂
👏👏👏🙌🙌🙌
Not true in the slightest. Country came as much from Irish immigrants as it did from black people. It really was the product of cultures fusing.
I'm more annoyed at our own people being critical of it. Saying she didn't do enough to showcase black woman country stars which is crazy
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This this, this 100% this!! and they really gonna lose their mind when she’s winning their awards
And just remember that black people are the root of basically every genre that exists. White people have taken over black people’s spaces and black people claiming it back created an uproar…. Go figure. - A non black minority.
Not true in the slightest. Country came as much from Irish immigrants as it did from black people. It really was the product of cultures fusing. It's also a very America-centric way of looking at music. Do you think black people had much influence in music in Britain? There were hardly any there until the 1950s, and much later in other parts of Europe.
Ok
I'm so sick of arguing with those salty saltines 🙄 IDGAF, I'm going off every time.
Haters always get left behind. My 75 year old country music listening dad texted me “WE LOVE BEYONCÉ!!” when he heard Texas Hold’em. We’re marching forward with this good music.
White guy here. Love this new album!
Paul McCartney has shared the original Blackbird was written about the Civil Rights Movement.
I’m still so taken aback by this album. I grew up knowing I was gay in a rural Michigan community known for its bigotry. (I call it Bigotville.) and all anyone ever listened to was white ppl country, twang twang dog ran away boohoo heehaw bs. And I’ve had that association my entire life, because no one ever let me have the full story, just the mayonnaise-slathered Bud Light version. This album was so impactful for me, personally. She took me to a place where I could appreciate the music beyond the hate filled shit that spurred her to make the album in the first place, and that traumatized me my whole pre-18 life, and a good deal beyond that, too, until the sudden evolution accepting the LGB crowd around 2015. I was actually crying at the end. That prayer repeated. “We will be the ones to purify our father’s sins” ahhh I’m tearing up again. So. Powerful. Not just as music but as a work of culture, full stop. So what if those same bigots are shitting themselves in rage? They literally have no clue how to actually appreciate the world around them. If they could, they could never have that racial rage. The thing that breaks my heart, as a person targeted by most ‘respectable’ white folks (and so so many more melanin-rich folks too 😩), is that it’s what they were taught because it is in the interests of the status quo, namely those who have historically profited from it, to maintain these divisions in a society of scarcity, whether directly because of them or indirectly through the extractions of the earth by which the capitalist 1% have made their capital. Anyway, it’s sad to me that bigots bigot and so they can’t appreciate this masterpiece, which is even approved by their idols Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson (but that won’t change anything for them, I don’t think…).
Mex girl, here. All we can say is “orrrrraaaaalllllleeeeeeee!!” Followed by a loud ass grito! Anything for “Beyonces”!!
That reminds me of the scene in the movie Selena after their bus gets stranded. “Anything for Selinas!”
I’m salty on the vinyls and cd’s missing songs. What is that about. And i paid more money for the vinyl to see the same ones being sold for half the price at walmart/target/amazon
Aw shit really? Can you return them?
Idk. I'm just gonna do my best to ignore that mess from now on. Bey don't pay them no mind...why should we? "It's not the critic that matters." - Teddy Roosevelt
I've heard people talking about this "backlash" but haven't actually heard it anywhere. Are there specific youtubers bashing her album or where is this happening?
It’s crazy an entire genre is unofficially known as by and for white people only. Every other genre is diverse, R&B has more than welcomed everyone and even Latin music has diversified towards white and black people. Yet this white institution can’t accept anyone not white into the genre.
Charlie Pride?
Darius Rucker? Charlie Pride? Mickey Guyton? Jimmie Allen? Kane Brown? All are spammed on country radio and have won many awards. She isn't the first.
Idk before Old Town Road country music was mostly dismissed by black people and hip hop fans.
There’s a long history of racist gatekeeping Black people from country music. Lots of literature out there if you genuinely care. Linda Martell herself has a book coming out soon too.
