PERSPECTIVE: The Complex Beyonce-Country Predicamen

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By Mona Austin

In making country songs, Beyonce is proving that she is the artist that no category can hold. Currently multiple singles from her debut country album "Cowboy Carter" are in the top 10 across several charts. Instead of garnering support across the board her foray into country was shunned by many social media users aNd members of "the establishment." Maybe her success in country has been controversial to some country fans because they do not want to respect her ability to master and dominate everything she does as some members of the Beyhive have deduced. There is more to the issue than that, however.

Core fans being resistant to "genre-hopping" is not new. When Tori Kelly (and to a lesser extent Kanye and Snoop Dogg) entered the realm of Gospel fans raised the red flag as well. Two of these non-gospel artists won Grammys for their respective albums. Snoop (who has never won a Grammy BTW) collaborated with gospel royalty, The Clark Sisters so people were more accepting of his project. Kanye deliberately used his project as a witnessing tool and the music was sensational so his doing a gospel album was eventually accepted. But Tori Kelly's was viewed as dipping into a territory that was not hers and moreover blocking artists who were mainstays in the genre from getting well-deserved recognition.

Beyoncé is certainly not the first mega star to dabble in country. Others have visited the genre such as her idol Tina Turner, Ray Charles, Solomon Burke, Bobby Womack, Esther Philips, Otis Williams, amd Millie Jackson and have recorded country albums.

The agitation about Beyonce recording country music is more uproarious than usual. Why are country gatekeepers trembling in their boots when she collaborated with country band, The Dyxie Chicks previously and was born and raised in one of the country-ist states in the USA, Texas?

Per Vox, "The CMA erased a promotional social media post featuring Beyoncé and the Dixie Chicks’ performance — convincing some observers that even though the CMA said it was due to the footage being unapproved, the organization was bending to conservatives and racists upset with the singer’s appearance at the awards."

Multi-gifted Beyonce may be perceived as a powerful threat. She entered the field boldly prepared for critics with a song about being ready for a showdown, with the single "Texas Hold 'Em". Her visual and musical messaging conveys that country artists need not look and sound like the status quo to get noticed. A gifted, vocalist and writer with a massive audience her level of influence can and may have already begun to shift mindests about the "identity" of the country music genre. Just consider the number of Black women in country who began to get more attention after Beyonce lassoed fresh eyes when her project dropped. She helped increase their visibility by triggering more broad interest about Blacks in country music and theor related historical impacts. FOR more proof o the Beyonce effect watch this year's CMAs.

Some of her harshest critics said In an article titled "Why Beyonce Number One Country Doesn't Really Matter" that Beyonce simply does not belong in the field. The fact that they wrote the article is an indication that there is concern about her taking over. They say it is about her cutting the line ahead of artists who are "native to the genre."...

The problem is Black folks are truly "native" to the genre. From Resetta Tharpe onward in recorded musiic Black voices singing abd playing country music can be heard. Beyonce's entrance into country is ushering in this truth in a bigger way than any other Black artist before her. Should more Black artists outside of country decide to join the bandwagon there is a possibility that Blacks could take over Nashville.

I am not suggesting that is the goal. It appears that Black artists who are already involved simply want to participate freely and fairly and that includes Beyonce. She mentioned in an Instagram Post not feeling "welcomed" in a country music environment as have other Black artists who have been expelled before gaining notiriety. Whites do not want to change the historical narrative that country music emerged from Hill Billy or folk music or to lose their footing in something they "own." Besides, the conservative values spouted in most country music clashes with the socially conscious liberal messages in Beyince's recent albums.

Regardless of the undeniable racial component to the debate, understandably no artist wants to be overshadowed by an "outsider" who they see as lacking credibility.

Yhere are plenty of well respected Black artist who perform country music solely. It is important that we remember as onlookers that Charlie Pride, fir instance, is a Country Music Hall of Famer. There are many more Black country artists aside from him who made strides like Mickey Guyton and Darius Rucker to name a few.

The origins of the backlash over Beyonce, who is now the first Black woman in history to be #1 in the genre, is complex , riddled by politics and racism.