Written by Michael Thervil
Photo by Kevin Mazur / Getty Images for the Recording Academy
Since many news agencies seem to be afraid to say what needs to be said, we at VEDA Communications are going to say it. The reason why Beyoncé's latest album didn’t receive any nominations at the country music awards despite being a platinum album is because the country music genre doesn’t bow down to sensationalism. There, we said it. While on the one hand it's perfectly fine for a music artist (or any artist for that matter) to experiment and dive deeper into their craft, which often times, leads them to push the limits, boundaries, and standards set before them; but it’s another thing to simply have an adverse “experience” of rejection and/or not feeling welcomed and seemingly utilizing one's fame in attempt to shift the perspective of others to accept you.
This kind of indirect shaming tactic doesn’t work in any community that champions conservative values. And the country music genre is one of those many conservative industries that simply won’t bow down to the delusional notion of “Black Girl Magic”. Make no mistake about it there have been a sizable amount of Black American country music artist that have not only brought value to the music genre, but that have been accredited by their peers as true country music artist that have amassed a true fan base of people that who actually like, listen and truly appreciate them and the genre of country music as a whole. For them, country music is a part of who you are, not something that you “do”.
Unlike Beyoncé's fans who tend to simply dick ride everything she puts out, due to their ideological fixation on the notion that a woman can do anything and everything a man can do. The idea that Beyoncé thought that she had the power to change the tide within the country music industry because she didn’t “feel welcome”, is a reflection of the current state of mind that has failed not only most people in America, but more specifically Black American women in the fact that they have (like many Americans) failed to accepted the time tested cold hard truth: which is everyone is not supposed to/will not like your ass.
Put another way, you cannot simply force people into liking you by using your status to bombard your way into their lives, and the country music industry did a fantastic job of demonstrating that fact. Keep in mind that we are not saying Beyoncé isn’t capable of being accepted by the country music industry. We are saying that in order for Beyoncé to be fully accepted by the country music industry, she will have to be either earn the right to be a part of the country music industry and/or be considered a part of that industry by her peers – not by her status as an entertainer; and most certainly not on the delusion strength of “Black Girl Magic”.
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