Beyonce has made history – AGAIN! – as the first Black woman to come in at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart with her “Act II: Cowboy Carter,” according to Billboard.
This coming directly off the cowboy boot heels of Beyonce’s country songs topping the charts immediately after releasing.
“Texas Hold ‘Em,” already made history as it’s success made her the first Black woman with a #1 country song. Ever.
Clearly, it seems the Beyhive’s vibing with the Queens new sound, but what about true blue country fans? And what about solidly country artists?
We’re sad to say there is division on that front, with certain group of people are absolutely fuming that she’s part of the music genre at all.
Beyoncé attends the Luar fashion show during New York Fashion Week on February 13, 2024. (Photo Credit: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
Beyonce truly made history with her latest music: Number 1 in Country music!
On Tuesday, February 20, Billboard announced that Beyonce’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” has hit the Number 1 spot on the Hot Country Songs chart.
Rolling Stone has confirmed the significance — that Beyonce is the first Black woman to top that charge since 1958, when it came into being.
Then, after the Cowboy Carter album dropped, Bey made history again, becoming the the first Black woman to come in at No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
Beyoncé accepts Best Dance/Electronic Music Album for âRenaissanceâ onstage during the 65th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 05, 2023. (Photo Credit: Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Beyonce’s music didn’t premiere without a hitch, though
Just a short time after Beyonce’s historic Grammy Awards wins earlier this month, she used a Super Bowl commercial to announce her upcoming album — which arrives in late March of 2024.
“Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages” dropped immediately onto streaming services.
Beyonce announcing new music at the most-watched Super Bowl in history is a very winning combination.
Initially, a Country music radio station declined to play Beyonce’s music … even though it is of the genre.
The fan outcry from the Beyhive and from music fans alike was intense and very justified. The radio station reversed course, with overwhelmingly positive results.
In fact, most other radio DJs have noted that they’d love it if Beyonce’s fans, who are only dipping their toes into the Country music pond for her sake, find that they enjoy other songs of the genre.
Beyoncé accepts the Best R&B Performance award for ‘Black Parade’ onstage during the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards at Los Angeles Convention Center on March 14, 2021. (Photo Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)
Not only that, but Cowboy Carter also leaped to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart, making this album her eighth No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200!
The album sold 407,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending April 4, according to Luminate.
Not bad! Not bad at all! And yet, there is still a fierce debate over whether Beyonce’s album should even be considered country at all!
Not Everyone Is A Fan, While Others Defend Beyonce With Their Whole Heart
But it’s not just fans who are divided. There are celebs who are at odd over Beyonce’s new music venture as well.
The Dukes of Hazzard alum John Schneider whined to fringe-right platform OAN that this is a case of “lefties in the entertainment industry” trying to “seize control” over country music.
The has-been actor suggested that Beyonce is “just like a dog in a dog walk park. You know, every dog has to mark every tree, right? So that’s what’s going on here.”
Shocking words! But not necessarily surprising words from a man whose most famous work features America’s most notorious symbol of racial hatred on the hood of the show’s “iconic” car.
John Schneider, once known for his role as Bo Duke in “The Dukes of Hazzard” television series, stands inside his studio that was damaged by Hurricane Ida on September 2, 2021 (Photo Credit: Sean Rayford/Getty Images)
But we digress: What’s truly frustrating is this the insinuation that Beyonce’s music is not “true” country.
Never mind that this is not Beyonce’s first foray into country, just her first full album. And let’s all just forget the fact that she is from Texas, we guess!
But, it’s certainly true that Beyonce’s music covers numerous genres. It is part of why she has such a massive, passionate fanbase.
Maren Morris performs on stage at Joe’s On Weed on October 05, 2023. (Photo Credit: Natasha Moustache/Getty Images)
Others stepped in to cheer on Beyonce’s Country milestone
“I think the leaning into country elements, and sort of reclaiming country music back to Black people, because they created the genre, is such a statement,” Country singer Maren Morris told E! News in mid-February.
“The more the merrier,” Lainey Wilson told Extra, as you can see below. “[Country music] is about that storytelling. It’s about making people feel at home. And everybody wants to feel at home.”
Bobby Bones gave an impassioned speech on behalf of Beyonce’s music during a February 14 broadcast.
“You have, like, Post Malone, where everybody’s going ‘We can’t wait!’” the American radio personality pointed out.
“You’re hypocritical if you’re like, ‘I like Post Malone coming but not Beyonce,’” Bones noted. “Beyonce’s been on the CMAs, Beyonce did Sugarland … it’s crazy to me how people get upset about it.”
Beyonce Knowles-Carter attends the European Premiere of Disney’s “The Lion King” at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on July 14, 2019. (Photo Credit: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Disney)
This is not Beyonce’s first rodeo
The legendary singer, who again is from Houston, Texas, has incorporated Country elements into her music in the past. Particularly, during her 2016 hit, Lemonade.
Country music isn’t for everyone. Even Beyonce’s music isn’t for everyone. Not vibing with specific tunes can have unsavory causes, but it isn’t inherently racist.
But suggesting that Beyonce’s Country songs don’t belong on a Country station? That sounds almost as racist as whatever the hell John Schneider was rambling about “dog walk parks.”
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