Offbeat: Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ rides into country music

BEYONCÉ… YOU KNOW HER… YOU LOVE HER… AND IF YOU DON’T YOU WILL. ON MARCH 29… THE SINGER/ACTRESS/SONGWRITER AND OVERALL MEGASTAR RELEASED HER LATEST ALBUM “COWBOY CARTER.” WHAT MAKES THIS ALBUM SPECIAL IS THAT IT MARKS BEYONCÉ’S FIRST FORAY INTO COUNTRY MUSIC… WHICH HAS GENERATED A LOT OF CONVERSATION ON THIS TOPIC. I’M YOUR HOST… FATIMA YAZDI. FOR THIS EPISODE OF OFFBEAT… WE HOSTED A ROUNDTABLE WITH BEYONCÉ FANS TO DISCUSS THE POTENTIAL IMPACT OF THIS ALBUM… THEIR THOUGHTS AND THE INTERSECTION OF BLACK ARTISTRY AND COUNTRY MUSIC.

FATIMA YAZDI  0:45

AWESOME. LET’S GO AHEAD AND DO INTRODUCTIONS EVERYONE ON OUR ROUND TABLE WE CAN START WITH ME. LET’S ALL JUST SAY OUR FIRST AND LAST NAMES … PRONOUNS YEAR AND THEN MAJOR MINOR. SO I’LL START I’M FATIMA YAZDI … I’M THE OFFBEAT ASSISTANT AUDIO EDITOR. SHE HER PRONOUNS. I’M A JOURNALISM GOVERNMENT POLITICS SCHOOL DEGREE … AND I’M A SENIOR.

JAYDEN GEE  1:06

HI MY NAME IS JAYDEN GEE … I’M A SOPHOMORE. I’M DOUBLE MAJORING GOVERNMENT POLITICS AND LAW JUSTICE AND A MINOR IN ANTI-BLACK RACISM.

KYLE GUNTHER  1:17

HELLO … MY NAME IS KYLE GUNTHER. I GO BY HE/HIM PRONOUNS. AND … I’M AN ARCHITECTURE MAJOR AND A SOPHOMORE.

FATIMA YAZDI  1:25

OKAY … AWESOME. THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH FOR SITTING DOWN WITH US TODAY TO LEARN ABOUT ALL THINGS BEYONCÉ AND DISCUSS HER NEW ALBUM. SO LET’S START WITH THE BASICS. FOUNDATIONAL THINGS. WHAT’S YOUR GUYS’S RELATIONSHIP WITH BEYONCÉ? LIKE … LIKE … HOW DID YOU FIRST DISCOVER HER? ALL OF THOSE FUN THINGS .

KYLE GUNTHER  1:42

I’LL GO FIRST SINCE I’M SURE JADEN STORY’S GONNA BE A LOT LONGER. SURE. SO MY MOM GREW UP IN THE 90S. SO OF COURSE … LIKE SHE HAD LIKE DESTINY’S CHILD. THAT WAS HER BEYONCÉ’S GIRL GROUP AT THE TIME. SHE’S LOVED HER PROBABLY SINCE SHE WAS REALLY YOUNG. SO WHEN I WAS GROWING UP … ALL I REALLY HEARD WAS BEYONCÉ … AROUND HER B-DAY. AND THAT’S JUST HOW I STARTED TO GET TO KNOW HER MORE. SO I’M LIKE “OH MOM … WHO’S THE SINGER?” AND SHE’S LIKE “OH THIS IS BEYONCÉ I LOVE HER.” SO I JUST CONTINUE TO GROW WITH HER JUST WITH MY MOM TO THIS DAY.

JAYDEN GEE 2:18

I WOULD SAY FOR ME … MY LIKE … LISTENING … LISTENING TO BEYONCÉ AND STUFF LIKE THAT. IT’S ONLY LIKE … REALLY SPARKED IN THE PAST PROBABLY FOUR YEARS OR SO. MY PARENTS ARE LIKE IMMIGRANTS SO LIKE … THERE WASN’T REALLY A LOT OF BEYONCÉ IN MY HOUSE. SO I DEFINITELY LIKE THAT’S LIKE MIDDLE SCHOOL … LIKE EARLY HIGH SCHOOL THAT’S ACTUALLY GETTING INTO IT. AND I WILL ONLY SAY LIKE … I REALLY GOT REALLY DEEP INTO IT LIKE … ONCE I STARTED COLLEGE AROUND LIKE THE END OF HER “LEMONADE” ALBUM AND EVERYTHING LIKE THAT … THAT’S WHEN I REALLY GOT INTO BEYONCÉ. AND I WOULD SAY I’VE BEEN REALLY LIKE INVESTED LIKE SINCE THE … LIKE THE BEGINNING OF THE RENAISSANCE ERA. AND LIKE BEFORE … LIKE RIGHT BEFORE THAT AS WELL.

FATIMA YAZDI 3:01

OKAY … AWESOME. THAT’S GREAT CONTEXT TO KNOW. I REALLY WANT TO JUST DIVE IN ON YOUR GUYS’S THOUGHTS ON HER RIGHT NOW. WE CAN START WITH COWBOY CARTER OR JUST LIKE TALK RENAISSANCE UP UNTIL WHAT ARE YOUR BEYONCÉ THOUGHTS RIGHT NOW?

