I don’t think the non country crowd understands how difficult it is to be played on country radio. If you look at the biggest streaming artists (Tyler, Zach, Kacey, etc). They are huge streaming artists and critically acclaimed but you could listen to a country station for 24 hours straight and not hear one of their songs.

I feel Post Malone has never really been 100% genre centric. Rock, Rap, Pop, folk etc. he’s always been a mixed bag. Really looking forward to his country album.

Miley Cyrus needs to do a country album! She has the background and the voice, and I mean Dolly Parton is literally her godmother. I will be forever waiting lol

I think "Daddy Lessons" is one of Beyoncé's best songs so I'm excited to see what a country album of hers will be like. I'm also really excited for a Lana country album. This is an unpopular opinion but I actually prefer her newer, folk/Americana albums like Blue Banisters and Chemtrails Over the Country Club over her old albums like Born to Die, so I can't wait to see what Lasso will be like.

I find 16 Carriages to be a much more interesting song than Texas Hold 'Em. While I do think that pop stars going country has its pros and cons, it is really cool to see that country music is at least alive and diverse now, which is more than we can say for the majority of the 2010s. I guess I'm here for it, is all I can say.

I think the big thing with Beyoncé doing country is that she seems to be doing it right. Having Rhiannon Giddens play the banjos on some tracks and shouting her out is just beautiful to see. That woman has been deserving of the world and most mainstream country people don't even know who she is. If it takes a giant mega star like beyoncé for her to get her dues, I'm all for it!

I'm over The Country Music Gatekeeping. Post, Beyoncé, Lana sounds more country than what's on the radio right now. I also like that they don't use snap tracks. At least they won't be singing about Applebee's.

As a poc country fan I’m interested to see what Beyoncé will do with this record. But at the same time I’m seeing people already claiming Beyoncé as a savior of country and someone who’s bringing country music back to black people. Also seeing how she might be the first black woman to go #1 on the billboard country charts. It’s exciting but I can’t help but feel bad for all the tried and true black country artists and poc country artists in general who have been fighting for a spot in country spaces. Beyoncé just comes in and surpasses them because she’s a big name and has the support of non country fans who don’t care about the genre unless Beyoncé is involved. Mickey Guyton, Chapel Heart, Yola, Brittney Spencer should have bigger names in country spaces than Beyoncé. People are saying this will bring new eyes to black country artists and to country music in general. But will these new eyes stick around once Beyoncè is done with this album cycle?

The whole point of the RENAISSANCE is reclaiming genres that black people made, House, Country and Rock. thats why theres 3 acts.

I saw Lana Del Rey on her most recent tour supporting her Ocean Blvd album and the show was very ‘Country themed’. She did some country covers during the show and it was really great! She did tell her fans in early 2020 she was working on a country album so I’m not surprised her album ‘Lasso’ will be country. I’m excited for it!

I do also believe racism plays apart with the Beyoncé situation. It’s a white dominated industry. It don’t help that country’s biggest acts ( Luke combs, Morgan wallen ) have had racist allegations, the wallen situation ended up being true

I love it when pop stars make country influenced songs. "Don't Tell Me" by Madonna from 2000 is still one of my favorite songs of all time because it mixes country and electronica together. Such a cool, unique and different sound!

I think it 's weird how much people are knit-picking what justifies Beyonce's new songs as country or not. I think insinuating that it's not "real" country music just because it's not made with the mainstream "Nashville" scene in mind is kind of strange in my opinion. Black people created country so I don't understand why Beyonce's take on it is calling for so much dispute when she totally has all the instrumentation there and featuring musicians that have gone unnoticed in the genre for so long.

Lana is one of my favorite modern artists. Really looking forward to Lasso.

Let me mention something that we all should know... Country Music, Blues, R &R, Bluegrass and Jazz are all derivative of the music sung by the slaves in early American history. So, this is really a homecoming for any black music artist who wishes to make a country Album.

Hey, life's short. If they want to make a country-ish album, let them make it!

did you forget about country in the nineties when it was basically pop music too

I thought Beyoncé’s two songs sounded far more “country” than most female artists on the radio currently.

