Have you ever seen a dog mark its territory? Well, apparently, that’s what Beyonce is doing with her new country album, according to actor and singer John Schneider.
The Grammy Awards never fail to deliver viral moments, and Jay-Z made sure to leave his mark during his acceptance speech.
While calling out the awards show for snubbing his wife Beyoncé, Jay-Z inadvertently created a moment that viewers couldn’t help but find ironic.
Jay-Z, the influential rapper behind hits like “Empire State of Mind,” was honored with the prestigious Dr. Dre Global Impact Award at the Grammys.
In his acceptance speech, he took the opportunity to acknowledge the pioneers of hip-hop who paved the way for artists like himself.
Jay-Z gave thanks to legendary figures like Dr. Dre, Run-DMC, The Fresh Prince (Will Smith), and Jazzy Jeff, recognizing their immense contributions to the genre.
The Snubbing of Beyoncé
However, it was when Jay-Z turned his attention to his wife, Beyoncé, that things took an unexpected turn.
Jay-Z called out the Grammys for continuously overlooking Beyoncé’s albums in the “Album of the Year” category.
He highlighted the irony of Beyoncé having more Grammys than anyone else but never winning the top award.
“I don’t want to embarrass this young lady, but she has more Grammys than everyone and never won Album of the Year. So even by your own metrics, that doesn’t work. Think about that, the most Grammys, never won Album of the Year. That doesn’t work.”
The Awkward Moment
As the camera panned to Beyoncé, viewers couldn’t help but feel the awkwardness of the situation.
Jay-Z’s remarks put a spotlight on the discrepancy between Beyoncé’s undeniable talent and the Grammy’s failure to recognize it fully.
Shades Thrown and Memorable Reactions
Jay-Z didn’t stop there. He continued to throw shade at the Grammy Awards, suggesting that some artists may have been undeserving of their wins.
The crowd audibly groaned, unsure how to react to his bold comments. However, Jay-Z tempered his speech with a heartfelt message, urging everyone to keep showing up in life.
“Some of you are going to go home tonight and feel like you’ve been robbed, some of you may have robbed. Some of you don’t belong in a category.”
A Kanye West Moment?
This epic Grammy speech drew comparisons to another memorable awards show moment involving Beyoncé.
In 2009, Kanye West famously interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards, proclaiming that Beyoncé should have won instead.
Viewers couldn’t help but see similarities between Jay-Z’s remarks and Kanye’s infamous act. “Jay-Z’s full Kanye moment. It’s all happening,” one person wrote on X.
The Aftermath
As with any viral moment, social media exploded with reactions to Jay-Z’s speech. Memes, GIFs, and videos flooded timelines, capturing the hilarity and irony of the situation.
Fans wondered when artists would stop embarrassing Beyoncé at award shows, as it seemed like a recurring theme.
Another dilemma
Now, Beyoncé is dealing with even more disrespect as she forays into a different genre of music.
During the Super Bowl, the star did a commercial with Verizon where she announced she had new music on the way.
Later that night, she dropped two country songs: “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages.”
Obviously, Beyoncé isn’t known for being a country artist, so this switch up had a lot of fans surprised.
But, still, the Bey Hive embraced this change and started streaming both songs, sending them to the top of country charts.
Sadly, not everyone accepted her foray into the genre, including one country station in Oklahoma
The Backlash
One fan requested their local station, KYKC-FM, play “Texas Hold ‘Em,” only to have the request shut down by the station.
The fan posted SCORE’s reply to social media, which read that “We do not play Beyoncé on KYKC as we are a country music station.”
This caused a public outcry from fans, who immediately flocked to the station’s contact page to complain about this denial.
And finally, after a few hours, the station came around to playing the song.
Roger Harris, a general manager for South Central Oklahoma Radio Enterprises, which oversees KYKC told CBS News that the station initially didn’t know Beyoncé had released two country music songs.
He also explained that the initial response to the fan was a “standard reply” since KYKC don’t play her music — but does on to two of its others. In addition, Harris said KYKC didn’t “even have the song.”
“Because we are a small station, we don’t get serviced by the big labels like bigger stations do,” he added.
After emails, calls, and even more requests flooded the station, Harris said they made an effort to track it down, listened to it, and agreed that it sounded “country.”
Beyonce’s Unexpected Move into Country
The “Single Ladies” crooner, known for her powerful vocals and fierce performances, has decided to try her hand at a totally different genre, and her fans are here for it.
The two tracks, “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,” made their debut during the Super Bowl, catching everyone off guard.
The Dog Analogy by John Schneider
Enter John Schneider. The former “Dukes of Hazzard” star, now a country musician himself, had quite an interesting take on Beyonce’s genre switch.
In an interview with the conservative network One American News, Schneider compared Beyonce’s move into country music to a dog marking its territory in a park.
Yep, you read that right. Apparently, the left-leaning entertainment industry folks have to “mark their territory” in every genre, according to him.
Public Backlash and Social Media Uproar
Let’s just say that Schneider’s comments didn’t sit well with the public. His dog analogy sparked a flurry of outrage on social media platforms, particularly on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
One user described Schneider’s comment as not just a racist dog whistle, but a “freakin’ foghorn!” Another user called it “white supremacy gone wild on OAN.”
Racism Allegations and Call-Outs
Many people took to social media to express their disgust, accusing Schneider of racism.
One user wrote, “Not this RACIST yt [sic] man COMPARING a Black woman to a dog for making country music! This is so GROSS.”
Another user pointed out that this wasn’t the first time a black artist was scrutinized for venturing into country music, citing the example of Tracy Chapman.
Rising High Despite Controversy
Despite the controversy, Beyonce’s new country songs are climbing the charts. Music experts haven’t hesitated to welcome the pop diva into the genre.
Alpha Media-owned radio station KBAY’s Bo Matthews told Billboard that they added “Texas Hold ’Em” in a sub-power rotation, which is where they put top-trending new music.
The Big Picture
Beyonce’s move into country music and Schneider’s subsequent comments have reignited a longstanding debate about racial exclusion and genre boundaries in the music industry.
As the controversy simmers, the bottom line remains clear: music is a universal language that transcends genres and boundaries.
And as for Beyonce, she’s just doing what she does best – making great music and breaking down barriers.
So, whether you agree with Schneider’s dog analogy or not, one thing is for sure: Beyonce’s entry into the country music scene has stirred up quite a storm.
But hey, isn’t that what great art is supposed to do?
Stir the pot, challenge the status quo, and keep us all on our toes.
In the end, no matter what genre she dabbles in, we’re still going to be crazy in love with Beyonce’s music. After all, who runs the world? Girls!