KYLE GUNTHER  3:17

I THINK RENAISSANCE MIGHT BE SOME OF HER BEST WORK TO THIS DAY. I THINK SHE REALLY SHE LIKE A JUST LIKE FINE WINE WITH HER MUSIC LIKE IT’S … IT JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER AND BETTER. I WILL SAY FOR COWBOY CARTER. I’M JUST NOT A BIG COUNTRY PERSON. SO I DEFINITELY THINK IT WAS GOING TO BE MY ALBUM OF HERS. I DEFINITELY LIKE “RENAISSANCE” BETTER … BUT “COWBOY CARTER”’S PRETTY GOOD AS WELL.

JAYDEN GEE 3:46

FOR CURRENT BEYONCÉ … LIKE KYLE SAID … I REALLY DO LOVE THE “RENAISSANCE ALBUM.” I THINK IT’S LIKE ONE OF HER BEST WORKS … BEST ALBUMS. I WENT TO THE TOUR EARLIER THIS- LAST YEAR. AND THAT WAS LIKE JUST BREATHTAKING TO SEE HOW LIKE SHE EVEN CHANGED IT UP FOR THE LIVE ACTION TOUR AND LIKE HOW THE STUDIO VERSION THAT THERE WAS REALLY LIKE AMAZING TO SEE LIVE.I’M ALSO NOT A REALLY BIG COUNTRY FAN AT ALL. BUT LIKE I LIKE LOVE BEYONCÉ … AND SHE  MADE IT WORK. IT WASN’T JUST LIKE … LIKE … HO-DRUM LIKE COUNTRY MUSIC. IT WAS LIKE YOUR OWN SPIN ON IT. I REALLY APPRECIATE THAT I REALLY LIKE LIKED IT.

CUZ LIKE … I FEEL LIKE WE’RE PUNCHING UP HERE. LIKE VERY LIKE REPETITIVE TRACTORS … TRUCKS … WHATEVER. BUT BEYONCÉ IS ABLE TO LIKE … PUT HER OWN SPIN ON IT. IT’S NOT A DISEASE. IT’S LIKE WHEN SHE POSTED THE FIRST COVER ART FOR LIKE … COWBOY CARTER. SHE SAID “IT’S NOT LIKE A COUNTRY ALBUM … IT’S BEYONCÉ ALBUM.” AND I REALLY LIKE I REALLY LIKE HEARING THAT BECAUSE I WAS LIKE … OKAY … I DON’T WANT TO HEAR COUNTRY SONGS WANT TO HEAR OTHER SONGS. AND I FEEL LIKE EVEN WITH THE SINGLE SHE PUT UP BEFORE THE ALBUM LIKE “16 CARRIAGES” AND “TEXAS HOLD’EM,” LIKE THEY WERE COUNTRY SONGS. YES. BUT THEY ALSO LIKE HAVE ELEMENTS OF BEYONCÉ THAT WERE REALLY LIKE … THAT I FELT REALLY GOOD TO HEAR. AND I WAS LIKE “OKAY … LIKE THIS COULD BE A GREAT ALBUM.” AND IT WAS IT WAS FOR SURE.

FATIMA YAZDI 5:04

YEAH … SURE.

YEAH … CUZ SHE POSTED ON INSTAGRAM RECENTLY. I’M SURE YOU SAW THIS LIKE TALKING ABOUT THE ALBUM SAYING “THIS AIN’T A COUNTRY ALBUM. THIS IS A BEYONCÉ ALBUM.” SO LIKE … WHAT ARE THOSE ELEMENTS AND HOW DO YOU THINK THAT FITS IN WITH HER ASSESSMENT OF LIKE THIS BEING A BEYONCÉ ALBUM?

JAYDEN GEE  5:25

I WOULD SAY LIKE … JUST THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE ALBUM AS SHE ADDS DIFFERENT LIKE GENRES OF MUSIC LIKE IN THE SONG “DAUGHTER” LIKE SHE HAS ITALIAN OPERA IN HER QUOTE-UNQUOTE “COUNTRY ALBUM,” SO IT WAS LIKE THEIR LEFT FIELD. SHE WAS LIKE RAP IN THERE AS WELL SHE IS LIKE A STEREOTYPICAL COUNTRY. SHE COVERED A COUPLE SONGS. SHE COVERS LIKE BLACKBERRY BY THE BEATLES … WHICH ISN’T LIKE A COUNTRY SONG EITHER. AND LIKE JUST HER OWN … LIKE BEYONCÉ SOUND LIKE YOU WOULD GET FROM A REGULAR BEYONCÉ … LIKE … “REGULAR BEYONCÉ ALBUM”  YOU HAVE ON THERE? AND IT’S LIKE … EVEN IF YOU DON’T LIKE THE SONG OF THE SONG … LIKE YOU’VE HAD THIS AT LEAST ONE SONG ON THERE THAT LIKE … I WILL HOPE THAT EVERYONE LIKES AND GRAVITATES TOWARDS. I JUST FEEL LIKE WHEN BEYONCÉ LIKE PUTS OUT A BODY OF WORK LIKE SHE THAT IT’S NOT JUST GONNA BE THE SAME THING … LIKE THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE ALBUM … MAYBE LIKE EARLIER ALBUMS … LIKE IN THE PAST … LIKE SINCE LIKE I WOULD SAY … LIKE “BEYONCÉ” SELF TITLED OR LIKE … LIKE “LEMONADE” IS VERY DIVERSE. YEAH,

FATIMA YAZDI  6:24

FOR SURE. I’M CURIOUS NOW BASED OFF THAT … LIKE … KYLE … YOU MENTIONED YOU’RE NOT LIKE A TRADITIONAL COUNTRY FAN. SO LIKE … YOU WEREN’T SURE HOW YOU WERE GOING TO FEEL ABOUT THIS ALBUM … ESPECIALLY LIKE COMPARED TO RENAISSANCE. BASED NOW SORT OF LIKE HEARING COWBOY CARTER … DO YOU AGREE OR DISAGREE THAT LIKE THIS IS A BEYONCÉ ALBUM? AND IT’S NOT LIKE A TRADITIONAL COUNTRY ALBUM? AND … HOW DOES THAT JUST IMPACT YOUR THOUGHTS ON … THIS ALBUM BEING COUNTRY?

