Black women and girls reign supreme at the rodeo, according to Capital B News writer Aallyah Wright. She talked to organizers, competitors, stable owners and young cowgirls about riding, representation, and the pride they feel in Beyoncé's new country album. “Now, she’s finally kicking down the door, whether they like it or not,” says Carolyn Carter, a 65-year-old cowgirl whose daughters, granddaughters and great-granddaughters all compete in rodeo.
Black country music has existed for decades; according to songwriter, educator and novelist Alice Randall, its recorded origins go back to DeFord Bailey's 1927 harmonica performance of "Pan American Blues" at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. Now, its time has come — thanks to Beyoncé's "Texas Hold 'Em, which debuted at the top of the country charts last month. Vox takes a look at the century of country that led to "Cowboy Carter."
Pitchfork has listed the 50 most anticipated albums of spring, which include releases from Beyoncé, Vampire Weekend, Charli XCX, and the ludicrously prolific Taylor Swift. Here's what the magazine's team is looking forward to. We want to know: How excited do you get about new music these days? Tell us in the comments where you discover new artists to follow.
I'm looking forward to enjoying both the #Beyonce album itself (I have never failed to find at least a few tracks I like on each of her albums, and some of them are fantastic) and the butthurt tears of racist #country#music fans. So it's a double dipper of wins.
Soso, #Beyoncé ist also als erste Schwarze Sängerin auf Platz 1 der "Billboard’s Hot Country Songs Charts" gelandet?!
Sei ihr unbedingt gegönnt, die ganz wunderbare Mickey Guyton hätte das vor drei Jahren aber mindestens genauso verdient gehabt ... ❤️ https://youtu.be/ZXKsmR44IP8
#Beyoncé became the first #BlackWoman to top Billboard's Hot Country Music chart, multiple outlets reported, with a No. 1 spot for her single "Texas Hold 'Em."
Why it matters: Beyoncé's new music — her first to make it on the country chart — revived a debate about diversity and inclusion in the genre traditionally dominated by white artists.
Beyoncé wore a cowboy hat to the Grammys and fans predicted that she was working on a country album. Lo and behold, she's announced "Act II," which will be out on March 29 and is the second release of her "Renaissance" trilogy. @pitchfork has more details, plus videos for the first two songs — "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages" — both of which have a distinct country feel.
I'm Kahlil, but you may call me Lunæros! I'm extremely new here, just making my way downtown, migrating from the abdominal X app for a plethora of reasons.
"A disinformation campaign led by a group linked to Russia's GRU is using images of celebrities like Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Kim Kardashian, Justin Bieber, and Oprah to lambast Ukraine."
"Beyoncé has been a remote star for years, someone far more content with having her dedicated Hive project upon her than speaking for herself. This makes the behind-the-scenes moments of her latest concert documentary, which are so primed toward engendering intimacy, rather curious." —Angelica Jade Bastién for Vulture
In the battle of the weekend box office, Beyoncé stomped all over Godzilla. Her concert film, "Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé," raked in $21 million compared with "Godzilla Minus One," which brought in around $11 million. The latter had already grossed $23 million in Japan since its November release. Entertainment Weekly has more details.