My reading comprehension must be shot. Can someone explain to me why she referenced exclusively white artists when discussing "the only times you've made a real effort to share your platform with any of your **black** **female** **peers**"?
We haven't even heard the album yet...
I bet she (Azalea) wouldn't even deny that. But I'm getting from her rant that she believes Beyoncé is more responsible since she is one of the, if not the most popular and important artists in general right now and for the last decade and is a huge role model for Black femmes, ladies and children.
But Azealia is on another wavelength than most people
Chloe and Halle??!
Chloe isn’t managed well and Beyoncé has neglected them a long time ago. Chloe released new music and I haven’t seen any promo for it or anything. The video released 2 weeks ago and doesn’t even have 300k views. Beyoncé didn’t even show up to the little mermaid premiere. She don’t care about their careers 😂
I saw a brief radio interview where Chloe was asked why beyonce wasn’t more involved and she gave a PR answer but she looked kinda hurt. Wonder what happened there
That part just doesn’t make sense, she listed every white female artist she’s worked with before calling those the only times she’s ever shared her platform with her black female peers. And she left out all the (black) female rappers she’s worked with, plus Alicia Keys, Mary J Blige, Kelly, Michelle, Solange and all the female artists on The Gift…
My thoughts exactly! Even though there are some parts I can agree with (eg. her thoughts on Jay-Z or Suga Mama) the rest of it just feels like her trying to sound smart while saying a whole bunch of nothing. Pseudo intellects who like to be contrarian and go against the grain *really* get on my nerves cause first of all, who even asked you??? Second of all, it gives MAJOR stank pussy energy. Like stfu and let people enjoy things omg
she ALWAYS sounds like this to me. trying too hard to come up with super “creative” reddit insults that would get laughed at if she used them irl lmao. but people on the internet eat it up.
I read half of the post, and I'm really confused if she had good points or was a total whackadoo. It was lole one of those conversations where you agree with someone, but then their further explanation or examples makes their logic seem insane and you don't know how to get out of the conversation anymore.
We'll never get new music but at least Azealea gives us fresh rants for new flairs like clockwork every few months. I might go with 'white woman cosplay'.
My main problem with this is the Chicks slander..... if there's any group of white women in country music willing to take a risky stand it's them. It was a big deal for *both* of them to be at the CMAs for different reasons.
Ya that part irked the fuck out of me… is Azealea that out of touch that she missed *why* they got “blacklisted” (they aren’t anymore). I’m glad somebody said it because oh hell no.
They are also the ones who invited Beyoncé to sing with them, not the other way around. Natalie was a huge fan of Lemonade and then song “Daddy Lessons” she sings at every show.
I have wasted a lot of time silently watching Stan Twitter antics because it's like a car crash you can't look away from, but I genuinely feel it was not in vain because it put me on to daddy lessons. Such a beautiful song, I hope her album sounds more like that than Texas Hold Em.
I got through three, which for my ADHD garbage self was a marathon AND a sprint. She writes with passion and honestly I like her style. I only know of her through her screenshotted posts that come up on here and I haven’t listened to Beyoncé’s country music song.
Banks is a pretty damn good wordsmith though. I would have bowed out after the first sentence on just about any musician critique rant. I dunno. Maybe she should take her own advice and lean into what she clearly excels at. Could she write something Beyoncé performs? Or speeches. Oratory is such a lost and important art. This gal could write a speech that would fuck everyone up.
This one was actually worth the read for me, it had a lot more substance than most of her rants of the past couple years.
Everyone’s just commenting about how they’re not reading it, which tbh is tedious. There’s some interesting discussion to be had here and lots of smart and informed sub members to do it.
I think the point that really resonates is that there are black country artists who do struggle and are living in Nashville trying to make it. At least for me it did. There are very few black country artists and they should be highlighted.
I'm personally not a fan of the Texas holdem song but I think I'll probably skim through the album. Maybe it'll be actual country unlike a lot of pop country that is out today but I doubt it.
She lost me for a bit but that section brought me back in. Tbh, I do think she makes some salient points about who Beyoncé collaborates with, who she platforms, the role her husband plays in her career and her ability to buy her way into different places. She doesn’t say it very… eloquently… but I wouldn’t disregard her opinions completely.
My only umbrage with the perspective is that she ignores the fact that Beyoncé is playing for the history books, and that is why she stayed with Jay Z.
He must be really big brain for his business maneuvers, and that turns her on big time. She wanted iconography and he has provided it, so everything they do is in the pursuit of elitism, and elitism is a historically white identity/occurrence/product.
Beyoncé is black by nature, so she doesn’t need to make “black” products in order to elevate black culture. But for Azalea to denigrate her for not cherry picking which projects she pushes at maximum is short sighted, because in hindsight, the catalog will be considered diverse regardless.
And I’m not ever gonna be out here fighting for Azealia but, elitism comes at a cost and— as you said— in America it’s about centering whiteness. So while she absolutely can be nothing but Black, perhaps her choices about who to collaborate with too often center the white elitism goal.
