Being a Beyoncé fan has its ups and downs. Sure, there’s the incomparable talent, the incredible live performances, and multiple albums to dive into. But there’s also the snubs… and no matter how many times they come, they don’t hurt any less.
For a moment, let’s forget about all the times the Grammys have overlooked Beyoncé for Album of the Year (I know, it’s hard). Today, we’re talking about the fresh wound that the Country Music Awards have inflicted on Beyhive members around the globe. They’ve just released the nominees for the 2024 ceremony in November, and you won’t believe how many nominations Beyoncé earned after dominating with her acclaimed eighth solo album, Cowboy Carter.
The CMA’s couldn’t be more obvious: they do not like Beyoncé
The thing about racism is that it could either be subtle… Or it could be right in your face. In the case of the CMA’s evident dislike of Beyoncé, it’s the latter. Heck, Beyoncé made Cowboy Carter BECAUSE she was widely mistreated by the ceremony and its fans back in 2016. But even with all the success the country album has earned this year, guess how many nominations Beyoncé earned at the upcoming CMAs? ZERO.
No, you didn’t read that wrong. Cowboy Carter, the country album with the biggest debut of the year on Spotify, was snubbed at the Country Music Awards. Sounds odd, right? Beyoncé is also the first Black woman to have a number one country album, but that’s evidently not enough for the CMAs. Moreover, Cowboy Carter debuted atop the album charts in the United States, Germany, Australia, the United Kingdom, and Canada, which begs the question of what she has to do to garner the much-deserved accolades from the organization. And that’s become a necessary question that Black women have found themselves asking since time immemorial: “why must I work twice as hard as others?”
Let’s not get into how she helped open the doors for numerous Black country artists to achieve varying levels of success. Take Shaboozey for example, who was propelled to greater fame after his appearance on Cowboy Carter. Since then, he has achieved significant success on the charts with his Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper, “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” Shaboozey scored himself two nods at the CMAs, and while we’re over the moon at his success, it paints a clearer picture as to why Beyoncé was snubbed: simply because she dared to call them out.
Fans are rightfully outraged at the Beyoncé snub
Unsurprisingly, social media is in an uproar. The general consensus is that the CMAs just couldn’t wait to have their “revenge” at Beyoncé for indirectly using her album to send a message. Altogether, it’s not a good look for them, and this decision to snub the artist, who has helped elevate country music to a much wider audience, has not gone unnoticed.
At the end of the day, Beyoncé will continue to go about her life, and keep making music because it’s her passion. But it’s become so tiring to have to deal with overt racism against Black women in music. The CMAs had a chance to right their wrongs today. And while it’s disappointing that they chose the weak exit, it’s not surprising. Too bad for them though, as Cowboy Carter’s success will always speak for itself, and now the CMAs have added yet another stain to their reputation. Thankfully, you can’t take the country out of the girl, so Beyoncé will remain country through and through.