As I see the end of Black History Month approaching, I start to think of a sort of theme to represent this year’s February. It was hard for me to think of something at first—with the many triumphs from the Black community this year, I thought of that, but I also saw the defeats. The cultural appropriation, the microaggressions, and the straight up racism. But on Feb. 11, 2024 Beyoncé announced that her next project, act ii of Renaissance will be a country album.
I know what a lot of people are thinking. Country? Really? And lowkey, I agree. I’m not the biggest country fan but I am the biggest Beyoncé fan. So I will be cosplaying as a country fan in March, trust.
I saw so many mixed reviews of Beyoncé’s announcement. With the announcement, she released two singles: TEXAS HOLD ‘EM, and 16 CARRIAGES. Both songs captured the life and struggles that country music is known for. Many people (me), rejoiced at Bey’s outbreak into the genre. With Beyoncé being a Houston native, country music just made so much sense.
You would think other people would get that, right? Wrong. Many native country listeners were honestly confused and very tone deaf when it came to both songs. This came with microaggressive language, calling the songs “country-inspired” or just frowning upon Beyoncé period for infiltrating a genre they think she doesn’t belong in.
I think a lot of people are simply missing the point. And that’s okay, so here’s a quick history lesson: Black people had a huge influence on country music. A lot of popular country melodies and instruments come from Black roots. In the 1920s, many country musicians were Black. But because Black people weren’t widely accepted in mainstream media, White artists ended up claiming the genre for years to come.
With a mainstream artist such as Beyoncé reclaiming the genre, this is important. With the first act of Renaissance, Bey used house music as a way to not only honor her late uncle Johnny but to also highlight the Black ballroom scene that is often overshadowed by White queer culture. Therefore, act ii is nothing short of the same thing. Beyonce is essentially ‘taking back’ historically Black music genres. Extremely iconic if you ask me.
After careful thought, I have concluded that the ‘theme’ for Black History Month this year is ‘Renaissance as a Revolution.’ Thanks to Beyoncé, it is clear to see that reclaiming and taking up space in spaces where Black people were once not belonged in is the move for not only 2024 but from here on out.