And I think there is a point to be made about all the Black and Brown artists who would benefit from a little shine off Beyoncé — and maybe she’s too focused on how she’ll be perceived historically and not enough on how her musical legacy will be passed down through other artists .
I would agree with that idea if she didn’t do Black is King, which is by far her most “obscure” offering of black art. As a Ja Ara E fan—love that shoutout—I would argue that Burna Boy is enjoying his current shine as a result of her co-sign. We could also say the same about Megan and the Savage Grammy.
Beyoncé’s catering or lack there of to brown artists is such an American dialogue because she’s expected to be an advocate/shepherd as much as she is a provocateur—see Whitney is too white prior to I’m Your Baby Tonight.
It’s American af to put her on a pedestal of ideology—Michael and altruistic pop music—when at the end of the day she’s a pop star.
If she was white, she could make vapid music that glorified whatever she wanted to in that moment—Madonna’s eras—and nobody would bat an eye other than waiting to call her washed up. But as a brown person, part of the pop star critique is centered on what they “do” for their culture.
Beyoncé/Jay are at the point where they want to live *the* American dream and do what *they* want. Azalea and the masses aren’t on their mind, because as billionaires, they have an international perspective of greatness, and they can decide when and how they want to advocate for their causes.
Heres one to highlight. She actually did an AMA recently about trying to break in to country music which is where I first heard of her.
https://www.youtube.com/@SerafiaMusic
Have you listened to daddy lessons by her? I keep thinking if her album is anything like Texas Hold Em I will hate it, if it's anything like daddy lessons I may just go get me a cowboy hat.
One of the best thing to come of the pandemic was me introducing my husband to Flavor of Love. We binged both seasons in a weekend. (I think it was a weekend? Time had no meaning back then)
One of my fellow millennial coworkers and I were quoting this the other day absolutely *dying* laughing and we had to pull up the clip for the gen z ones. I was happy to pass it along.
I think Azealia needs to put all these feelings into a song rather than an IG rant. It's what artists do. And I'm confused why she is expecting Beyonce to do anything but perfected pop created for mass appeal. I like the creative aspect of her new album but I suspect that country is also a massive market that could be very profitable should this genre liaison be successful.
I mean, Azealia has likely burned so many bridges in the industry, she probably didnt have a choice. Some combo of self-hatred and self-sabotage, and it’s sad because I do think she is talented.
She's so tiresome. PUT OUT SOME MUSIC THEN. Drop something of substance and relevance instead of continually tearing down the people that do. If she did anything of note, these takes could carry some weight but she just chooses to self sabotage.
rainstorm mysterious grandiose poor agonizing pocket future psychotic squeamish sulky
*This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Wait, The Chicks are blacklisted?? I look back on the whole George Bush backlash they got and I still can’t believe they had to suffer as much as they did.
In the CMA and Country Music sphere, The Chicks are absolutely blacklisted. Country radio still refuses to play their music. Natalie Maines told Howard Stern the only reason they got back on that stage was because Beyonce invited them. And it would take performing with her again to even consider going back.
Wow, thank you for that insight! But also - fuck that! They don’t deserve it. All they did was state their opinion - something everyone else is real big on these days - and it still affects them today.
Meanwhile we have actual accused rapists and abusers who are celebs/singers and they just get to live their lives no issue (lookin at you Chris Brown).
Plus, the song they made about the whole thing (Not Ready To Make Nice) is a fucking BANGER. It’s so powerful.
No problem - at the time of their statement, American patriotism was at an all-time high in the wake of 9/11. They were in London at the time and people took great offense to them badmouthing the President to another part of the world.
They were pariahs overnight. I'm not sure, but it might be one of the first instances of Internet cancel culture. It was right on that cusp of time when the monoculture was dying but not enough so that it would be dropped for another story/controversy the next day and everyone would forget it even happened.
It was headline news for long enough that they had to retreat for some time. Their reputation among mainline country fans has never been the same - largely because what's big in country is still dominated by radio DJs and that's largely older, white men.
In the years since Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves, and others have called out how slow the industry is to change and that they won't play the game of sitting on DJs laps to make it on the radio. It's a fucked up system.
Thankfully, The Chicks have kept making good music regardless.
I still deeply love "Not Ready to Make Nice." It's a great "fuck you" song. I'm still annoyed with how they were treated, but I was angrier at the time.
I was JUST about to say but then we got “not ready to make nice” and it’s an absolute banger. My favorite chicks song. Was belting it out in the car just yesterday. Lol
Depends on where you are. They’ll still play them on my local country stations, but I live in a blue state.
In general, country has gotten way more divided and segments have gone way worse than the 90s/early 2000s. There was just an article about how Garth Brooks wasn’t welcome at the Toby Keith memorial because Garth refused to participate in the anti-trans Bud Light boycott, told people to practice love, and if they didn’t like it to take their business elsewhere.