KYLE GUNTHER  6:50

I THINK BEYONCÉ; I DON’T EVEN THINK SHE REALLY HAS A GENRE ANYMORE. I USED TO ALWAYS ASSOCIATE HER WITH MAYBE R&B AND SOMETIMES RAP. NOW … IT SEEMS LIKE SHE’S JUST DOING EVERYTHING AND ANYTHING SO I CAN’T REALLY ASSOCIATE LIKE HER WITH JUST … YOU KNOW … R&B AND STUFF ANYMORE. I CAN ASSOCIATE HER WITH LITERALLY ANYTHING. SO I THINK THIS ALBUM … ESPECIALLY PUSH THAT FOR ME. BECAUSE I LITERALLY HAD NO IDEA THAT SHE WOULD DO SOMETHING LIKE THIS. AND IT JUST SHOWS THAT … ESPECIALLY NOW LIKE SHE CAN … LIKE … DO ANYTHING LIKE ME. MAYBE SHE’LL DO A ROCK ALBUM. NEXT … MAYBE SHE’LL DO OPERA MUSIC LIKE WHO KNOWS WHAT SHE’LL DO NEXT.

FATIMA YAZDI  7:36

NEXT? YEAH … I FEEL LIKE THAT WAS A LOT OF THE SENTIMENT THAT WAS SORT OF COMING OUT LIKE AFTER SHE ANNOUNCED THAT SHE’S DOING THIS COUNTRY VIBE. EVERYONE WAS LIKE … “BEYONCÉ COUNTRY LIKE WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?” WHAT WERE YOUR GUYS’S THOUGHTS ON THE INITIAL ANNOUNCEMENT? LIKE … IS IT SOMETHING THAT YOU WERE TOTALLY SHOCKED BY? LIKE … DO YOU GUYS SEE ONLINE REACTIONS? LIKE WHAT ARE ALL YOUR THOUGHTS ABOUT THAT?

KYLE GUNTHER  7:55

FOR ME … THE INITIAL REACTIONS I THOUGHT WERE REALLY SILLY. I SAW A LOT OF REACTIONS JUST FROM WHITE PEOPLE SAYING THAT “OH … I DON’T KNOW WHY SHE’S DOING LIKE A COUNTRY ALBUM,” JUST MICROAGGRESSION AFTER MICROAGGRESSION JUST BASICALLY RACISM. I THOUGHT THAT IT WAS FINE. I KNEW THAT I PROBABLY WASN’T GOING TO BE LIKE THAT INTO IT. BUT I KNEW THAT SHE WAS A VERY BIG LIKE … “I’M FROM TEXAS” LIKE THAT’S USUALLY HER BACKGROUND SHE’S BEEN WEARING COWBOY HATS LITERALLY SINCE DESTINY’S CHILD. SHE’S ALWAYS BEEN YOU KNOW COUNTRY GIRL SO I COULD IT WASN’T LIKE IT WAS REALLY A HUGE SURPRISE WHEN SHE DID IT FOR ME … BUT I KNEW THAT IT WAS LIKE JUST GONNA BE SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN MAYBE I’M NOT GOING TO BE THAT MUCH INTO

