Beyonce and country - can anyone ever say a particular genre of music can 'belong' to an ethnicity

[mids2019]

Well I like the new album.

However it did make me ask the question, can any race or demographic legitimately claim a form of music is theirs and it is problematic if someone performs it e.g. Taylor swift doing rap?

Eminem did rap and was very successful at it. I don't think anyone cared, least of all Dr Dre who mentored him.

I don't think anyone can claim it but I do think people can be locked out with not getting played

No, with the exception of reggae. However doesn’t matter if your black, white or green, if you’re not Bob Marley, it’s not going to be as good.

Bob Marley IS reggae.

I think I agree here. I initially thought Beyonce may have trying to make a 'point' with her move into country but maybe should be above racial divides and be a unifying force?

Indigenous Australians have used and adapted country and western music to express themselves for decades and while I'm not all that up in it, I don't think anyone's moaning and saying they're encroaching on whitefella territory.

She's Black and you know it.

Shit-stirring post.

I think Eminem did get flack for being a white rapper.

Well judging the reception Beyonce got when she performed at the CMAs, the stonewalling that Lil Nas X faced before Billy Ray collabed with him, and the fact that 'Fast Car' had to be performed by a white male Country star before it won 'Best Country Song' (30 years after it's first release by writer Tracey Chapman ) I think it's clear that white American Conservatives have claimed the genre as their own and that to them, yes it is problematic when other races try to break into it.

As In said I like it as music ..... very catchy.

I was just wondering if there was a bit of point that was being made by a person of colour doing country? Initially I thought maybe but Beyonce is Texan and I guess country is partly Texan?

I think maybe another point is a billionaire using a genre associated maybe with poverty in small town America ......

@Meem321

Beyonce is extremely talented (you don't become hype r successful without talent) so do you think there may have been a bit of a challenge? Getting involved with race politics without getting involved if you see what I mean?

Concrete cowboys alas

Kane Brown, one of the biggest country singers in the world right now is not white (his father is African American), the issue most country fans have with Beyoncé and her new album is not her race but that most of it really isn’t authentically country music and it feels like she is jumping on a bandwagon and cashing in on the success and current high profile / trend of genuine country.

From what I understand, Country music was built on foundations of the genre that were originally created by black musicians. There are also lots of examples of black songwriters writing for white Country singers. If anything, the Country genre is being reclaimed by a black artist.

Right: “genuine” country is not white sny more than the US itself is wholly white, or rural life is white. its just been white appropriated. In the last 40 years country has come to mean white, nationalist , jingoistic but prior to that it had richer and more complex history.

If Tylor Swift did rap would this be a problem? I guess if music is universal and transcends race boundaries then absolutely not. Maybe Beyonce is striking new ground (or newer ground) about the universality of music.

@pikkumyy77

I guess that is the question. Was this a reaction to white jingoism or is it simply Beyonce loved country?

All music has complex roots and all art is derivative. The more general consideration is can anyone own' music with its performance by people of other cultures and ethnicities viewed as misappropriation?

Regarding Tracy Chapman, she wasn’t a country singer and the song wasn’t considered a country song back in the eighties. The album still did pretty well though.

From Wikipedia ,

“The album received six Grammy Award nominations, including one for Album of the Year, three of which she won: Best New Artist, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for her single "Fast Car", and Best Contemporary Folk Album. In 1989 she released her second album, Crossroads, which earned her an additional Grammy Award nomination for Best Contemporary Folk Album. Her third album, Matters of the Heart, followed in 1992.”

Luke Combs turned the song into a country hit.

I think it’s an odd genre for Beyoncé to break into, considering country music traditionally primarily focuses on the sociopolitical experience and everyday life issues of working class Americans and blue-collar American life, none of which I imagine Beyoncé having much recent experience of. Eminem was ultimately accepted in the rap genre because he lived the life he was writing about, rather than pretending.

@ComtesseDeSpair

I think that is a criticism. I think Springsteen has a similar problem (now) with trying too be a voice of working class America.

Charley Pride started in the 1950's. Inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000 and won the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2020. It's rare but not new to see successful black country singers. Beyonce isn't a country star in the same way, rather a singer who's decided to explore country music. A bit like when lots of people went off the Beatles when they went all psychedelic and explored different styles. Given the historic roots of country it would be much more unusual if she did a death metal album 😂
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charley_Pride

I just think it doesn’t really matter here. Beyonce is from Texas and will have been raised with country music, as Texas really loves their country music. I have relatives there and it’s a big part of life. Whether someone likes or dislikes the music she’s made is personal taste but kind of immaterial, it’s part of her background. I honestly think people should just get over it. 🤷‍♀️

No. Country music evolved from the music and songs from the English, Irish and Scottish settlers.

As did Vanilla Ice