Beyonce's Cowboy Carter and the Reclaiming of Country

When Beyonce performed a country song at the 2016 CMA Awards, the response was to scrub the evidence and reject the song as not country enough. This deep dive into her 2024 landmark album Cowboy Carter tells the story of an artist told she did not belong, who spent five years unearthing the erased history of that space to redefine it.

We trace her Houston roots, the hidden history of Black cowboys, and the meticulous research behind the album. From the fictional KNTRY Radio Texas framing to the elevation of pioneers like Linda Martell, we explore how the project reshaped Americana, sparked an economic boom, and forced a cultural reckoning.

• The 2016 CMA rejection that sparked the whole project
• The erased history of Black, Brown, and Native cowboys
• Organic recording with Rhiannon Giddens, Stevie Wonder, and more
• The Shaboozey effect and revived streams for Linda Martell
• The Cowboy Core fashion boom and the CMA shutout