JAYDEN GEE  8:44

WHEN SHE FIRST OFFICIALLY ANNOUNCED THAT … I WASN’T SHOCKED AT ALL BECAUSE LIKE I FOLLOW UP A LOT OF LIKE BEYONCÉ PAGES ON LIKE TWITTER AND LIKE INSTAGRAM STUFF LIKE THAT. SO LIKE THERE ARE REALLY SPECULATING THAT SHE WAS GONNA PUT OUT A COUNTRY ALBUM AFTER “RENAISSANCE” BECAUSE LIKE SHE WAS JUST SEEN AROUND LIKE JUST WEARING MY COWBOY HATS AND LIKE LIKE SOUTHERN CLOTHES LIKE A LOT DURING PUBLIC SHOWINGS SO LIKE PEOPLE ARE LIKE YEAH SHE’S DEFINITELY A COUNTRY OUT WHEN I WAS LIKE OKAY AND THEN ONCE IT ONCE I HEARD THE TWO SINGLES SHE DROPPED DURING THE SUPERBOWL I WAS LIKE … “OKAY … LIKE THIS IS A COUNTRY ALBUM” AND LIKE … I LIKE THAT LIKE THE REACTIONS ON TWITTER WERE VERY LIKE … RACIST I WOULD SAY LIKE THEY WERE BRINGING UP HOW BEYONCÉ DOESN’T KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT COUNTRY MUSIC AND LIKE HOW BLACK PEOPLE ARE STEALING FROM WHITE PEOPLE … WHICH ISN’T TRUE BECAUSE LIKE IF YOU LOOK AT THE ORIGINS OF COUNTRY MUSIC IT DOES STEM FROM BLACK PEOPLE … SO IT WAS LIKE JUST VERY DOUBLE HANDED LIKE DOUBLE SIDED UM … IT WAS JUST WEIRD TO SEE LIKE OTHER REACTIONS ON TWITTER AND I KNEW THAT THIS IS COMING BECAUSE LIKE ISN’T BEYONCÉ IS LIKE FIRST LIKE COUNTRY LIKE WORK SO SHE PUT OUT SHE PUT OUT “DADDY LESSONS” ON HER LEMONADE ALBUM. ALL THE WAY BACK WHEN THAT WAS LIKE A FULL COUNTRY SONG. AND SHE DIDN’T WIN THE COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS I FORGET WHAT YEAR IT WAS … BUT YOU KNOW SHE DIDN’T WIN THAT COUNTRY MUSIC AWARDS FOR THAT SONG BECAUSE WE WERE LIKE “OH IT’S NOT A COUNTRY SONG IT’S NOT A COUNTRY SONG” BUT LIKE IT’S VERY CLEARLY WAS … AND THEN SHE EVEN SAYS IT ON HER SONG “IF THIS ISN’T COUNTRY THEN WHAT IS?” AND THEN EVEN LIKE … OUTSIDE OF JUST LIKE THE REGULAR PERSON ON TWITTER LIKE EVEN LIKE RADIO STATE COUNTRY. RADIO STATIONS WEREN’T PUTTING 16 CARRIAGES … TEXAS HOLD’EM ON THEIR STATION … THEY WERE LIKE IT’S NOT A COUNTRY SONG.

IT IS! LIKE IT IS THE ONLY THING THAT’S NOT MAKING IT A QUOTE-UNQUOTE “COUNTRY SONG” IS THAT BEYONCÉ IS BLACK AND NOT A WHITE PERSON FROM LOUISIANA … EVEN THOUGH SHE’S A BLACK PERSON FROM TEXAS … BUT THAT’S A SEPARATE ISSUE. BUT I KNEW THAT THE GENRES I KNEW THAT WHEN SHE LIKE PUT OTHER SINGLES AND EVERYTHING LIKE THAT. I KNEW THAT SHE WAS GOING TO MAKE IT LIKE LISTENABLE TO EVERYONE. EVEN IF YOU DON’T TRADITIONALLY LIKE COUNTRY MUSIC. I KNEW SHE COULD PUT HER OWN SPIN ON IT AND MAKE IT SOMETHING THAT LIKE … ENJOYABLE.

FATIMA YAZDI  10:45

ABSOLUTELY. THAT SAME SENTIMENT WAS LIKE … DEFINITELY ECHOED BY THE MEDIA … LIKE THE NEW YORK TIMES WROTE AN ARTICLE THAT WAS SAYING HOW LIKE MAINSTREAM COUNTRY LIKE … HAS NOT WELCOMED HER AT ALL … LIKE BOTH INDUSTRY AND FANS … SAYING … QUOTE … “COUNTRY MUSIC STILL SIDELINES ITS BLACK ROOTS … WHILE MAKING IT EXCEEDINGLY DIFFICULT FOR CONTEMPORARY BLACK PERFORMERS … OF WHICH THERE ARE MANY TO GAIN OPPORTUNITIES TO DEVELOP.”

SO SORT OF ON THAT NOTE … AS YOU MENTIONED … LIKE BEYONCÉ DEFINITELY DOES HAVE HER OWN … LIKE COUNTRY ROOTS. SO LIKE THIS BACKLASH … LIKE … AT WORST … OBVIOUSLY … IT’S LIKE OVERT RACISM. AND AT BEST … IT CAN BE CONSIDERED AS LIKE … YOU KNOW … JUST LIKE … IGNORANCE OR PEOPLE LIKE NOT HAVING KNOWLEDGE ON LIKE … WHAT IS COUNTRY MUSIC … OR JUST NOT BEING LIKE EDUCATED AT ALL? AND SO WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK IT MEANS FOR A BLACK ARTIST … AND WHEN LIKE BEYONCÉ … LIKE WITH HER REPUTATION … HER POPULARITY … ALL OF THOSE THINGS TO ENTER … LIKE THE COUNTRY MUSIC WORLD … A GENRE THAT HAS ITS ROOTS IN BLACK ARTISTRY … BUT NOW IT’S LIKE … HEAVILY WIPED OFF.

JAYDEN GEE  11:50

I WOULD SAY LIKE … JUST BECAUSE BEYONCÉ IS DOING IT … IT DOES OPEN DOORS FOR A LOT OF OTHER LIKE BLACK COUNTRY ARTISTS THAT ARE THERE. I KNOW … ON HER ALBUM … I CAN’T NAME THAT’S ON MY HEAD. BUT I KNOW SHE DID ADD LIKE A LOT OF BLACK COUNTRY ARTISTS … ON FEATURES ON HER SONGS. AND LIKE THEY LIKE PEOPLE DID THE MATH – I WANT TO SPOTIFY AND STUFF LIKE THAT –  AND LIKE THEIR SALES AND LIKE STREAMS HAVE SKYROCKETED SINCE THAT … SINCE BEING ON BEYONCÉ’S ALBUM.