I have hope that posty album could be really good. My favorite songs that he’s put out are feeling Whitney and stay which are both slower guitar based ballads. So if the album is like that I’ll be all over it

Beyoncé is making country music to open the doors for the many black women who deserve a place in the genre

Americana legend Rhiannon Giddens plays the banjo on Texas Holdem which is what sells me on that one

And it's still more country than the majority of pop country right now

It’s another Urban cowboy moment that hopefully passes real real real fast

I feel like the reason why Texas hold em doesn't have a huge chorus and stays chill throughout the song is because it'll probably transition to another song on the album. On the first renaissance album, most of the songs transitioned into each other. Maybe the following songs will be "bigger" and "countrier". Texas hold em kinda sounds like an intro track... I saw someone say it sounds like opening to a sitcom. I'm really hoping for the "daddy lessons" style country on the album. Really hoping that these two singles are just teasers to hold us over.

Unfortunately some of these pop people come in and do country better than country artists do

I think Beyoncé’s new songs are totally country! Certainly a hell of a lot more than a lot of popular country atm

listened to both songs earlier today. I think these are some of the "lighter" songs before the other songs really hit more of a true country sound. Like she's slowing turning up the heat and easing us into it

Beyonce has more of a claim to country than the other pop artists you mentioned with her being a Texan and all. She’s obviously not going to conform to a specific country mold but I’m excited to hear her spin on the genre

Beyoncé is not trying to follow a trend She wants to make a statement, she wants to reclaim the genres her black ancestors created (act I with house, act II country and Aact III will be rock) Don't put her in the same box with the other chart obsessed artists.

Well, I think another important aspect of this topic is how hegemonic the country music is. Beyoncés turn into country music democratizes the genre and its elements for people who often feel excluded from the genre.

I personally think country music has been in a slump the last few years and this could reinvigorate the industry. If not, it’ll certainly be entertaining!

If you listened to Lemonade then you know a Beyonce country album is going to be amazing. Post Malone too.

Country is popular because of Morgan Wallen and Hardy ….and everyone watching Yellowstone is getting that country vibe! Native Texan here…always been country forever and ever, amen.

I like the Beyoncé song, she has a rich soulful voice. Which pairs nicely with a country instrumental

I think Lana could really bring back that classic country vibe, and I’m here for it!

This reminds me of when Madonna released her “country-inspired” album back in 2000.

I am so excited for Lana's country album! I feel like her Blue Bannisters era was very country, but maybe more in terms of aesthetic than in terms of sound.

Fun facts, I'm seeing good comments asking for a video about Toby Keith. Remember that Sting crossed over into country back in late 90's with a song he wrote that became big duet on country charts with Toby, "I'm So Happy That I Can't Stop Crying".

I love the videos Grady. Keep up the good work. 🔥🔥🔥

The elephant in the room is that mainstream country is Republican and performative patriotism with some good ole boy party songs. Nobody gatekeeps like todays country music.

I'm really enjoying beyoncé's songs. She's a fantastic vocalist and it's nice to hear her sound in a different way. I doubt the album will give a true country vibe but if it's a fun listen I'm excited. A Miley country album would be incredible, hopefully one day.

Post is great honestly. Hes gone on thw record of being a country friend most his life as well

I'm a huge Post Malone fan and he's been teasing a country album since he first got started in music. He's been spotted regularly wearing all sorts of T-Shirts like Colter Wall and Zack Bryan and plenty of others. Yeah he was born in New York but he takes a lot of pride in being from Texas. The man's got lots of trucks, a big place in the mountains and some of the coolest looking boots and cowboy hats that I've seen anybody wear. I'm so stoked for this album.

