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Rhiannon Giddens Slams ‘Problematic’ Backlash to Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’: ‘That’s Just Racism’
Rhiannon Giddens slams the backlash to Beyonce's 'Cowboy Carter' and pivot to country. Watch Billboard's exclusive clip of her IMPACT x Nightline chat.
Ahead of the album’s release, “Texas Hold ‘Em” banjo player Rhiannon Giddens joined IMPACT x Nightline to talk about racism in country music, pop crossovers in the genre and the backlash against Cowboy Carter in the episode airing March 28, and Billboard has an exclusive sneak peek. “It’s been really interesting,” Giddens tells IMPACT x Nightline ‘s Janai Norman of the resounding success of catchy country-pop track “Texas Hold ‘Em,” which Beyonce dropped during the 2024 Super Bowl alongside the rousing, reflective ballad “16 Carriages.” “I have been on … a slight roller-coaster ride of … exposure of my music, TikToks being danced to my banjo sound– that’s been really, really, really amazing. One Oklahoma radio station initially refused to play “Texas” (it later reversed its decision), and, upon revealing the Cowboy Carter album cover, Beyoncé was immediately embroiled in discourse surrounding the intricacies of the dynamic between Black Southern identities and Americana imagery.
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