The Country Music Association (CMA) Awards dropped their 2024 nominees and neither Beyoncé or Act II of Renaissance: Cowboy Carter are anywhere to be found. The news led to the breakout of a Wild West showdown on social media, with those defending her honor strapping on their spurs as her detractors dodged tumbleweeds. In the midst of the dust, Beyoncé, yet again, broke the internet.
Cowboy Carter’s concept faced skepticism before its release on March 29. Many had a difficult time imagining what a country album would sound like from an artist versed in R&B, hip-hop, and pop — more specifically, a Black female artist versed in R&B, hip-hop, and pop. But on Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé boldly interprets a music style unfamiliar to her, using the album’s 27 tracks to experiment within the wide spectrum of country music. Mixing the old with the new, the album pays homage to country legends with its “BLACKBIIRD” and “JOLENE” covers. “II MOST WANTED,” featuring Miley Cyrus, delivers a note of nostalgia between the lines of its alternative country sound. Just to make sure we know she’s serious, Beyoncé faces the adversity head-on in her country rap, “SPAGHETII,” where feature Linda Martell poses the question: “Genres are a funny little concept, aren’t they?”
“Broadway Girls,” a collaboration of Lil Durk and Morgan Wallen, was a country hip-hop success, with Wallen receiving seven CMA award nominations and becoming the most nominated artist in 2024. Post Malone made the transition into country music, displayed in his, “Levii’s Jeans,” Cowboy Carter feature, and was awarded with four CMA award nominations in light of his Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Hot Country Songs No. 1 single, “I Had Some Help,” featuring Morgan Wallen. If these artists could transcend genres, and were rewarded for doing so, why can’t Beyoncé?
The short answer: fear. Fear that a Black woman can be adored and successful in a space originated by us, but forced into a transfiguration of appropriation, exclusion and the silencing of creativity.
It’s hard to not see the CMA’s blatant disregard of Cowboy Carter’s success as intentional. After all, the country album swept up the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Top Americana/Folk albums and Top Country. Beyoncé rewrote history.
“She’s the first Black woman ever to have led the Top Country Albums list, dating to its January 1964 inception,” Keith Caulfield wrote for Billboard.
She’s the first Black woman ever to have led the Top Country Albums list, dating to its January 1964 inception.”
Keith Caulfield
Cowboy Carter was also labeled as Spotify’s most-streamed album in a single day in 2024 the day of its release.
With these rankings in mind, fans were hoping Beyoncé would secure the Album of the Year award, or at least a nomination. However, they weren’t shocked this hope did not become a reality.
The Album of the Year award is selected based on many variables, “including, but not limited to, artist’s performance, musical background, engineering, packaging, design, art, layout and liner notes,” the Country Music Association said. They continue to explain that the judges responsible for such an in-depth analysis are, “determined by eligible voting CMA members comprised of professionals within the Country Music Industry.”
The statement only leads to further questions: who exactly are the voting CMA members and are there any faces of color at the table? It’s hard to imagine the answer to the latter proposal would be yes when a quick scroll through the Country Music Association’s Instagram posts, celebrating the CMA award nominees, displays just three Black faces. Three.
Cowboy Carter had more upcoming Black country artist features than there are Black country artist CMA award nominees. Beyoncé included four Black female country artists (Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, and Reyna Roberts) on “BLACKBIIRD’s” melody alone.
Willie Jones and Shaboozey, two Black male country artist featured on Cowboy Carter, used the hype of the album to break their own glass ceilings within the genre. Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy”) is a No.1, Billboard Hot Country Song directly following Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em,” 10 week triumph. Together, they have accomplished the feat of being the first two Black artists leading the chart back-to-back since its existence. What’s more, Shaboozey is representing Black, Nigerian country artists not just with his chart-topping hit, but with his ”Single of the Year” and “New Artist of the Year” CMA award nominations.
Shaboozey gracefully accepted the nominations with a nod to the woman that helped him achieve such acclaim.
“That goes without saying. Thank you @Beyonce for opening a door for us, starting a conversation, and giving us one of the most innovative country albums of all time!,” Shaboozey wrote on Twitter.
Many celebrities and fans voiced their discontentment with Beyoncé’s lack of nomination on Twitter.
One fan reasons, “I don’t think Beyonce wanted or made this album caring whether she was nominated for a CMA AND excluding her is still so blatantly racist and egregious that the CMAs deserve all the slander and smoke lol.”
“Absolutely ridiculous,” Dionne Warwick responded in a quote tweet announcing the snub.
Another angered fan references Beyoncé’s 2016 CMA Awards performance of “Daddy Lessons,” on stage with The Chicks (formerly known as the Dixie Chicks), when Beyoncé faced extreme backlash and racist comments after its broadcast. “Beyoncé’s performance is the highest rated in CMA history.. CC [Cowboy Carter] helped open doors for other black country artists & dominated a prominently white genre. it’s disgusting seeing the racism still present in award shows,” the fan wrote.
The back-and-forth even prompted a statement from Beyoncé’s father, Matthew Knowles.
“There’s more white people in America and unfortunately they don’t vote based on ability and achievements,” Knowles said. “It’s still sometimes a white and black thing.”
It’s still sometimes a white and black thing.”
Matthew Knowles
It’s bigger than just a shiny plaque that would blend in with Beyoncé’s collection of awards. It’s the principal. The CMA has failed to recognize, appreciate, and uplift the hard work and innovation that Black country artists dedicate to be respected in a space that should rightfully include them. What’s worse is that days after the controversy, there has yet to be a response from the organization. And while there may be differing opinions on whether Beyoncé embraced the country genre to its fullest extent, or if Cowboy Carter even resonates with country fans, the numbers don’t lie.
The hope for Black country artists and fans, the Black community, and all those supporting, is that the Country Music Association will understand and acknowledge this upset and create a plan of action to do better in the future. However, in the event they don’t… is that really a surprise?
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