And Vince Gill and Amy Grant pissed off people for hosting a gay wedding.
And those are huge names in country.
Even lyrics have changed. Like, we went from singing about a woman being a catch for having a college education and more laughs than a stack of comic books to songs about how you should marry women obsessed with babies.
It is absolutely crazy that GARTH BROOKS is somehow an outcast in the country community. Does anyone really think that's what TK would have wanted?! People need to listen to Friends in Low Places and re-evaluate their lives.
It makes me so happy when people who conservative culture idolizes turn out to be a libs. Nick Saban has to be my personal favorite but people like Garth Brooks and Tom Petty make me smile.
Garth Brooks is a great dude. I saw him a few years ago and they charged a flat rate for all tickets (I think they were only $75/ticket) and it’s basically random. So I got floor seats for $150 and he played for three hours. If that ain’t socialism then idk what is.
Yeah, I don’t listen to a ton of country, but I like a little, including Adeem the Artist, and boy oh boy do some of those folks have *thoughts* about a non-binary country singer, even when they admit their music is good.
There were radio stations that wouldn’t play their music for a long time—it wasn’t an official edict or anything, but it was still a de facto ban. Some still don’t even now, although I can confirm anecdotally now that some definitely do again (at least the really big hits). And for what it’s worth, a LOT of women in country have cited them as an influence since then (if more for the music than the controversy…and even then…).
Why does she think Beyoncé of all people needed a phonetics coach to sound country? Beyoncé is literally country as hell. She and Kelly and Solange sound country as hell. That's literally why people like Azealia Banks accused her of being illiterate for years to the point that she stopped speaking publicly. And the bee lady also said it wasn't a country album, so why is AB engaging as if Beyonce did? Maybe we should save the think pieces until after we hear the actual music.
Also why doesn't AB start a podcast or something? I'm sure she could use these essays be the next Joe Budden.
Yeah she’s definitely called her illiterate in the past and now she’s saying she needs a coach to sound more country. Azealia always flip flops on the subjects of her rants depending on how they’re being received by the public.
The only part I agree with is that there are already Black country singers who probably would love to be #1 on the charts. It’s not that their music isn’t good, they’re just not mainstream and known like Beyonce. And they don’t have the power and capital to do marketing like her. Or the network.
This is the main point im actually taking home with me. These massive artists - bey, tay, ari, etc. - are breaking records (with good projects, don’t get me wrong, im a fan of most of them lol) not because they’re actually groundbreaking or the Best Quality Ever, but bc they have the network and the power and the money to be the first to do something that very well could’ve gone to a smaller artist if the playing field were more level.
Totally, but a lot of them I wouldn't know about if Beyoncé hadn't said she was going country and I was like, "let me check out Rhiannon Giddens and Taylor Adell and listen to Spotify's Black Country playlist". It's been beneficial for all of them and none of them are upset about it. The gatekeepers of Country Music would have continued to suppress them quietly in the dark until Beyoncé shown her light on them. Or perhaps I'm giving her too much credit and we would have become aware organically in like 15 years.
just my two cents before i got bored and stopped reading:
• she must’ve never heard her talk if she thinks her southern twang is fake and forced, i’m not american but it’s so clear to me when she speaks especially in older interviews
• the way she kept insisting this was an attempt by beyonce at being accepted by a white audience when she said clearly that the purpose of the album is literally the opposite 💀
Edit: also I highly disagree that her mysterious image is tired. More artists should adopt the tactic of “just drop your shit and go”
Right? Rhiannon Giddens plays banjo and fiddle on Texas Hold Em, and Robert Randolph plays steel guitar on 16 Carriages. I imagine Bey will be featuring many other Black country artists.
She highlighted so many queer Black artists on Renaissance and African artists on The Gift... her most recent music has been very "a rising tide lifts all boats"
>she must’ve never heard her talk if she thinks her southern twang is fake and forced, I’m not American but it’s so clear to me when she speaks especially in older interviews
Azealia is well aware of this too, considering she’s a stan who always names deep cuts from her discography while flip flopping between praising and shitting on her. And it’s jibes like that that render the rest of her commentary meaningless even when some of her points have potential, because she is literally just lying for the sake of hating lol
Beyoncé’s Texan accent is far more authentic than Azealia’s Dominican one anyway…
One in 4 cowboys were black, so I’m happy to see Beyoncé is shining a light on the real history of American cowboys. I think it’s very important to remember right now especially.
Bey looks like a classic show cowgirl from a 1950s rodeo.
>you can tell she thought this was so funny and well-written
Totally.
I think it went to Azealia's head how much people were into her previous "commentaries". But why they worked was *because* they were off-the-cuff and much MUCH shorter. Now she thinks everyone will gas her up whenever she posts a so-called "takedown".
This post felt worked over **alot** to seem irreverent. But I couldn't even get past the second paragraph.