EVEN BLACK COUNTRY ARTISTS WHO WEREN’T ON ALBUM LIKE … HAS LIKE … GONE UP BECAUSE PEOPLE ARE BEING INTRODUCED TO THE GENRE … LIKE PEOPLE ARE LIKE … GETTING AWAY FROM THE STEREOTYPICAL THOUGHTS OF LIKE … WHAT COUNTRY MUSIC IS LIKE … THEN THE RASCAL FLATTS OR CARRIE UNDERWOOD PEOPLE WERE LIKE … OH … THIS THEY ACTUALLY LIKE … PEOPLE MAKE VERY REAL COUNTRY MUSIC LIKE … ALSO CAN PERTAIN TO ME BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE THAT’S A LOT OF LIKE THINGS WITH LIKE MUSIC AND STUFF LIKE THAT … LIKE PEOPLE WILL SEE LIKE … STEREOTYPE … STEREOTYPICAL THING GOING ON … THEY’LL SEE IT AND THEY’LL BE LIKE … OKAY … THIS ISN’T FOR ME. BUT THEN LIKE ANOTHER PERSON DOES IT AND THEY’RE LIKE … OH … CAN YOU AGREE TO THIS.

LIKE I WOULD SAY LIKE FOR UPSIDE MY HEAD LIKE RAP MUSIC AND HOW LIKE … IT WAS VERY … LIKE … BLACK CENTERED … AND IT STILL IS THE LIKE … YOU PUT EMINEM … SOMEONE LIKE THAT ON THE SCENE … LIKE YOU HAVE ALL THESE WHITE PEOPLE LISTENING TO RAP MUSIC NOW BECAUSE LIKE … YOU PUT A WHITE FACE ON IT. SO IT MAKES SENSE TO DO THE SAME THING THAT HAPPENED FOR BEYONCÉ. EVEN THOUGH BLACKNESS EVEN THOUGH COUNTRY MUSIC EXISTS SEPARATE FROM BLACK PEOPLE … YOU PUT BEYONCÉ FACE ON IT NOW IN 2024 AND LIKE BLACK PEOPLE ARE GONNA START GRAVITATING TOWARDS COUNTRY MUSIC … WHETHER IT’S FROM BEYONCÉ OR OTHER BLACK ARTISTS … BECAUSE THEY’RE LIKE … “OKAY … THIS MAYBE JUST … LIKE … CAN RELATE TO ME IN SOME” WAY. FOR SURE … YEAH.

KYLE GUNTHER  13:27

I DO AGREE WITH JAYDEN WITH HOW SHE’S OPENING DOORS FOR BLACK ARTISTS … AND MAYBE EVEN JUST PEOPLE OF COLOR IN GENERAL … BECAUSE COUNTRY MUSIC IS A VERY WHITE DOMINATED GENRE. AND I FEEL LIKE A LOT OF PEOPLE OF COLOR ARE EITHER SCARED OR DON’T EVEN TRY TO DO IT BECAUSE THEY DON’T EVEN WANT TO FACE THAT RACISM THAT BEYONCÉ HAS ALREADY FACED. I JUST I THINK THE RACISM IS JUST VERY INTERESTING … BECAUSE A LOT OF PEOPLE CAN CONSIDER LIKE TAYLOR SWIFT … LET’S SAY A COUNTRY. BUT PEOPLE WERE SAYING “OH … BEYONCÉ’S NOT COUNTRY BECAUSE SHE DOESN’T KNOW THAT” BUT TAYLOR IS NOT FROM COUNTRY AT ALL. SHE JUST CAME OUT WITH COUNTRY MUSIC AND IT IMMEDIATELY ACCEPTED HER. SO I AM HAPPY THAT SHE MADE A COUNTRY ALBUM … EVEN THOUGH IT’S JUST NOT MY THING. BECAUSE IT OPENS DOORS FOR OTHER PEOPLE AND MAKES PEOPLE MORE COMFORTABLE MAYBE LISTENING TO COUNTRY MUSIC.

FATIMA YAZDI  14:19

ABSOLUTELY. SO DO YOU THINK OVERARCHINGLY … WHAT DO YOU THINK HAVE BEEN THE OVERALL LIKE PROS AND CONS OF HER RELEASING THIS ALBUM? OR LIKE THE SENTIMENT OF IT? HOW DOES THAT SIT WITH YOU?

JAYDEN GEE 14:34

I WOULD SAY SOME OF THE PROS ARE THAT SHE’S EXPOSING MORE BLACK COUNTRY ARTISTS AND JUST LIKE BLACK… OTHER THAN R&B AND RAP AND THE STEREOTYPICAL “BLACK” MUSIC GENRES AND OPENING DOORS FOR THEM AND SAYING… ‘OKAY … PEOPLE CAN MAKE USE OF MUSIC. AND YOU AS A LISTENER CAN LISTEN TO THIS TYPE OF MUSIC AND LIKE BE REPRESENTED IN SO’ AND I FEEL LIKE IT’S VERY A GOOD THING TO HAPPEN BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE MUSIC IS VERY IN ONE PLACE AS OF RECENTLY… AND … BEYONCÉ OPENING DOORS TO DIFFERENT GENRES AND DIFFERENT… INTERPRETATIONS OF SONGS DO GOOD FOR MUSIC COMMUNITY… HOPEFULLY IT’LL EVOLVE FROM NOW. I WOULD SAY SOME CONS ARE LIKE JUST SPARKING UP MORE RACIST DOG WHISTLES FOR EVERYONE TO USE AND JUST SAYING LIKE … ‘OH WHY IS SHE DOING COUNTRY SHE’S JUST A MONEY GRAB. SHE’S JUST TRYING TO COLLECT GENRES LIKE INFINITY STONES’… WHATEVER … ‘JUST TRYING TO GET SOME MONEY.’ AND IT’S JUST LIKE … NO… AND THEN… BLACK PEOPLE ONLINE HAVE TO GO THROUGH A WHOLE DIFFERENT RACIST ARC AGAIN… WHITE PEOPLE ARE SAYING LIKE … ‘OH YOU’RE TAKING OUR WHITE SPACES… IMAGINE IF THIS HAPPENED TO YOU LET’S TURN THE TABLES AROUND’ … IT’S LIKE THE TABLES HAVE BEEN TURNED AROUND FOR GOD KNOWS HOW MANY YEARS. SO LIKE … IT’S JUST STRANGE TO SEE. BUT I THINK THE THE PROS DO OUTWEIGH THE CONS.

