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How Black Artists Have Been Changing the Game in Country Music | Billboard News


Black artists have been shaping country music since the 1920s, with artists such as Lil Nas X and Beyonce continuing to change it today.

Black artists have been changing the game in the genre for quite some time — even before Beyoncé decided to put the history in the forefront. Even Johnny Cash learned from Black musician Gus Cannon, right as Nashville became the country music capital. Lil Nas X and Beyonce have recently brought that attention mainstream with Beyoncé’s album Cowboy Carter exploring all sounds of Black country music, even using the language the Rodeo Chitlin’ Circuit, a network of venues where Black musicians could perform safely between the 1930s and 1960s.

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