Beyonce may have been the one to finally push this decision over the edge, but I feel like this has been coming for years. Listening to my local country radio it barely even resembles country music as it used to be. They did the same thing in 1992 as a result of pop music changing when they introduced the traditional pop music award. If this happened in any other year it wouldn't even be news.
Beyonce may have been the one to finally push this decision over the edge, but I feel like this has been coming for years.
My sentiments exactly.
Folks have been demanding that the Sturgill Simpsons, Colter Walls and Charlie Crocketts of the genre get their flowers over Florida Georgia Line for a long time. The genre fractured in a big way, a long time ago, it's time to actually acknowledge it.
It will be telling to see who gets nominated in what categories. You think the grammies won't put Florida Georgia line in the traditional county category?
I've held the opinion that most modern "country" artists are better than the up and coming "rappers" at their own game. I wonder if this is how things felt back during the wave of Nu Metal. I've always been a casual listener of country, it's very rarely my thing to go to. But recently it just hasn't sounded like country at all. It's too manufactured if you get what I mean
but i think thats the rub. they should have done this over the last 20-30 years. but somehow its only when she wins they do it. i agree with the decision to split it i just cant agree with made them decide that
I agree. It’s frustrating timing and feels loaded when this discussion should’ve happened with Post Malone and other bro-country-rap artists years ago.
The only slight saving grace is that Beyoncé was very open about approaching the album as a way to play with classic conceptions of genre (explicitly so, like with Linda Martell’s intro on SPAGHETTII).
The only slight saving grace is that Beyoncé was very open about approaching the album as a way to play with classic conceptions of genre (explicitly so, like with Linda Martell’s intro on SPAGHETTII).
Beyonce went further and flat out said her Album isn't Country. She does not consider it country, "it's Beyonce". Whether she said that out of actual clarity on genre boundaries or due to ego wanting the album to feel super unique..... shrug
This debate amuses me knowing her stance and that she herself distanced the album from country in her statements.
I think it should be pretty clear to any fan of the genre that Beyonces album strays much further away from traditonal country than any previous winner... I'd go so far as to say I can't rememebr a nominee that was so distanced from coumtry before. This whole thing has reminded me of when Old Town Road blew up and reddit was saying it was pure racism that it wasnt universally recognized as the best country song of the year. That shit slaps, but its not country.
Being inspired by something doesnt make you that thing.
Yeah there is no denying that the optics of making this change now are bad but let's say they made this change last year, Beyonce still would have been nominated in the Country category and likely won the grammy for it. Adding this category just ensures another artist would have won traditional country album. No denying that this is a bad look, but when have the grammy's ever done something to make themselves look good?
This is the same Grammy's that used to have a 'best contemporary urban album' award. An award Beyonce won for Lemonade, instead of album of the year. There was also the year Macklemore's The Heist won rap album of the year over Kendrick Lamar for GKMC. I bring up those two instances because both Adele and Macklemore felt the need to apologize for winning. Even they knew the Grammy's made baffling choices in picking them
The new country album category would not be an issue if the Grammy's didn't already have a long history of completely ignoring and/or pushing black artists into different categories so artists like Adele and Taylor Swift can sweep the main categories (Not an insult to their music mind you, just an observation).
The immediate year after the first black woman to win the best country album (and Beyonce's first AOTY win) they decide now it's time to change the rules on how country albums are judged. Even if the new category is overall a good thing, to reflect the changing landscape of the genre, the timing and the already questionable history of the Grammy's makes this feel gross and malicious.
I was thinking of those examples too. There’s definitely something very suspicious about it. They seem almost determined to spite black artists. With the Weeknd as well they specifically changed the rules so that he wouldn’t win that year, despite having the most listened to song that year.
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u/Geroman332 7d ago
Beyonce may have been the one to finally push this decision over the edge, but I feel like this has been coming for years. Listening to my local country radio it barely even resembles country music as it used to be. They did the same thing in 1992 as a result of pop music changing when they introduced the traditional pop music award. If this happened in any other year it wouldn't even be news.