America Has a Problem—But Beyoncé Isn’t One
by nxus Contributor, Miss JLH (IG: @missjlh_)
CC Tour ‘25 London, Parkwood Entertainment
As The Cowboy Carter Tour comes to a close and we patiently await the arrival of Act III, I thought it was only fitting to reflect on the career, art, and legacy of Beyoncé. I also wanted to address the latest contributing article from Leah Asmelash for CNN. While COWBOY CARTER has received considerable attention as Beyoncé's first full-length country album, it is not her initial foray into genres outside of R&B music.
Contributor Bio:
My name is Jasmine and I go by the name MissJLH! I am a writer, podcaster, and author. I love music, history, and fighting for what is right! I am passionate about reflecting on our history and telling our stories. For US By US.
THE EVOLUTION OF BEYONCÉ
However, before we dissect the impact and messages behind COWBOY CARTER, let's take a step back to Beyoncé's 2016 album, Lemonade. While the controversy (cheating scandal) surrounding Lemonade seemed to propel the album, it was the visuals/imagery that told a deeper story of the message Beyoncé was trying to convey. As we sat on the edge of our seats, listening intently to the words of each song, trying to catch a glimpse or gain insight into the relationship between Bey and Jay, it was Beyoncé who was on a journey of self-discovery. This album lyrically and visually tells the story of a woman who is not only discovering her power as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend, but also as a woman, a black woman, who is learning, growing, and discovering parts of herself she may have only questioned in passing. During the Lemonade era, Beyoncé paid homage to her mother's side, her Creole roots, and she incorporated a little bit of what one could expect for the journey to come with songs like '6 Inch' and 'Daddy Lessons'.
After Lemonade, we were gifted with The Lion King: The Gift. A visual project we all deeply took for granted in 2019. Whether you deem this a Beyoncé album or not is not up for debate. However, did you give it a chance? I mean, really dig into it? The Gift felt like a homage album to the African ancestry Beyoncé discovered. Those who existed and shaped who she is today, before her family's roots began down south. With songs like 'Find Your Way Back', 'MY POWER', and 'I'm Home'. Both lyrically and visually, the album took you on a journey of appreciating the beginning of where your roots were first planted.
Then came the Renaissance era. At this point, we should be accustomed to random drops from Beyoncé, but in 2022, we weren't ready! An album consisting of 16 tracks, Beyoncé says to hell with the visuals and wants the fans to enjoy the music. Renaissance, Act I of a three-act project series, provides all the sounds, grooves, and feels of the 1970s/1980s. With tracks such as 'Alien Superstar', 'Cuff It', 'Break My Soul', and 'MOVE' ft. Grace Jones, we were not ready for the homage Beyoncé gave to the women/people in history or throughout her life that made her. This album is drenched in black, queer excellence as we all reminisced about our Uncle Johnny and what he meant to us.
HOME SWEET HOME
Finally, we take it back home and settle down in Houston, Texas, and pay homage to the country girl at heart. COWBOY CARTER was heavily denied as a country album in many circles; however, the people fought tooth and nail to help the Powder Puff Rangers understand that Black people created country music, so we are the ones who will decide what is and is not country. Thank you! I wasn't thrilled about Act II, as I am not a big fan of country music, but I still wanted to see a legend perform at the height of her career. So I packed my bags and got myself a ticket to the COWBOY CARTER Tour, and I'm happy I did.
At the beginning of Leah's article, she points out that COWBOY CARTER is a reclamation of her country roots, following her feeling of unwelcome during the 2016 Country Music Awards. Leah also mentions how Beyoncé sheds light on the struggle that Black people face in accessing the things they helped create. And while Leah made some good points and raised fair questions regarding Beyoncé and her lack of political awareness/involvement, I think we are overlooking the actual theme of the album. Pride. American Pride. Black American Pride, rather. As a black woman who was born and raised in the United States, from experience, growing up as a Black American, it can be hard to have pride and attachment to a place that deems you as less than. If you ask a Black American where they are from, they will proudly say their city and or state before they tell you they are from the United States. When it comes to major US holidays that are more "white centered", such as the 4th of July, we typically have a love/hate relationship with it; we love the day off, but we hate the reason. When it comes to being a 'proud' American, those aren't words typically repeated by Black Americans, and as you get older, the reality of our experiences differing from those of our counterparts can sometimes affect the so-called 'American Pride' we may possess.
Parkwood Entertainment
But it was something about the COWBOY CARTER Tour that made me feel proud. It wasn't the constant use of red, white, and blue, but rather the visual landscape Beyoncé created on tour that contributed to this discovery. Paying homage to The Black Cowboy, The Black Musician, The Black Artist, The Black Woman, you were given various images, both past and present, to show our history, our lineages, and our right to be proud as hell about where we come from and from whom we come from. COWBOY CARTER was NOT just an experimental country album, it was a conversation starter about equity, access, equality, and most importantly, a history reminder that without the US, you wouldn't have this shit in the first place.
DO ARTISTS OWE US THEIR POLITICS?
Damned if you do and damned if you don't. Throughout history, various artists have utilized their platforms to address the political issues surrounding them, particularly Black artists. From film to music, Broadway, art, and TV, Black artists, until sometime in the 1990s, heavily used their platforms to speak out on issues heavily plaguing the Black community in America. Both Leah Asmelash (contributing writer) and Melvin Williams, professor at Pace University, raise the question: Will Beyoncé ever take a political stance towards more "serious" political issues happening around the world?
I always find these articles to be interesting when this seems like only a question that is raised for Women, especially Black Women who have money and a little power. We never ask why Kendrick Lamar or Drake, two of the most prominent hip-hop artists of our time, haven't mentioned Gaza. What about three of the wealthiest men in our country? Bezos, Musk, and Gates, where is their political insight on foreign affairs?
Justin Timberlake is currently on tour, and no one is wondering what side he is on. And yet, for some reason, Black people, or Black women, always have to fight the good fight for everyone, but who is fighting for US? Beyoncé did take her stance and made it very clear that any awareness she is highlighting currently within her career has to do with her people, BLACK PEOPLE, and if you don't like that, it sounds like a personal problem. However, we often overlook significant issues within our backyard when we focus on global concerns. From the reinstatement of strict immigration policies including ending "catch-and-release," reinstating the "Remain in Mexico" program, suspension of refugee resettlement and expanding the border wall. To the infamous freeze hiring in non-essential areas of the federal workforce, with a specific focus on reducing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiative and Plans to reduce remote work among federal employees. We are still in the first year of his term, these changes and more have already affected many Black Americans and Migrants amongst other people of color.
When do we as a people stop holding entertainers accountable for the job we pay the lawmakers we put into office to do? Part of our government's duty is to be involved in foreign affairs and to assist with any peace treaties, if possible. Too often, we are more critical of those who aren't in office than of those who hold positions that implement changes in our everyday lives. While it may seem like Beyoncé runs the world, trust me, it is still very much a white man's world and his game that we continue to be pawns in.
If you would like to know more about what is being implemented to cease various atrocities happening worldwide, please get in touch with YOUR STATE REPRESENTATIVE.
Outside of that, keep Beyoncé's name out of your mouth so that we can peacefully enjoy ACT III.
Thank you.
via The Source - Clock It.
