Beyoncé's highly-anticipated country-inspired album, "Cowboy Carter," dropped on Friday, March 29, and it appears to address the singer's past snubs for Album of the Year at the Grammy Awards. In the song "SWEET ★ HONEY ★ BUCKIIN'," Queen Bey confidently sings, "A-O-T-Y, I ain't win (Let's go) / I ain't stung by them / Take that s--- on the chin / Come back and f--- up the pen."
The 32-time Grammy winner's albums "I Am ... Sasha Fierce," "Beyonce," "Lemonade," and "Renaissance" have all been nominated for Album of the Year, but she has never won the coveted category. Beyoncé's husband, Jay-Z, addressed this issue during the 2024 Grammys in February, saying, "We love y'all ... at least get it close to right. And obviously it's subjective - y'all don't gotta clap at everything - obviously it's subjective because it's music and it's opinion-based. But some things, you know ..."
"Cowboy Carter" features collaborations with country music legends like Linda Martell, Willie Nelson, and Dolly Parton, as well as contemporary artists such as Post Malone and Miley Cyrus. Parton praised Beyoncé's rendition of her 1973 hit "Jolene" in an Instagram post, saying, "Beyoncé is giving that girl some trouble and she deserves it! Love, Dolly P."
The genre-bending album has been widely praised by country artists, with Reyna Roberts expressing hope that it will "open up some people's eyes to country music." Nashville-based artist Julie Williams shared on TikTok that her dream was for the album to blur the lines between genres and bring much-needed changes to country music.
However, not everyone has been supportive of Beyoncé's new release. Erykah Badu took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to slam the album cover, addressing Jay-Z and saying, "Say something Jay. You gone let this woman and these bees do this to me??" without further explanation. Her post left fans confused, with one wondering, "What is Erykah's problem with Beyoncé?"
According to a source close to the singer, "Cowboy Carter" is Beyoncé's revenge on the country music community. "This is her life, this has been her life: You tell Bey she can't do something, she does it," the source told The New York Post. "If you don't invite her to the party; she will create a bigger party and shut yours down. That's how she rolls."
The source's comments allude to the racially charged backlash Beyoncé faced on social media after performing with the Chicks (then known as the Dixie Chicks) at the 2016 Country Music Association Awards. In an Instagram post last week, the singer wrote, "The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me."
Parkwood Entertainment, Beyoncé's company, revealed in a press release that "Cowboy Carter" was originally planned to be released before her disco-inspired album "Renaissance" in July 2022. "This album took over five years," Beyoncé said of "Act II." "It's been really great to have the time and the grace to be able to take my time with it."
She explained the decision to release "Renaissance" first, saying, "I was initially going to put 'Cowboy Carter' out first, but with the pandemic, there was too much heaviness in the world. We wanted to dance. We deserved to dance. But I had to trust God's timing."
As fans and critics alike digest Beyoncé's latest musical offering, it's clear that "Cowboy Carter" is not only a genre-defying album but also a statement on the artist's journey through the music industry and her determination to push past limitations and expectations.