I like to say "country is more of a spirit than it is a sound" and I have to remind myself that I say that. Cause it's easy for us to gatekeep country and be biased, admittedly. But we have to remember that we also have a tendency to set an example for others when it comes to being welcoming lol (whether that's an example that we are or we aren't, is always a work in progress lol ) so. Gotta remain open minded and stick to our open door policy lol. I am a huge fan of Post Malone , he doesn't get enough credit at all. The worst thing that ever happened was realizing that Post Malones radio stuff is actually the lesser of his work, if the world knew all of the other work he's done I think it'd be a complete different conversation!! Plus I don't think Post could be put in one genre, he's a hodgepodge of genre, rightfully so ❤️ Miley is a personal favorite of mine as well and I really hope she does more country. She is deserving of anything she ever wants to do.. anyways my point is. If we can't accept the misfits and the genuine outlaws that wanna be here then what are we really doin here ❤️

It‘s a cash grab, nothing more and nothing less. These people won’t stick around country music for long, because they aren’t really interested in country music

What are your thoughts on Lady Gaga’s Joanne? A good pop album with country elements and inspiration?

I appreciate your thoughts on this. I do think that country radio could loosen up and let itself evolve a bit and it would be more interesting. Seems like we all lose when we just fight over authenticity and who is more country. Maybe Beyonce could be the bridge that brings some people over to Kelsea and Lainey. Then next they're listening to Luke Combs and Kip Moore. I've also heard that Beyonce's album is part of a trilogy that she's doing showcasing Black people's contributions to music history. Renaissance was house music, this is country and then maybe she'll do rock. Personally, I welcome it. More country for everyone!

Beyonce, the female megastar, is a huge trigger for the country music industry. To them it was, "How dare this black woman think she can push in on our territory..our safe haven from music like hers and none white southern people." Considering a lot of the truth about us and our contributions around the world have been buried and/ destroyed...I'm not surprised that lots of generations don't know the history of where lots of styles of music, instruments, singing cadence were created by the African Diaspora. Country music's roots are grounded in the negro spirituals, which bore the fruit of: Country, Rythm and Blues, pop, Jazz, Rap, contemporary, Soul and Gospel. There have been subgenres born from these. Run DMC changed the direction those subgenres would be born from: Limp Bizkit, Korn, Metal rap, Reggaeton...etc. How strange that artists from the country music genre can cross over from country to pop with not one noise maker going off? Within the 90's to the 2010's you couldn't throw a stone without hitting one that did cross over: Faith Hill (Btw, her husband had a hit with Nelly that played on country radio) Shania Twain, Taylor Swift...etc. Pop artists and country music artists have been collaborators for decades. And let's not forget that they've written music for each other. Lionel Richie gave the legendary Kenny Rogers some great music that gave him huge hits. I'm still holding out hope that Kelly Clarkson and Pink do a whole album together...but I digress. So, why is this fine for everyone else to crossover, but Beyonce? Yeah, like I said. The, so called, conservatives are absolutely against seeing us in their safe space..when a lot of our space in it was stolen, then buried.

Old Town Road walked so all of these projects could run

I saw that Young Gravy is doing a country album too. He said he worked with Shania, Zach Brown, and Hardy

African- Americans started The WHOLE GENRE OF COUNTRY MUSIC‼️

Grady, you are so good at explaining country music. I appreciate it. Keep it up :)

I think a Lana Del Rey country album makes a lot more sense then a Beyoncé country album

It's pretty wild people want to say Beyonce's not country lolllll. She's always proudly repped Texas and her mom is from Louisiana. I'm gonna say with my chest that people who have an issue with her doing country have deeper issues then music. Would anyone question 16 Carriages if it was by say, Chris Stapleton? Have a feeling I know the answer.

Country music took 5 steps forward and now it’s 5 steps back again. Wake me up when this pop crossover is over.

As a Country music enthusiast AND Pop music enthusiast separately, I am excited and anxious for this moment in culture. I used to joke “I love country and I love pop, but I hate pop country”. And that is being severely challenged for me more and more as I observe the ways this cultural melding between genres is happening.