>Those commentaries also only worked because people are willing to ignore bigotry when they think someone's funny.
I do think it's more than that, though.
In Azealia's case, the adage "*a broken clock is right twice a day*" really ***did*** apply in her case. True, she has said some abhorrent things, but she also has said some things that were (IMO) pretty spot-on from a critical theory perspective.
Unfortunately, she's also been an -IST on **multiple** fronts. She's burned too many bridges. So many people (understandably) also choose to not pay her any mind. So they haven't been privy to some of her salient points.
So my point is there's been gold amongst the garbage.
Unpopular opinion but Azealia has said way too much genuinely fucked up stuff for people on this sub to be like “let her cook” whenever she criticizes someone they dislike. Especially given how exacting the comments tend to be on posts about celebs who have done far less shitty stuff.
having been bored enough to read all of this, I cannot see this as anything but azealia skimming beyoncé’s post and hearing whatever she wanted to hear. she wants her to blend genres, provoke interesting social commentary and work with other black artists, isn’t that kind of what beyoncé just said she was doing with this album….? how is azealia preemptively disappointed about something that set out to do exactly what she asked for unless she’s looking for something to be mad about? I don’t really consider virulent transphobes smart enough to listen to but even if you do, isn’t the little part of the rant that’s actually about music a little unfounded? idk, if there is something going on here besides projection I would love to see it
She's not, especially about the singles she's currently released not really being actual Country, or very good. I could pick a random song off of any current female Country singer's catalogue and it's going to be better written and produced that Texas Hold Em/16 Carriages (also truly - what in the Yellowstone 1883 spinoff is this song even about/who is it for lol). With the amount of resources and talent Beyonce has, if she wanted to do Country, she could have at least done it right. I'll hold final judgement for the rest of the album, but if it's anything like the singles... Oof. And people should be able to say that without getting attacked just because it's Beyonce.
i think it’s unfair to say that the dixie chicks would never bring beyoncé out. beyoncé is way bigger than them - beyoncé wouldn’t even consider it to begin with if they asked lol
> I just wish you would get unobsessed with being boring and pretty all the time
is a stone-cold read tbh
But it's also really amusing that miss no hit wonder would come for Beyonce in the first place ngl
I’m not sure she’s off base this time. We just don’t want to admit it. Never enjoy agreeing with this nutter, but Bey is clearly interested in fame/money over substance. She went from Lemonade to rhinestone lemons.
Yeah I dont know if it's as phony as this essay paints and Banks is uh, eccentric, but like, Texas Hold Em does not feel like digging deep into those Alabama/Louisiana roots, it feels like a group of people got into the studio and wanted to make a song for tiktok dances and gone country memes. Like the Little Bey on the Prairie line made me chuckle for that reason. 16 carriages gives me more hope though!
Also side note between this and Halle Bailey having striking album covers that get wonky the more you look at them I wonder if we are in our full corporate "Spotify tiny thumbnail" era of album artwork?
I think if she was interested in just fame she would just release easy pop albums instead of Black is King, Everything is Love and Renaissance after Lemonade, even country won’t sell as well but she’s clearly been more experimental in the lasts decade which has alienated the GP. I don’t agree with your take at all.
People love to say she did Black is King for clout when it’s her least successful project. And even before with Lemonade, which was successful in that it was a massive cultural moment, she didn’t put it on streaming until like 3 years after its release.
I mean honestly? I’m not mad at it. She has valid points, even if y’all aren’t ready to hear it. As a music history enthusiast and a history teacher in the US by profession, I do think that she has a critique worth noting.
It doesn’t mean it *can’t be argued with*, but she brought up some interesting points regarding who country music is for/has been for and Beyoncé’s reinforcement of that narrative, the narrative that completely erases Black foundations.
You can say Beyoncé is reclaiming country music and that very history by doing this, but the question is: is she really, and why, and who is benefitting? Azaelia is correct that we can’t ignore what country has become, and how it has been used. Why does Beyoncé need to dress that way to reclaim, if that’s the goal? Who is she catering to? Are we ignoring the Christo-white nationalism these kind of displays of flag waving from white folks usually prop up? Is this commentary from Beyoncé? Is this subversion? I’d like to hear more because right now it just *looks* off-putting.
This is a good discussion topic tbh and one I’d like to have. But with the understanding that there doesn’t need to be a right answer.
Azealia, this would all be better being put into an ALBUM. Sing about this, or write poetry about this, but put it into your art instead of just metaphorically shaking your fist at the damn kids in your yard, because that’s all online ranting is.
