After her eldest daughter made history by topping both Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip Hop and the Hot Country charts, Tina Knowles took to social media to explain that country music does not belong to white people. She also was moved to show various times over her career that Beyoncé represented cowboy and Southwestern culture in the media amid criticism about her recent country singles.
Like the protective mother that she is, the Louisiana native and Houston transplant defended the “16 Carriages” artist by sharing a fan-made video collage on Instagram. While looking through the app, she noticed the video on her feed and chose to share it with her 4.1 million followers.
“We have always celebrated Cowboy Culture growing up in Texas. We also always understood that it was not just about it belonging to White culture only. In Texas, there is a huge black cowboy culture,” she wrote.
She added, “Why do you think that my kids have integrated it into their fashion and art since the beginning. When people ask why is Beyonce wearing cowboy hats? It’s really funny, I actually laugh because it’s been there since she was a kid ,we went to rodeos every year and my whole family dressed in western fashion.”
She then added that even Solange produced a project based on Black cowboy culture, slightly hinting at the essence of Solange’s critically acclaimed project “A Seat at the Table.”
Her sister Bey will release her first country album, “Renaissance: Act II,” on March 29. This is the second offering out of the three-act project and the eighth studio album for the 32 trophies (not including her five live albums).
“This three-act project was recorded over three years during the pandemic. A time to be still, but also a time I found to be the most creative. Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world,” Beyoncé wrote on her website in 2022, when the first project dropped.
The “Texas Hold ‘Em” artist added, “It allowed me to feel free and adventurous in a time when little else was moving. My intention was to create a safe place, a place without judgment.”
It has since been deleted.
With the release of the two singles, Beyoncé has made history by being No. 1 on both Billboard Hot Country Songs and Billboard R&B/Hip Hop Songs since its inception in 1958.
The former Destiny’s Child singer has become the first Black woman to chart No. 1 on Billboard Hot Country Songs. She also became the second solo woman to achieve this feat other than Taylor Swift. “16 Carriages” has also reached impressive positions on the Hot Country Songs chart, securing the ninth spot.
Beyoncé’s Southern accent used to be so thick 🤤😍 “It’s in store na… now*” pic.twitter.com/bb9ALA6wZX
— Yoncé Vocals (@YonceVocals) September 30, 2023
Concurrently, these two songs have debuted at positions two and 38, respectively, on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100.
This accomplishment marks Beyoncé’s seventh distinct achievement of reaching the No. 1 position on various Billboard song charts as a solo artist. These include the Hot 100, Hot Country Songs, Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, Hot Gospel Songs, Hot Latin Songs, Hot R&B Songs, and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
The only person with more is Justin Bieber, who has eight.
Fans on social media, however, were not shocked at Beyoncé’s accomplishments.
“Beyonce came through rearranging furniture in the country music! I hope her presence makes room for Black country artists coming after her and Black country artists who’ve been in it already but aren’t getting the recognition!” one person wrote.
“Another added, 27 years in her career and still breaking records and all she do is mind her business!!!”
Let me go ahead and get my cowboy boots together. We about to Yee-Haw!!!! #Beyonce pic.twitter.com/nS8VH4iKUg
— Air Fried K’t (@kapostrophet) February 12, 2024
People also said that in all of the celebration of Beyoncé in the space, not to forget about some of her contemporaries trying to break into the space, noting vocalist K. Michelle, who has transitioned from R&B to country.
Mama Knowles’ post arrives days after “Dukes of Hazzard” actor John Schneider was branded a “racist” for comparing all “leftist” musicians in country music to animals.
“The lefties in the entertainment industry just won’t leave any area alone, right? They just have to seize control over every aspect, don’t they?” he said during an interview on right-wing One America News Network.
“They’ve got to make their mark, 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,” the entertainer added.