Most of the deep routed salt of the earth type people who are big country music fans already have a disconnect within the genre itself. You already have a big divide between what's considered "real" country, with a lot of people believing what constantly gets replayed ad naseum on the radio is not actually country, nor is it popular, compared to things like Grand ole Opry alumni, Loretta Lynn singing coal miner's daughter, or any of the old school 1940s-60s country and 80s/90s tracks about Jukeboxes and whether or not Bubba happened to shoot one, Boot Scootin Boogies, 18 Wheelers in Moonlight, That Ain't My Trucks and Pickup Man type country. For a lot of those people, if you try and play something like Florida Georgia Line they're going to slap you, tell you to get out of the truck, and/or throw the radio out the window. When you take all of the anger that's built up to a lot of post 2000 era "modern" Pop-Country, people are immediately put off when someone from another genre looks at country music as if it's some lesser form of music they can just waltz into and be taken seriously. It gives off this weird vibe that they look at country as if all they need to do is throw on a cowboy hat, belt buckle, boots and say Ya'll and suddenly they're a country music artist and their song needs played over the airwaves. Just because Beyonce put the word Texas in the title of her song and slapped on a rhinestone cowboy hat to go with her one-piece dress with her milkers hanging out for her music video, her fans believe she now has some god given right to be played on every country music station from the Atlantic to the Pacific. What just ends up happening is most of those people who love that old style country immediately either think it's worthless junk and completely ignore it at best, or actively hate it and try to openly fight back against it at worst. What I think is most disingenuous is the ever tiresome race card getting played, which I've seen happen way too much over this Beyonce is now "country" thing. Acting like just because someone isn't white with an at least mildly sunburnt rose colored neck that they aren't allowed within 50 feet of the country music border is not only a disingenuous argument coming from a political motive backing, it's a straight lie. I mean come on... shall we name a few all time country greats who aren't white? Dobie Gray, Etta Baker, Charley Pride, OB McClinton, Lionel Richie, Tina Turner, DeFord Bailey and Hootie himself Darius Rucker. But yeah, it's *totally* just a race thing. I think the problem you have is the 'old' country music style folk who are mostly rural, mostly Southern, and view country/blues as an aspect of their cultural identity, really don't appreciate when some multi-millionare city slicker pop/rock star decides to put on a cowboy hat and pretend they also grew up poor, and had to drop out of school and work at 14 because dad died, or are the child of a coal miner from rural West Virginia, or had no running water and went to a 1-room schoolhouse, that was scuffing boots in some dive bar and riding in the bench seat of dad's truck and working the farm. They just see some pop singer rolling in because their career was either tanking and they need some fresh blood, or believe there's money to be made by co-opting country music. Again, thinking just because they put on some $25,000 Louis Vuitton cowboy hat they had their assistant buy they are somehow legit country artists and should immediately get instant and total access to this entire genre of music, its fanbase, and its radio stations. It'd be like someone thinking just because they threw on some Jordans, baggy pants and a chain and made a couple rhymes on a 4:4 beat it gives them the right to be played on hip-hop stations and unrestricted access to drop some slurs and expect red-carpet welcomes to be laid out when they go to the inner-city. One is just as ridiculous as the other.

This will just send us back to 2013… pop and rap artists will release songs classified as country but not have anything country about it, it will make it big on the radio, others will see this and make songs just like them, and they will be all they will play on the radio. But good video gravy😂

hi, I've been a viewer of your vids for a while now. and while country isnt my preferred genre by any means, i find your insight into the genre fascinating. its helped put me onto a lot of great stuff from it, and i'm very excited for both the Beyonce and Lana del Rey records upcoming :)

Post Malone has shown a love and respect for the genre over the years so I could see that one being good. Beyoncé didn’t really do it for me. Felt more like a pop song with country flavors. Others I’m just not familiar with enough to make a comment. For every Ray Charles, who loves the genre and takes it seriously, I feel like we get a 15 Jessica Simpson who are just trying to cash in.

Lana's interest in country seems genuine. There is a clear country influence on her album Born to Die and she has cited many country artists as inspirations since the beginning of her career. I am looking forward to her country album.

Post Malone doesn’t surprise me. He’s done country off and on but not on an actual album. Lana Del Rey also doesn’t surprise me - she literally covered “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by John Denver - doesn’t get much more country than that. She also has a very noticeable “rural” SoCal accent so her being able to slide into a “country” sound shouldn’t be that hard - before anyone comes at me for saying this, all I’m saying is foreign people can pick out accents like Boston and Chicago as well as the general American accent. They have a very hard time discerning a southern accent from a SoCal accent (and it’s because a lot of the original settlers in CA came from the South).