KYLE GUNTHER 15:58

TO ME HONESTLY … I DON’T REALLY THINK THAT THERE ARE ANY CONS. WHENEVER ANY PERSON OF COLOR DOES ANYTHING GROUNDBREAKING … THERE’S ALWAYS AT LEAST ONE RACIST WHITE PERSON WHO DOESN’T LIKE IT. I JUST THINK THAT THIS IS A REALLY GOOD ALBUM TO … AGAIN … PUSH DIVERSITY IN DIFFERENT GENRES. NOT EVERYBODY CAN JUST BE PUT INTO THIS BOX. AND I FEEL LIKE THERE ARE SO MANY PEOPLE OUT THERE WHO WANT TO DO MAYBE COUNTRY OR WANT TO DO R&B OR WANT TO DO RAP AND THEY FEEL LIKE THEY CAN’T DO THAT BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT THE RIGHT RACE. SO I DO THINK THAT THIS ALBUM HELPS MOTIVATE PEOPLE TO … YOU KNOW … FOLLOW WHATEVER THEY WANT TO DO WITH THEIR PASSIONS.

FATIMA YAZDI 16:46

ABSOLUTELY. YEAH. I KNOW… SORT OF IN THE SAME NEW YORK TIMES ARTICLE … THE REPORTER WAS MENTIONING THAT IN RENAISSANCE … BEYONCÉ HAD SPOTLIGHTED QUEER BLACK COMMUNITIES … LIKE IN THE DANCE COMMUNITY. AND SO NOW … WITH THIS ALBUM … LIKE SHE’S SORT OF HIGHLIGHTING THE BLACK ROOTS THAT EXISTS IN COUNTRY MUSIC AND … AS YOU GUYS HAVE MENTIONED … OPENING THE DOOR FOR MORE BLACK ARTISTS THAT ARE OF COLOR TO COME FORTH IN COUNTRY. SO I GUESS MY NEXT QUESTION IS … WHAT DO YOU GUYS SEE AS NEXT FOR BEYONCÉ? IT SEEMS LIKE THE SKY IS THE LIMIT FOR HER … TO ME … HER MOVEMENTS SEEM UNPREDICTABLE. BUT … AS YOU MENTIONED … AS A SUPERFAN … MAYBE NOT SO MUCH. SO WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK IS LIKE NEXT IN A BOX FOR BEYONCÉ?

KYLE GUNTHER 17:31

COMING FROM … JUST MAYBE A NORMAL FAN OF HER’S STANDPOINT … I COULD SEE HER DOING MAYBE SOMETHING LIKE ROCK AND ROLL IN THE FUTURE. BECAUSE I’M JUST … I DO THINK OF IT IN A WAY LIKE SHE’S COLLECTING INFINITY STONES AT THIS POINT. WHAT IS SHE GOING TO DO NEXT? WHAT REALLY POPPED INTO MY MIND … IS A VERY POPULAR GENRE IS ROCK AND ROLL … MAYBE METAL… THAT’S WHAT I THINK SHE’S GOING TO DO NEXT.

JAYDEN GEE 17:56

COMING FROM A FAN … A REALLY DEEP FAN POINT OF VIEW … THERE HAS BEEN SPECULATION SHE IS GOING TO DO ROCK AND ROLL AND HER NEXT ACT IS THE WHOLE … WHAT SHE’S DOING RIGHT NOW IS THE THREE ACT THING WITH ACT ONE WAS RENAISSANCE AND ACT TWO IS COWBOY CARTER. AND THEY’RE SPECULATING SHE’S GOING TO DO ROCK AND ROLL BECAUSE IT SEEMS LIKE SHE IS RECLAIMING DIFFERENT BLACK MUSIC GENRES THAT WERE STARTED BY BLACK PEOPLE … SO HOUSE MUSIC WITH RENAISSANCE AND THE QUEER BLACK COMMUNITY … JUST LIKE IN NEW YORK AND STUFF LIKE THAT. AND THEN NOW BLACK MUSIC ARTISTS IN THE COUNTRY AND LIKE … COWBOY CARTER … AND THEY THINK SHE’S GONNA GO TO ROCK AND ROLL NEXT WITH DIFFERENT BLACK ROCK AND ROLL ARTISTS OF THE PAST… THEY SAID SOMETHING ABOUT ONE SONG EARLIER THAT I SAW THAT. BUT YEAH … JUST LIKE … I FEEL LIKE IT IS A GOOD THING FOR HER… JUST TO … REALLY PROMOTE … THE BLACK EXPERIENCE AND RECLAIM ALL THESE MUSIC GENRES AND JUST SHOW THAT BLACK PEOPLE AND PEOPLE OF COLOR CAN USE THESE SONGS AND NOT JUST A WHITE DOMINATED SPACE AS IT LIKE IS PORTRAYED TO BE AND SHOW … EVEN THOUGH WHITE PEOPLE ARE DOMINATING THE SPACE … AND LIKE … IT SEEMED THAT THEY CREATED IT … QUOTE UNQUOTE … BLACK PEOPLE … DID CREATE THESE AND … WE SHOULD BE USING THE SONGS… I KNOW IF A BLACK PERSON LET’S SAY FIVE YEARS AGO BEFORE SHE GAVE ANY HINTS OF THIS COUNTRY ALBUM. LIKE IF A BLACK PERSON SAID THEY LISTENED TO COUNTRY MUSIC IT WOULD BE LIKE WHY ARE YOU LISTENING TO THIS WHITE NONSENSE … WHATEVER. BUT NOW IT’S LIKE … OKAY … I’M SURE SOMEONE WAS GOOGLED… BLACK COUNTRY ARTISTS AND … OH … LIKE THIS WENT WAY BACK