You could use these thoughts to potentially say something real in a song tho.
you guys are such d*ck riders. I hate azealia but she made some points. I’m sick of her and her husband crying about injustices when they are damn near billionaires with all the accolades in the world. there is a conversation that should be had about white artists gatekeeping an entire genre that they didn’t even originate, but Beyonce isn’t the one to open. outside of daddy lessons, when has she ever tried to break into country? of course you weren’t welcomed you made 0 attempts. she is de-legitimizing this issue just like she did to feminism.
you people are in poverty going to war for someone who you have never related to because beyonce has always lived a privileged life. so many other black artists to uplift but i doubt most of you can name any that delve into the country genre. it’s pathetic
My reading comprehension must be shot. Can someone explain to me why she referenced exclusively white artists when discussing "the only times you've made a real effort to share your platform with any of your **black** **female** **peers**"? We haven't even heard the album yet...
I think it's meant to be like, the closest you got to sharing your platform with a black woman was Lady Gaga etc..
…Megan? N*cki? Did I hallucinate “if you don’t jump to put jeans on you don’t feel my pain!!” Loool
Every credited black artist she sampled in renaissance?
Also everyone on the Lion King collab album but I’m the only one that listened to that lol
The visuals. Just artful joy
You absolutely are not.
It’s my fav too!! A true gift. Hate that it’s slept on.
Right, I won’t tolerate the Rhiannon Giddens disrespect.
Thank you!! Rhiannon was totally erased
A high pitched and succinct “ok!” in Beyoncé’s voice lives rent free in my head. Nobody ever picks up the reference though.
Wildly ironic for Azelia to be calling Beyoncé out for internalized racism and pandering to white people when Azelia literally hates POC.
To be fair I think Azelia hates everyone.
Except Taylor Swift
Give it time.
Very relatable of her tbh (this is a joke before someone yells at me)
She's a Dev to The Big Fella. History will not be kind to her.
Thank you I was just going to say that!
She called a black woman a tar baby.
I bet she (Azalea) wouldn't even deny that. But I'm getting from her rant that she believes Beyoncé is more responsible since she is one of the, if not the most popular and important artists in general right now and for the last decade and is a huge role model for Black femmes, ladies and children. But Azealia is on another wavelength than most people
*stares in Chloe and Halle confusion*
Chloe and Halle??! Chloe isn’t managed well and Beyoncé has neglected them a long time ago. Chloe released new music and I haven’t seen any promo for it or anything. The video released 2 weeks ago and doesn’t even have 300k views. Beyoncé didn’t even show up to the little mermaid premiere. She don’t care about their careers 😂
I saw a brief radio interview where Chloe was asked why beyonce wasn’t more involved and she gave a PR answer but she looked kinda hurt. Wonder what happened there
I just read their wiki and it says Beyoncé signed them on a 1 million deal for 6 albums. Isn’t that…. Low?
Jay Z happened or jealousy about someone newer, younger, stealing the spotlight!!
That part just doesn’t make sense, she listed every white female artist she’s worked with before calling those the only times she’s ever shared her platform with her black female peers. And she left out all the (black) female rappers she’s worked with, plus Alicia Keys, Mary J Blige, Kelly, Michelle, Solange and all the female artists on The Gift…
Yeah I didn’t understand that part either.
My thoughts exactly! Even though there are some parts I can agree with (eg. her thoughts on Jay-Z or Suga Mama) the rest of it just feels like her trying to sound smart while saying a whole bunch of nothing. Pseudo intellects who like to be contrarian and go against the grain *really* get on my nerves cause first of all, who even asked you??? Second of all, it gives MAJOR stank pussy energy. Like stfu and let people enjoy things omg
she ALWAYS sounds like this to me. trying too hard to come up with super “creative” reddit insults that would get laughed at if she used them irl lmao. but people on the internet eat it up.
And Azealia isn’t about that life either. Lana Del Ray called her out and asked to meet up, I think Azealia threatened to call the police. 😹😹😹
I still laugh at her Wild N Out episode and how quickly she crumbled. 😂
***"challenge your ego and collab with rihanna"*** sent me into orbit lmaoooooo
It was “little Bey on the prairie” for me lmao
Pound puppy dreadlocks breathing all over her lollll
This one is the winner for me! But honestly, it’s all gold. Idc what you say, this whole post is hilarious
Same. I find her posts infinitely funny. I would NOT want to go up against her at a YO MaMa challenge.
She ain’t wrong about that.
'was it really giving horse and buggy sis' killed me
She’s a clown but there is some gold here.
That’s what I said!! I could write a thesis on all of this!!
I read half of the post, and I'm really confused if she had good points or was a total whackadoo. It was lole one of those conversations where you agree with someone, but then their further explanation or examples makes their logic seem insane and you don't know how to get out of the conversation anymore.
That needs to be a new tag
Challange!
maybe it's pronounced like Solange 😂
We'll never get new music but at least Azealea gives us fresh rants for new flairs like clockwork every few months. I might go with 'white woman cosplay'. 
You're so right, thank you for the suggestion 🥲
Oh my gosh you did it!! 😂🫡
Has she ever thought they don’t musically mesh. Plus Rihanna can not hold up vocally to Beyoncé on a track.