I’ll actually be really into a Lana country album. It feels authentic

Lana’s been saying she’s gonna release a country album for years already!

I want a duet with Lana Del Rey and Charley Crockett

Shania Twain crossed over from country into a hybrid of country/ pop and caught some pushback for that. Garth Brooks put out a grunge rock project and caught hell for it. Taylor Smith went from country into pop and got plenty of hay bales thrown her way. I aint got no problem with Bey trying this out. I ain't got no problem with other pop stars trying it out. The question is will they make TRUE country music. That is up to each individual listener to decide for themselves. Everyone hears music differently. Plemty of country music fans absolutely LOVE Beyonce as a pop/R&B artist. But country? You heard just 2 songs. You could listen to the entire album and then decide for yourself. It could be friggin awesome or it could fall flat. But whatever the case, if you love country music, If you have a favorite country musician, If you have a favorite country song. THAT is yours to treasure. No one will take that away from you, regardless of who invades country music. Prince once said: "When I make a song and put it out there. If you enjoy it and buy it, that song no longer belongs to me, it belongs to you." Yep- do with it what you will. A REAL and TRUE devoted fan of country music isn't going to be uptight or insecure of any so called "invasion of country music". Because they KNOW what they like and they can listen to what they like whenever they like it, all the while ignoring the imitations. They ain't mad and they ain't scared of this either. That is not Beyonce's intention. And they KNOW this. Any fan who is scared or angry and insecure, is NOT a true country music fan. Because they don't trust it enough to be able to remain TRUE to itself.

Lana Del Rey has really covered all genres at this point, she even had country influences on her first ever album that got shelved before Born to Die. She’s always experimenting with different sounds in her music and is always groundbreaking.

Artists who actually appreciate and understand country are more than welcome. For example, Julien Baker is rumored to be making a country album with Torres and I would love to hear that

I am so excited for lana to go country. I normally hate modern country bc to me most of the music has like no lyrical substance, and means nothing, w exceptions like kacey. So im ready for lanas top tier writing w country instrumentals.

Sorry ... I'm gonna be the curmudgeon ... and agree with the last premise about this kind of shit pushing actual country stars back down the charts. We're FINALLY seeing movement away from bro country and pop country and now we're seeing MORE pop country trying to get on the charts and on the radio. Beyonce's a great talent ... I get it ... but I want my country music to actually be country music.

Entered?? We've been in that era for nearly 20 damn years!!

I’ve actually been hoping we’d get a post Malone country album since that Brad Paisley cover. I feel like he gets it

Thank you for the intelligent, thoughtful discourse on artist going from pop to country. Could you please make a video on why there isn’t an issue when country singers make music in other genres like pop and rock or hip hop? That’s been happening for decades. 12:54

"Whoa, funky immediately"

on the Beyonce/ Nashville point, she's also kind of rejected Nashville due to its perceived whiteness/ whitewashing of country and rock which she's been vocal about. On both daddy lessons and don't hurt yourself off Lemonade, a big part of the narrative attached to those songs was the concept of rock and country being genres that had been whitewashed by the establishment despite their black roots or the role of black music in their roots.

I like your coverage of this, thanks !

Here's my opinion that nobody asked for: all this music is good, for Beyonce trying to make country music, it's pretty good. Lana Del Rey dropped a damn good cover of Country Roads, Take Me Home, but what annoys me about this is the fan reaction. Everybody who claims to hate country music are suddenly throwing on cowboy hats, doing the git up, and proclaiming that "I've been a country fan my whole life". Also, there's the believability issue. Sure, Beyonce is from Texas, but she's been pretty urbanized by her pop career. She's become a symbol for NYC, and that ain't where country music is made. I do think that this is all intended to be a compliment to the genre, because huge stars like Beyonce, Lana Del Rey and Post Malone want in, but I don't like that Beyonce is gonna steal radio play from a bunch of hard working country artists who've been slaving away in Nashville for years.