FATIMA YAZDI 19:34

FOR SURE … YEAH. HAVE YOU SEEN ANY LIKE … BECAUSE YOU MENTIONED THERE WERE SORT OF LIKE SOME HINTS HERE AND THERE THAT WERE HINTING TOWARD HER LIKE COUNTRY ROUTE. DO YOU THINK THAT THERE’S ANYTHING THAT YOU GUYS ARE SEEING RIGHT NOW WITH HER APPROACHING … ROCK AND ROLL? OR IS THAT MORE OF JUST LIKE A PREDICTION THAT FALLS IN THE THEME OF THE THREE ACTS THAT YOU MENTIONED?

KYLE GUNTHER 19:53

I THINK IT JUST FALLS WITHIN THE THEME. BECAUSE USUALLY WHEN SHE’S HINTING AT SOMETHING SHE… MAYBE CHANGES HER HAIR COLOR … IT’S USUALLY SOMETHING BIG … YOU KNOW … I THINK THAT SHE’S PERSONALLY GOING TO CHANGE HER HAIR BLACK OR SOMETHING FOR HER NEXT TO MAKE IT SHOW OFF SOMETHING… SHE USUALLY LIKE … CHANGES OUR CLOTHES … LIKE DRASTICALLY POST DRASTICALLY. SO SHE’S NOT DOING ANYTHING RIGHT NOW BECAUSE SHE’S REALLY DEEP INTO HER ALBUM THAT CAME OUT LIKE A WEEK AGO NOW. SO YEAH … SHE HASN’T REALLY CHANGED MUCH SINCE THEN.

JAYDEN GEE  20:24

YEAH… I WOULD SAY THE SAME THING… SHE DEFINITELY IS STILL IN COWBOY CARTER ERA HOPEFULLY FOR NEXT YEAR OR SO BECAUSE I THINK SHE’S GOING TO SPACE OUT THESE ACTS. SO RENAISSANCE CAME OUT IN 2022 I BELIEVE AND THIS IS 2024 WITH COWBOY CARTER SO 2026 WILL PROBABLY BE THE ROCK AND ROLL OR WHATEVER GENRE SHE PICKS FOR ACT THREE. I DON’T THINK WE’RE GONNA GET ANYTHING UNTIL 2025, 2026 BECAUSE I KNOW FOR COWBOY CARTER SIX MONTHS AGO NO ONE KNEW ANYTHING. BUT SHE STARTED AROUND THE GRAMMYS… I’M PRETTY SURE SHE STARTED DRESSING UP LIKE REALLY BIG COWBOY HATS AND DENIM AND STUFF LIKE THAT. SO SHE’S ALLUDING RECENTLY… AND SHE HAD THE SAME STUFF… THE SAME STUNTS WITH RENAISSANCE BEFORE THEN. SO I’M SURE SHE’S JUST TAKING HER TIME… REALLY PERFECTING EVERYTHING BEFORE BECAUSE SHE IS A PERFECTIONIST… SO SHE’S REALLY PERFECTING EVERYTHING BEFORE… IT’S TIME TO RELEASE THE THIRD ACT IN PROBABLY TWO YEARS OR SO.

FATIMA YAZDI  21:25

ALSO THINK IN THIS PERIOD… I THINK IT’LL BE COOL TO SEE COUNTRY MUSIC LIVE OUT IT’S HEYDAY AND SEE THE IMPACT THAT SHE’S GONNA HAVE ON… COUNTRY MUSIC COMING BACK… I KNOW THERE’S SORT OF BEEN WORD ON THE STREETS IN RECENT WEEKS … POST MALONE HAS BEEN DROPPING HINTS ABOUT HIS UPCOMING SORT OF MUSIC JOURNEY GOING TOWARD COUNTRY. AND A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE SAYING THAT BEYONCÉ IS REVIVING COUNTRY IT’S LIKE A QUOTE UNQUOTE DYING SORT OF AREA IN MUSIC. SO I THINK IT’LL BE COOL ALSO TO SEE BETWEEN NOW AND HER UPCOMING ACT THREE … LIKE HER IMPACT ON COUNTRY… WHICH IS JUST… SO POWERFUL TO SEE THAT ONE ARTISTS CAN IN A WAY… REVIVE A TYPE OF MUSIC OR… MAKE IT SOMETHING NEW… YOU KNOW? BUT YEAH FOR SURE. I SORT OF JUST WANT TO END ON… YOUR GUYS’ SORT OF REASONS WHY YOU’VE STAYED WITH BEYONCÉ OR… CONTINUE TO LISTEN TO HER. IF THERE’S SOMETHING THAT YOU KNOW… SOMEONE WHO’S NOT A BEYONCÉ FAN .. DIDN’T UNDERSTAND ABOUT WHY YOU WERE FAN OR WHY SHE SAT WITH YOU… WHAT WOULD YOU TELL THEM? AS YOU KNOW… JUST A FAN OR A MEMBER OF THE BEEHIVE. YOU KNOW… WHAT WOULD YOU SAY ON THAT?

