The Reclamation of Black Women in Country Music- Beyonce's Cowboy Carter Is Causing a Renaissance

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At the 2016 CMA (Country Music Awards), Beyonce joined the country group The Chicks for a performance of Beyonce's song 'Daddy Lessons'. 'Daddy Lesson's ' is a country-influenced song that came from Beyonce's critically acclaimed album "Lemonade." While the song was loved by fans and audiences, the performance at the CMA's was not.

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The performance received backlash and racist bombardments from country music fans. The performance faced so much backlash that the performance was removed from the CMA YouTube channel. The same criticism is being dawned on now with Beyonce releasing two country songs ('16 Carriages' and 'Texas Hold'em). With one radio station said they weren't going to play one of the songs due to Beyonce 'not being' a country artist. Despite the unwelcoming demeanor of country music fans, Beyonce has still been making major motions in the country genre which is causing a reclamation of black women in the country genre.

Act ii: COWBOY CARTER: A Beyonce Album

Since the 2016 CMA incident, Beyonce released an album in 2022 titled 'Renaissance'. The house music album caused a wave of praise. Some people called it "innovative" and "culture-shifting". It is rumored that Beyonce's upcoming albums are a reclamation of music that was created by black artists. House music was prominent in the 1970s Chicago disco scene. African American DJs and clubgoers are the people who popularized house music in underground clubs. Beyonce took the house music genre and put it back in the hands of its originators. Renaissance has earned Beyonce a couple of Grammys, a world-breaking tour, and a well-praised behind-the-scenes film. It seems as if Act iiII: COWBOY CARTER will further her creativity in the music industry.

On March 19th, Beyoncé announced that Act II of her Renaissance will be called COWBOY CARTER. In a power post, via Beyonce's Instagram, she wrote this in the caption:

"Today marks the 10-day countdown until the release of act ii. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of the supporters of TEXAS HOLD ‘EM and 16 CARRIAGES.Act I feel honored to be the first Black woman with the number one single on the Hot Country Songs chart. That would not have happened without the outpouring of support from each and every one of you. My hope is that years from now, the mention of an artist’s race, as it relates to releasing genres of music, will be irrelevant. This album has been over five years in the making. It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive. It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history. The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. act ii is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work. I have a few surprises on the album, and have collaborated with some brilliant artists who I deeply respect. I hope that you can hear my heart and soul, and all the love and passion that I poured into every detail and every sound. I focused on this album as a continuation of RENAISSANCE…I hope this music is an experience, creating another journey where you can close your eyes, start from the beginning and never stop. This ain’t a Country album. This is a “Beyoncé” album. This is act ii COWBOY CARTER, and I am proud to share it with y’all!"- via @Beyonce on Instagram

With the success of 'Texas Hold' Em,' and its chart-topping Hot 100 achievement, it is clear to see that Beyonce's next album will take over the world, not as a country album, but simply as a beautifully crafted Beyonce album.

The Rise of Black Women in Country Music

Since Beyonce has released and detailed that her next project is indeed going to be country, there seems to be a rise in black women in the genre. There have been multiple black women in the country genre before Beyonce. Linda Martell was the first black female to make an appearance on the Country Charts in 1969 with her song 'Color Him Father'. The uprising of black women in the country genre is more significant than ever.

At the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards, Mickey Guyton was the first black female solo artist nominated in the country music genre with her song 'Black Like Me.". Guyton described that initial reaction with a simple phrase, "The boat has been rocked" when asked about the nomination in TheGuardian.com. Guyton scored two nominations at this year's CMA. Guyton is also a huge supporter of Beyonce's new country era. When asked about Cowboy Carter on ET, said this, ""Beyoncé, wherever you are, I'm your girl..."I think it's really, reall cool that she's here. Like, she's been in country music. So this is just an extension of that."

Billboard.com

The CMT (Country Music Television) inducts a new class of country artists each year. With the help of this exposure, there have been a variety of black women who deserve their flowers. Such artists are Miko Marks, Brittany Spencer, Reyna Roberts, Sacha, Madeline Edwards, and so much more. If you want to check out these artists or want to see the full list, Click here: https://www.cmt.com/news/jvyxvg/black-history-month-10-black-women-impacting-the-country-music-genre.deserve. All of these women have broken the boundaries of the country genre. The reclamation of country music through black women is exciting to see and it is going upwards from here. Beyonce's album Act II: COWBOY CARTER will be released on Friday, March 29th.

Are you excited for Beyonce's new album? Let me know in the comments below!