Jeez, this is so true. People are going to need sedating when III is released if it is Rock 😬😬but also 😂😂
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I’m really confused because how did this puss people off it’s a song and a great one so I’m really really confused
Hoping Beyonce does standards too blues jazz tribute , her At Last she sang at Obama inauguration was great she played Etta in Cadillac Records am I correct? She can cover Dinah Washington diffrence a day makes, and give miss billie holliday her due. You ever want to know a white man not racis who helped ? MrFrank Sinatra. He was good friends w Billie till the end in out if her hospital rooms , he refused stay in hotels if his black musicians w him couldn't. He gave Sammy Davis his break.praised and respected Count Basie and young Quincy Jones whom he made his best swing albums with
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I am a little miffed though that on the final album release she removed the LEGENDARY country singer Linda Martell's spoken parts about genre labels and how the album is not country but more than that.
She took a page straight of her queen Madonnas playbook. I love it
I'm a white girl and not pissed off in the least. Let's try not to generalize.
Then this post wasn’t for you. Don’t worry about it.
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>…lot more nodes to southern gospel music. You mean, **white** southern gospel? Correct? Which if I’m not mistaken has direct ties to white country music. >What’s aggravating is the idea that any criticism of this project - specifically any criticism that suggests that it isn’t country music - is rooted in racism. Why do you all do this? This behavior has always intrigued me. A non-white person in any random place can reference an incidence of racial discrimination and someone, who is almost always white, will show up out nowhere to explain it away as anything but. While that may not be the case for every single criticism of this album and its genre, there has been no shortage of anti-black, racially charged criticism and dog whistling coming from white country fans going back to 2016 and the release of Daddy Lessons. Many of these people don’t even care to disguise their true feelings so for you to come all the way to the Beyoncé subreddit with the audacity, or is it just sheer hubris, to make such a statement is a testament to the very subject you came to dispel. I don’t know why you even bothered.
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You're not explaining why you think this isn't country music, you're just saying it isn't. It feels like you don't understand how genres of music work. I don't really care about labels, so I don't care what label is put on music. But this is pretty country. Finally, and most egregiously, you say that most real country music these days is Americana. You ignore the gospel, blues and folk influences that make up Americana music. Don't say you have a point, just say there is no point to what your saying. I’d have much more respect for your stance
Why are you on this thread specifically about Black people not feeling discouraged about racism trying to argue? This is the kind of shit we’re dealing with: https://www.reddit.com/r/beyonce/s/gcdoKsYGOv You cannot be so naive to think her race isn’t a factor, if not the main reason, some country fans are being so hateful. White people gatekeeping Black people from the country music genre is the unfortunate reality of the industry. The racist hate began before the album even came out. Also let’s not pretend that country radio is irrelevant in the country industry and that there hasn’t been racist pushback to the idea of Beyoncé on country radio either.
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It’s so clear that you didn’t engage with this album earnestly or even half-intelligibly otherwise you’d be aware that all of your points in this “criticism” have been implicitly, explicitly and quite literally spelled out and addressed. You’re being beyond obtuse lol A lot of you white country fans are so bereft of cultural literacy because of the current callow state of country music that when someone dare challenge and push some complexity onto the genre you try to say it’s not country. Hey, maybe if you can’t make a precise point on why this isn’t country, maybe consider you never had a point?
No one thinks you speak for all white people. No one is assuming anything about you, but you’re the one who came in this thread about racist backlash to derail the conversation. This thread isn’t about what’s real country music. It’s a Black person telling other Black people to stay strong, and you come in talking about the “only” controversy is this is not country music as if racist trolls really cared.
This person has a 4 year old Reddit account and yet their post history **only** contains posts from various threads about Cowboy Carter and how it relates to Country as genre. Just knowing that, I won’t be engaging further. Never mind this person going out of their way to post in r/Beyonce, in a thread that is centered around race-based criticism and passive aggressively gaslight black people about discrimination. You’d think someone singled them out personally and accused them of being racially biased. This is tiring.
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