KYLE GUNTHER  22:36

I THINK THE REASON I STICK WITH HER IS BECAUSE SHE’S ALWAYS WILLING TO… TRY SOMETHING NEW. SHE’S NOT IN A CONFINED BOX. AND SHE’S ALSO… AN EXTREMELY GOOD PERFORMER. SHE… I DON’T THINK I’VE EVER SEEN HER JUST SIT ON A BENCH AND SING. SHE’S ALWAYS DOING A KICK FLIP OR… ROLLING AROUND ON STAGE. SHE ALWAYS KEEPS YOU CAPTIVATED. YEAH. AND SHE’S REALLY BEEN LIKE THAT SINCE SHE WAS LIKE… FIVE. SO I JUST… I THINK SHE’S JUST ONE IN A MILLION PERFORMERS FOR ME. THAT’S WHY EVERYBODY IN MY FAMILY PRETTY MUCH STICKS TO HER IS BECAUSE SHE’S ALWAYS WORKING HARD.

JAYDEN GEE  23:24

I WOULD SAY FOR ME…YOU KNOW… OUT OF ALL THE ARTISTS AT LEAST I LISTEN TO… I KNOW THAT FOR A FACT EVERY SINGLE BEYONCÉ SONG OR ALBUM THAT SHE PUTS OUT THERE IS… GONNA BE CONSISTENTLY GOOD. EVERY ARTIST I LISTEN TO AT LEAST I KNOW IT’S ONE SONG OR ONE ALBUM THAT WAS A FLOP THAT WAS BAD…THAT’S A SKIP… BUT FOR BEYONCÉ… I DON’T THINK I’VE EVER ENCOUNTERED ONE ALBUM OR ANY BODY OF WORK THAT SHE’S PUT UP THAT WASN’T HER BEST I KNOW IT’S VERY CONSISTENTLY GOOD. AND SHE DOES TAKE TIME TO PERFECT HER CRAFT. SHE DOESN’T JUST PUT OUT A RANDOM SONG LIKE ‘OH HERE YOU GUYS GO’… SHE ACTUALLY WORKS AND… WE DON’T GET ANYTHING UNTIL IT’S FINALLY READY AND EVERYTHING LIKE THAT. AND I FEEL LIKE A LOT OF ARTISTS THESE DAYS… JUST PUT OUT ANYTHING… LIKE THEY’LL PUT OUT A SNIPPET IN 2020 AND THEN IT’LL BE LIKE 2024 … OH WHERE’S YOUR SNIPPET?… WHERE’S THE SONG?… YEAH… BUT LIKE BEYONCÉ YOU WOULDN’T HEAR ANYTHING UNLESS IT WAS COMPLETELY READY I ALSO JUST FEEL… LIKE KYLE SAID SHE DOES EXTEND A LOT OF GENRES AND HER MUSIC DOESN’T ALL SOUND THE SAME. SHE DID AFROBEATS WITH THE GIFT… SHE DID COUNTRY WITH COWBOY CARTER… HOUSE MUSIC WITH RENAISSANCE… R&B WITH SELF TITLED AND B’DAY… YOU CAN SEE THERE’S AN ALBUM FOR EVERYONE.  IF YOU LIKE ONE GENRE THERE’S A BEYONCÉ ALBUM FOR YOU… IF YOU LIKE ALL GENRES THERE’S SEVERAL BEYONCÉ ALBUMS FOR YOU… AND I FEEL LIKE SHE’S THE ONLY ARTIST THAT I CAN THINK OF OFF THE TOP MY HEAD THAT DOES THAT BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE EVERY ARTIST HAS THEIR OWN LANE THAT THEY STICK TO. BUT FOR BEYONCÉ EVERY LANE IS HER LANE AND SHE EXCELS AT EVERYTHING SHE DOES… AND I JUST REALLY LOVE THAT.

FATIMA YAZDI  25:06

I FEEL LIKE THAT’S A GREAT NOTE TO END ON. SO WE CAN GO AHEAD AND DO THAT. THANK YOU BOTH FOR SITTING DOWN WITH US TODAY.

THIS HAS BEEN ANOTHER EPISODE OF OFFBEAT… A PODCAST FROM THE DIAMONDBACK. THIS EPISODE HAS BEEN PRODUCED BY OUR EDITOR, AARON WRIGHT AND OUR REPORTERS, CAROLINE PECORA AND TOLU TALABI. FOLLOW OFFBEAT ON TWITTER AT @DBKOFFBEAT AND FOLLOW THE DIAMONDBACK ON TWITTER AND INSTAGRAM @THEDBK. YOU CAN FIND A TRANSCRIPT OF THIS EPISODE AT DBKNEWS.COM. IF YOU LIKED THIS EPISODE… TELL YOUR FRIENDS. TAKE CARE.