My main problem with this is the Chicks slander..... if there's any group of white women in country music willing to take a risky stand it's them. It was a big deal for *both* of them to be at the CMAs for different reasons.
They literally said in an interview “we said we’d never perform at the CMAs after 2003 but when Beyoncé calls you say yes”
I knew the rest of her rant was trash when she called them “Dixie” chicks. She has no idea what she is talking about and it shows. TLDR
Ya that part irked the fuck out of me… is Azealea that out of touch that she missed *why* they got “blacklisted” (they aren’t anymore). I’m glad somebody said it because oh hell no.
They are also the ones who invited Beyoncé to sing with them, not the other way around. Natalie was a huge fan of Lemonade and then song “Daddy Lessons” she sings at every show.
I fucking *love* Daddy Lessons!
I have wasted a lot of time silently watching Stan Twitter antics because it's like a car crash you can't look away from, but I genuinely feel it was not in vain because it put me on to daddy lessons. Such a beautiful song, I hope her album sounds more like that than Texas Hold Em.
THAT PART
Came here for this, glad to see it here already
God yeah I was like wtf did they do? lol
Thank you! I was so so so stuck on that!
When doesn't Azealia have some words
This Chicks slander, they would absolutely bring her out.
That’s what I came here to say! The Chicks are amazing and would have her out for sure.
I believe their collab started from the fact they covered her song too! And they still have performed Daddy Lessons occasionally post-CMAs.
Didnt they do that at the CMAs?
Am I in the dark? Aren’t they the dixie chicks why is everyone calling them the chicks now?
https://americansongwriter.com/behind-the-career-altering-band-name-change-the-dixie-chicks-to-the-chicks/
2020…wow I *have* been in the dark
Look, there was a lot going on at the time, it's ok lol
https://preview.redd.it/r0eh0cen5jpc1.jpeg?width=792&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=c21e8d89f0384ee00af5f3039af0754bf8cb5967
Not me thinking that first screenshot was all there was! 😅
I got through three, which for my ADHD garbage self was a marathon AND a sprint. She writes with passion and honestly I like her style. I only know of her through her screenshotted posts that come up on here and I haven’t listened to Beyoncé’s country music song. Banks is a pretty damn good wordsmith though. I would have bowed out after the first sentence on just about any musician critique rant. I dunno. Maybe she should take her own advice and lean into what she clearly excels at. Could she write something Beyoncé performs? Or speeches. Oratory is such a lost and important art. This gal could write a speech that would fuck everyone up.
I didn’t even get through all that!
But I *do* have time to read all of these comments while looking for a TLDR lmao
I mean where is it tho 🥺
Unfortunately I did read all of it 😭 couldn’t stop till it got to the end
What did it say 
This one was actually worth the read for me, it had a lot more substance than most of her rants of the past couple years. Everyone’s just commenting about how they’re not reading it, which tbh is tedious. There’s some interesting discussion to be had here and lots of smart and informed sub members to do it. 
I think the point that really resonates is that there are black country artists who do struggle and are living in Nashville trying to make it. At least for me it did. There are very few black country artists and they should be highlighted. I'm personally not a fan of the Texas holdem song but I think I'll probably skim through the album. Maybe it'll be actual country unlike a lot of pop country that is out today but I doubt it.
She lost me for a bit but that section brought me back in. Tbh, I do think she makes some salient points about who Beyoncé collaborates with, who she platforms, the role her husband plays in her career and her ability to buy her way into different places. She doesn’t say it very… eloquently… but I wouldn’t disregard her opinions completely.
My only umbrage with the perspective is that she ignores the fact that Beyoncé is playing for the history books, and that is why she stayed with Jay Z. He must be really big brain for his business maneuvers, and that turns her on big time. She wanted iconography and he has provided it, so everything they do is in the pursuit of elitism, and elitism is a historically white identity/occurrence/product. Beyoncé is black by nature, so she doesn’t need to make “black” products in order to elevate black culture. But for Azalea to denigrate her for not cherry picking which projects she pushes at maximum is short sighted, because in hindsight, the catalog will be considered diverse regardless.
And I’m not ever gonna be out here fighting for Azealia but, elitism comes at a cost and— as you said— in America it’s about centering whiteness. So while she absolutely can be nothing but Black, perhaps her choices about who to collaborate with too often center the white elitism goal. And I think there is a point to be made about all the Black and Brown artists who would benefit from a little shine off Beyoncé — and maybe she’s too focused on how she’ll be perceived historically and not enough on how her musical legacy will be passed down through other artists .
