Beyoncé’s recent foray into country music with her song “Texas Hold ‘Em” has not only topped the charts but also sparked a crucial conversation about genre, race, and the historical categorization within the music industry. A.D. Carson, associate professor of hip-hop and the Global South at the University of Virginia, points out that the very construction of bestseller charts is “racialized and exclusive,” making Beyoncé’s achievement as a Black woman reaching No. 1 in a genre historically perceived as white, a significant cultural moment. This raises the essential question: “Why hasn’t it happened before and what was stopping it from happening?”
Challenging Genre Boundaries and Racialized Charts
Carson emphasizes that music’s inherent complexity resists neat categorization, a struggle artists often face against industry labels. He references Justin Bieber’s frustration with the Grammys placing his album “Changes” in the pop category when he intended it to be R&B, and Tyler, the Creator’s critique of the Grammys’ genre classifications as potentially racially biased after his album “Igor” won Best Rap Album. Tyler questioned why genre-bending work by Black artists is relegated to “Rap or Urban” categories instead of being considered for broader genres like “pop.”
“I think that what we’re left to reckon with is how these charts correspond to assumed audiences and assumed racial categories of the people who are making them,” Carson states, highlighting the underlying assumptions that shape how music is categorized and consumed.
Artists Defy Pigeonholes: Genre Fluidity in Pop Music
Jack Hamilton, an associate professor of American studies and media studies and pop critic for Slate Magazine, echoes this sentiment, noting the widespread genre fluidity among influential musicians. He observes that most people enjoy diverse musical styles and that major artists typically resist being confined to a single genre.
Hamilton lists a diverse range of artists—Prince, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, Madonna, Taylor Swift, and Beyoncé—as examples of musicians who comfortably navigate multiple genres, demonstrating that genre-bending is not an exception but a hallmark of significant musical influence.
Country Roots and Historical Echoes: From Beyoncé to Ray Charles
Hamilton further points out that “Texas Hold ‘Em” is not Beyoncé’s first venture into country, recalling “Daddy Lessons” from her album “Lemonade.” He connects her exploration of country music to her Texas background, a state deeply rooted in country music traditions. Drawing a historical parallel, Hamilton highlights Ray Charles’s transformative move into country music with his 1962 album “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music.” This album, featuring hits like “You Don’t Know Me” and “I Can’t Stop Loving You,” was a massive success, demonstrating the appeal and commercial viability of crossing genre lines decades ago.
The Intertwined History: Black Influence on American Music, Including Country
Both Hamilton and Carson underscore the deeply intertwined history of country music and African American music. Hamilton refutes the notion of country music as exclusively white, arguing against any attempt to separate Anglo-European and African American influences in its development. “The idea that country music has ever been exclusively white… you can’t make that argument,” Hamilton asserts.
Carson adds, “I don’t know that we have a bunch of distinctly American music in the United States, through the history of this country, that doesn’t make its way through Black folks,” emphasizing the pervasive and undeniable influence of Black musicians across all genres of American music. Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” thus becomes more than just a song; it’s a cultural statement that challenges genre limitations and reclaims the diverse heritage of American music.