This is probably one of the best reviews I've heard as it relates to these particular 2 songs. Country inspired sounds much more accurate. Daddy lessons was definitely more of a country song compared to these two. However we can't shy away from the fact that a lot of country music fans are racist. We saw an element of this after the backlash the CMAs got for allowing Beyonce to perform with the Dixie Chicks on the CMAs. Unfortunately, in that particular case, this wasn't due to media hype. We actually saw real comments that country music fans posted to the CMAs for letting Beyonce perform.

I've been waiting for this video! I've been think this for awhile now

MY GOD WILL MEDIA STOP SAYING THAT COUNTRY MUSIC EXCLUDES BLACK PEOPLE!? Charley Pride is one of the greatest to ever do it and is literally in the country music hall of fame. Make good music and country fans like it, it is literally that simple. Rant aside, I think it's cool that people want to get into country, perhaps not all of the people really will mean it but I don't think it hurts anything to let them try. I have been waiting for Post Malone to put out something for a while since the covers and the pictures (I mean Post Malone was literally playing beer pong with Randy Travis while Tyler Childers played in the background and Billy Strings was watching). Beyonce is Beyonce, I feel like she can do what she wants, and I am not a big fan of Lana Del Rey's but still interested to see what the album will be like.

It's not that Country is the cool kid on the block lol. It's just that certain artists KNOW they can do it better! Check out The Groovy Guru's "That Ghetto Country Song". Also, check out Goodie Mob's "Off Road". Dude, whenever it came to meeting a girl, when asked "What kind of music do you like", the answer was always "Anything but Country". BUT NOW, people will start enjoying Country thanks to artists like Beyonce. Well, and The Groovy Guru.

Wake me up when it's over.

Lana makes the most sense to me because she is lyrically there and has the aesthetic a little. I just wish it would stop sounding like she was singing from the bottom of a well

Country has been pop for a good while now. Interstingly, Beyonce's country is more classic country than modern country is right now.

Based on the history of country…I think it’s been in a haze for decades. Just like rock and folk music . Folks who sing r&b, gospel, blues, soul…it’s natural …so it’s kinda like coming back home.

Texas Hold'em also reminds me of Rhiannon Giddens' You Louisiana Man which I love.

Labels “pop” “rap” “country” and “r&b” are outdated in an era of Post Malone, Jelly Roll, Lil Nas X, etc…

I always thought Irreplaceable could’ve been re-worked as a country song, so I’m not surprised Beyoncé has finally gone full country.

'I'm coming in....to disrupt country.' God Bless AJ McLean.

well there is a ton of people who dont think country i country anymore, so im not shocked pop is in country

I'm all for pop artists taking a stab at country, so long as the interest is genuine and not cynical. The last thing I wanna hear is a generic lists of things with a fake southern accent. I get enough of that out of Music Row's generic country guy factory.

No no no no no. In the great words of Mike Wazowski, “Put that thing back where it came from or so help me!”

I want Hannah Montana to make a Country Album! 😂😂😂

Can’t wait to here this so called Country Music By Beyoncé on a Hip Hop radio station 🤣🤣🤣🤣

OK bro, have you ever did your research about country music or how country music originally got started If you didn’t know, country music was originally started by African-American culture go do your research First was abducted into the Grand Opry was Deford Bailey and Rosetta throupe ! Going into research about how country music originally got started, and I promise you people like you will be very surprised how it originally got started !

Give me 3 steps Mister and you'll never see me no more

I don’t have a problem with crossing genres but for most pop stars it’s an unauthentic and greedy cash grab. All most country folks want is authentic music but that’s not what we’re getting. That’s why Zach and Tyler are so popular. Don’t want to be that guy but it’s the truth.

I really hate this. Please don’t try to pretend this is going to be fun or good for country.

Could you do a video on artists you think would pair well in a feature with Posty? Personally top pick is Koe Wetzel.

I hope that artists experimenting with country can inspire the next era of pop music to make a return to AC/Romantic Pop Ballads & RnB.