For decades, country music has done its best to shed its unfair bad reputation. High-minded music critics have historically dismissed it as sentimental music for hicks, rolling their eyes at the massive sales and wild popularity of its stars. None of that is just, as country music can be incredibly moving and musically dense, and its fans are one of the nicest and most welcoming communities in music.
That’s perhaps proven by the ongoing crossovers between country and pop that have electrified audiences. Lil Nas X’s Old Town Road pioneered the “country rap” style, but it took Beyoncé‘s critically acclaimed Cowboy Carter to cement the bridges between the two worlds.
But now one country star seems to be trying to underline all the old stereotypes that country was on the verge of casting off. During a recent live performance, he groused about Cowboy Carter‘s success and criticized artists he doesn’t see as “real” country, saying: “One of them’s Beyoncé, you can tell her we’re coming for her f****n’ ass. That s**t ain’t country music and it ain’t ever been country music and it ain’t gonna be country music.”
Damage control time!
Quickly realizing he’d made a mistake, Adcock took to social media in a desperate attempt to “clear this up”:
It ain’t country pic.twitter.com/kSpqWCe5yA
— Gavin Adcock Music (@GavinAdcock) June 30, 2025
He tried to argue this isn’t personal: “When I was a little kid, my mama was blasting some Beyoncé in the car. I’ve heard a ton of Beyoncé songs and I actually remember her Super Bowl Halftime Show being pretty kick-ass back in the day.”
But claimed that to him, Cowboy Carter isn’t country: “It doesn’t sound country, it doesn’t feel country, and I just don’t think that people that have dedicated their whole lives to this genre and this lifestyle should have to compete or watch that album just stay at the top just because she’s Beyoncé.”
Adcock, buddy, a rising tide raises all ships. Cowboy Carter has been credited with vastly increasing the listenership of all country music, including your own. This has seen country artists even making inroads outside the United States, a situation that once seemed impossible to crack. In addition, Cowboy Carter has seen the genre find new fans who aren’t white, with people realizing that this music isn’t just for guys in pick-up trucks swilling cans of Busch.
Coming at Beyoncé for raising the profile of your genre is just about the most short-sighted thing you can do. Gatekeeping is never a good look, especially when you’re trying to fight back against a force that’s been the best thing to happen to your genre in decades!