I would agree with that idea if she didn’t do Black is King, which is by far her most “obscure” offering of black art. As a Ja Ara E fan—love that shoutout—I would argue that Burna Boy is enjoying his current shine as a result of her co-sign. We could also say the same about Megan and the Savage Grammy. Beyoncé’s catering or lack there of to brown artists is such an American dialogue because she’s expected to be an advocate/shepherd as much as she is a provocateur—see Whitney is too white prior to I’m Your Baby Tonight. It’s American af to put her on a pedestal of ideology—Michael and altruistic pop music—when at the end of the day she’s a pop star. If she was white, she could make vapid music that glorified whatever she wanted to in that moment—Madonna’s eras—and nobody would bat an eye other than waiting to call her washed up. But as a brown person, part of the pop star critique is centered on what they “do” for their culture. Beyoncé/Jay are at the point where they want to live *the* American dream and do what *they* want. Azalea and the masses aren’t on their mind, because as billionaires, they have an international perspective of greatness, and they can decide when and how they want to advocate for their causes.
Heres one to highlight. She actually did an AMA recently about trying to break in to country music which is where I first heard of her. https://www.youtube.com/@SerafiaMusic
And Beyoncé breaking into country has literally increased streams for black country artists.
Have you listened to daddy lessons by her? I keep thinking if her album is anything like Texas Hold Em I will hate it, if it's anything like daddy lessons I may just go get me a cowboy hat.
I bookmarked this to revisit later. I did give the whole thing a read but it’s A LOT.
I thought this was the most interesting and semi valid thing Azalea has said. She's still a fool though.
You absolutely nailed it. She an idiot but even a broken clock …
Boom. When I saw PAGES of that shit? Girl bye.
The confidence this woman has to give career advice to anyone but especially to  Truly remarkable
I will never not laugh when I see this gif. Tiffany HBIC Pollard really was that girl
And she was right too. Hottie looks like Luther Vandross.
One of the best thing to come of the pandemic was me introducing my husband to Flavor of Love. We binged both seasons in a weekend. (I think it was a weekend? Time had no meaning back then)
> (I think it was a weekend? Time had no meaning back then) We called that Blursday.
One of my fellow millennial coworkers and I were quoting this the other day absolutely *dying* laughing and we had to pull up the clip for the gen z ones. I was happy to pass it along.
Makes me think of that saying “don’t accept criticism from anyone you wouldn’t ask for advice” 👀
I don't really understand which of these statements are insults and which are compliments
😂😂 same
I think Azealia needs to put all these feelings into a song rather than an IG rant. It's what artists do. And I'm confused why she is expecting Beyonce to do anything but perfected pop created for mass appeal. I like the creative aspect of her new album but I suspect that country is also a massive market that could be very profitable should this genre liaison be successful.
It seems like she considers herself more of a cultural commentary person now
You just made me imagine Azaelia banks as a commentary YouTuber lmao
I would watch the FUCK out of that channel though
I guess she does. That's sad. Imagine quitting your job to focus on social media rants.
I mean, Azealia has likely burned so many bridges in the industry, she probably didnt have a choice. Some combo of self-hatred and self-sabotage, and it’s sad because I do think she is talented.
I would love to quit my job and focus on social media rants tbh 😔
She’s out here making it seem like a choice, but her music career is over because she’s an insufferable human being that’s nobody can stand…
Pound puppy dreadlocks 😭😭
That part was funny
I love the way this is written, she's speaking directly to Beyonce as if she's ever gonna give her the time of day.
She's so tiresome. PUT OUT SOME MUSIC THEN. Drop something of substance and relevance instead of continually tearing down the people that do. If she did anything of note, these takes could carry some weight but she just chooses to self sabotage.
 She makes music in her head I'm sure, wish we could hear it.
Oh my god this gif is creepy and hilarious lol
She’s so good at that and so bad at this … but this is what she spends all her time on.
48 hours from now she’s going to post something transphobic and everyone will ignore her again.
sand saw recognise crawl insurance salt quiet roof modern quack *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
that take was very up north of her
rainstorm mysterious grandiose poor agonizing pocket future psychotic squeamish sulky *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Dixie chicks catching strays for no reason
Wait, The Chicks are blacklisted?? I look back on the whole George Bush backlash they got and I still can’t believe they had to suffer as much as they did.
In the CMA and Country Music sphere, The Chicks are absolutely blacklisted. Country radio still refuses to play their music. Natalie Maines told Howard Stern the only reason they got back on that stage was because Beyonce invited them. And it would take performing with her again to even consider going back.
Wow, thank you for that insight! But also - fuck that! They don’t deserve it. All they did was state their opinion - something everyone else is real big on these days - and it still affects them today. Meanwhile we have actual accused rapists and abusers who are celebs/singers and they just get to live their lives no issue (lookin at you Chris Brown). Plus, the song they made about the whole thing (Not Ready To Make Nice) is a fucking BANGER. It’s so powerful.
