Last week, the singer Beyoncé released the cover of her upcoming country music album “Cowboy Carter,” which is set to drop on Friday. Unfortunately for Beyoncé, however, it didn’t take long for this to blow up in her face, as black artists like Azealia Banks and Erykah Badu were quick to slam the cover as “white woman cosplay.”
Beyoncé Unveils Country Album Cover
Ten days before “Cowboy Carter’s” release date, Beyoncé unveiled the album’s cover, which showed her wearing red, white and blue chaps and a simple white cowboy hat as she strikes a regal pose on a white horse while raising the American flag.
“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,” Beyoncé wrote in the Instagram caption, seemingly referring to when she performed “Daddy Lessons” with The Chicks at the 2016 Country Music Awards.
Check out that performance in the video below.
“But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive,” Beyoncé continued. “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.”
‘Honored To Be The First Black Woman…’
Later in the post, Beyoncé referenced the success of her country music single “Texas Hold ‘Em.”
“I feel honored to be the first Black woman with the number one single on the Hot Country Songs chart,” she gushed. “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 ain’t a Country album. This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album,” she concluded. “This is act ii COWBOY CARTER, and I am proud to share it with y’all!”
Related: Beyoncé Says Her Country Music Album Inspired By Time She ‘Did Not Feel Welcomed’
Black Artists Fire Back
Unfortunately for Beyoncé, however, this immediately backfired on her when black artists like Azealia Banks and Erykah Badu trashed her album cover by accusing her of selling out to white people.
“I’m kinda ashamed at how u switch from baobab trees and black parade to this literal pick me stuff,” the rapper Banks wrote on social media, referring to the Grammy Award-winning single from The Lion King: The Gift soundtrack that Beyoncé executive produced in 2019, according to Billboard.
Banks went on to refer to Beyoncé as “Whiteyonce” before accusing her of white woman cosplay” and “reinforcing the false rhetoric that country music is a post civil war white art form.”
“Like u do lame stuff like bring out some black listed white women (Dixie Chicks) at the country music awards and they would never ever do the same for you,” she continued. “Ur always sharing ur platform with white women who are so jealous of you but have such a long history of sabotaging other black women’s careers. There was so much pertinent cultural commentary to be made here.”
“I don’t get why you have to be in a white woman cosplay to make — (what’s really folk/bluegrass/adult contemporary) facsimile ‘country’ music,” Banks added. “Like you had a phonetics coach, and aced the vowel placements and twang to the lyrical and melodic phrasing that is the backbone of contemporary confederate romanticism in a song.”
Related: Beyoncé In Hot Water As Her Country Hit Is Accused Of Copying Kid Cartoon’s Theme Song
The singer Erykah Badu got in on the action as well, reacting to the album by calling on Beyoncé’s husband Jay Z to intervene.
“To Jay Z . Say somethin Jay . You gone let this woman and these bees do this to me ??” she wrote.
It remains unclear what exactly Badu was referring to with this, but it’s clear that she was no fan of the album.
Liberals have been trying to push the narrative that anyone who criticizes Beyoncé for her attempt to enter the country music world is “racist” against black people, but major black artists joining those attacks throws a major wrench in that.
Only time will tell if Beyoncé’s first country music album ends up being a success, or if this becomes a major misstep in her career.
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