Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ reinforces her dedication to Black reclamation — and country music
- Wonjeong Hong
- Feb 17
- 4 min read
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Article Summary
Beyoncé’s release of the country album “Cowboy Carters,” which is often regarded as a “white genre” as a black woman, after several hints in the Grammy and Superbowl With “Cowboy Carter,” is standing against racism and racial stereotypes in the music industry.
Beyoncé became the first Black woman to top the Billboard country music chart. She also actively incorporated traditional country elements but didn’t forget her identity as a black by collaborating with famous country artists, such as Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson, and mentioning “Chiltilin’, which was the place of Black entertainment during the Jim Crow era. Nonetheless, Beyoncé declared “Cowboy Carter” a Beyoncé album, not a Country album, which still separates from her industry but maintains her relations with the genre.
According to Francesca T. Royster, a DePaul University Professor, Beyoncé was from Houston. Houston is a city that interplays with various genres, such as “blues, country, and hip-hop,” and the idea of freedom and boldness, which have been part of Beyoncé’s image as a star. Houston was also a home for Rodeos and black cowboys. Royster says that Beyoncé inherited this history by exploring the country houses, as observable in “Daddy Lessons” from 2016’s Lemonade.
In 2016, “Daddy Lessons” was continuously ostracized and excluded from country music, such as being kept off country radio. The Daddy Lessons and Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” raise questions about the categories and the range of artists who experiment with various music styles embraced by the country music industry.
The most significant moment in Beyoncé’s country music moment is the “Daddy Lessons” performance with The Chicks at the 2016 Country Music Awards, six days before Donald Trump’s victory in the U.S. presidential election. Although critics celebrated Beyoncé’s powerful performance, she faced racist backlash online, being named “Anti-Americ.”. Royster says that the election and unresolved racial tension around The Chicks, who faced the backlash after 9/11 for political statements, made it a more difficult time to perform racial crossing.
Furthermore, Beyoncé’s activeness and influence in the black community, such as participating in the Black Lives Matter movement and performing at the 2016 Superbowl Halftime show surrounded by black dancers wearing black leathers, which is reminiscent of Black Panthers, led some football fans to Boycott Beyoncé.
Beyoncé and The Chicks, who are the symbols of the progressive movement in the conservative area, were considered too much by CMA awards, and then the appearance of mentions about their performance on social media was hidden.
Alice Randall, a notable songwriter and novelist, says that Country music developed today after being influenced by three prominent music cultures: Celtic ballad storytelling, Black influence, and evangelical Christianity. Black music was essential for the formation of country music. However, Black musicians lack visibility in the country music industry.
Amanda Martinez, the author of the upcoming “Gone Country: How Nashville Transformed a Music Genre into a Lifestyle Brand,” says that country music has a centralized power structure. Martinez says that although Beyoncé can be seen as an outsider, her album distinguishes the country music elements from the country music industry, then evolves and preserves the country genre, which is the genius of Beyoncé.
Reflection
Industries are often associated with numbers; however, they are ultimately made of humans. The history of various characteristics and cultural identities of people in each sector has shaped its environment, creating tradition and chronic racial and gender barriers or absurd customs. The white-centered landscape in the country music industry is one of them. The Black Music Action Coalition study found that among the 411 artists who signed to the top three Nashville label groups from 2000-2020, only 1% were black, and 3.2% were people of color. People’s conception of country music as an “American traditional white cowboy music” contributes to this rate.
However, those stereotypes underestimate and overlook the history of black cowboys, the contribution of black people to American history, and the influence of Black music on the country music style. After the Civil War, many enslaved people headed West, searching for opportunity and freedom. Many of them became cowboys through their experience working on cattle. The funny thing is that the term cowboy solely referred to Black people, while white people were called cowhands instead. Therefore, it is pretty contradictory how people nowadays mock or deny the history of the Black Cowboy, as a cowboy was also one of the race-segregated vocabularies.
Furthermore, although white people take the majority of the “important figures” in the US history book, there are several significant black historical figures who were erased or removed from the record because of oppression and cognitive biases. For example, there is Salem Poor, a patriotic soldier from Massachusetts, and Phyllis Wheatly, a revolutionary patriotic poet who was an enslaved person. Thus, associating country music with the idea of American Patriotism and excluding Black people is a discrepancy.
The influence of black culture in country music is also observable in the music styles. The banjo, one of the most frequently used instruments in country music, was a descendant of West African lutes brought to America by enslaved people. Furthermore, melodies from the early country hit songs were heavily influenced by hymns performed by Black ministers in the South. Besides these, country music also includes various features of African American music, such as call-and-response song form and an immersive approach to singing, according to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.
Despite these clear Black influences on country music, Black artists have long been marginalized and invisible in the industry. Nowadays, many Black musicians, such as Beyoncé and Lil Nas X, are challenging the racial barriers and bringing about the Black Country Renaissance by dropping country songs and integrating country elements into their music. These trials are more than just music; they make new history by unearthing forgotten and ignored records.
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