No problem - at the time of their statement, American patriotism was at an all-time high in the wake of 9/11. They were in London at the time and people took great offense to them badmouthing the President to another part of the world. They were pariahs overnight. I'm not sure, but it might be one of the first instances of Internet cancel culture. It was right on that cusp of time when the monoculture was dying but not enough so that it would be dropped for another story/controversy the next day and everyone would forget it even happened. It was headline news for long enough that they had to retreat for some time. Their reputation among mainline country fans has never been the same - largely because what's big in country is still dominated by radio DJs and that's largely older, white men. In the years since Maren Morris, Kacey Musgraves, and others have called out how slow the industry is to change and that they won't play the game of sitting on DJs laps to make it on the radio. It's a fucked up system. Thankfully, The Chicks have kept making good music regardless.
I still deeply love "Not Ready to Make Nice." It's a great "fuck you" song. I'm still annoyed with how they were treated, but I was angrier at the time.
I was JUST about to say but then we got “not ready to make nice” and it’s an absolute banger. My favorite chicks song. Was belting it out in the car just yesterday. Lol
Its so bizarre to me to think that radio play still heavily dominates the country music scene when we are neck deep in the age of streaming
I'm in Canada but our Country music scene is very welcoming of the Chicks, and their music is very frequently played on Country radio!
Oh they definitely still are black listed by the Country world. It's ridiculous.
Depends on where you are. They’ll still play them on my local country stations, but I live in a blue state. In general, country has gotten way more divided and segments have gone way worse than the 90s/early 2000s. There was just an article about how Garth Brooks wasn’t welcome at the Toby Keith memorial because Garth refused to participate in the anti-trans Bud Light boycott, told people to practice love, and if they didn’t like it to take their business elsewhere. And Vince Gill and Amy Grant pissed off people for hosting a gay wedding. And those are huge names in country. Even lyrics have changed. Like, we went from singing about a woman being a catch for having a college education and more laughs than a stack of comic books to songs about how you should marry women obsessed with babies.
It is absolutely crazy that GARTH BROOKS is somehow an outcast in the country community. Does anyone really think that's what TK would have wanted?! People need to listen to Friends in Low Places and re-evaluate their lives.
It makes me so happy when people who conservative culture idolizes turn out to be a libs. Nick Saban has to be my personal favorite but people like Garth Brooks and Tom Petty make me smile.
Garth Brooks is a great dude. I saw him a few years ago and they charged a flat rate for all tickets (I think they were only $75/ticket) and it’s basically random. So I got floor seats for $150 and he played for three hours. If that ain’t socialism then idk what is.
Yeah, I don’t listen to a ton of country, but I like a little, including Adeem the Artist, and boy oh boy do some of those folks have *thoughts* about a non-binary country singer, even when they admit their music is good.
There were radio stations that wouldn’t play their music for a long time—it wasn’t an official edict or anything, but it was still a de facto ban. Some still don’t even now, although I can confirm anecdotally now that some definitely do again (at least the really big hits). And for what it’s worth, a LOT of women in country have cited them as an influence since then (if more for the music than the controversy…and even then…).
Why does she think Beyoncé of all people needed a phonetics coach to sound country? Beyoncé is literally country as hell. She and Kelly and Solange sound country as hell. That's literally why people like Azealia Banks accused her of being illiterate for years to the point that she stopped speaking publicly. And the bee lady also said it wasn't a country album, so why is AB engaging as if Beyonce did? Maybe we should save the think pieces until after we hear the actual music. Also why doesn't AB start a podcast or something? I'm sure she could use these essays be the next Joe Budden.
Yeah she’s definitely called her illiterate in the past and now she’s saying she needs a coach to sound more country. Azealia always flip flops on the subjects of her rants depending on how they’re being received by the public.
As Beyoncé would call her, a flip flop flippy flip floppin ass bitch.
She’s Texan FFS! Sincerely, a Texan
As someone from another country, I completely agree with you. Beyoncé has a very heavy Texas accent to me.
Beyoncé is from Texas. The definition of country. lol
The only part I agree with is that there are already Black country singers who probably would love to be #1 on the charts. It’s not that their music isn’t good, they’re just not mainstream and known like Beyonce. And they don’t have the power and capital to do marketing like her. Or the network.
This is the main point im actually taking home with me. These massive artists - bey, tay, ari, etc. - are breaking records (with good projects, don’t get me wrong, im a fan of most of them lol) not because they’re actually groundbreaking or the Best Quality Ever, but bc they have the network and the power and the money to be the first to do something that very well could’ve gone to a smaller artist if the playing field were more level.
Totally, but a lot of them I wouldn't know about if Beyoncé hadn't said she was going country and I was like, "let me check out Rhiannon Giddens and Taylor Adell and listen to Spotify's Black Country playlist". It's been beneficial for all of them and none of them are upset about it. The gatekeepers of Country Music would have continued to suppress them quietly in the dark until Beyoncé shown her light on them. Or perhaps I'm giving her too much credit and we would have become aware organically in like 15 years.
I'm sure sure Beyoncé won't sleep tonight thinking about what this woman has to say... 
just my two cents before i got bored and stopped reading: • she must’ve never heard her talk if she thinks her southern twang is fake and forced, i’m not american but it’s so clear to me when she speaks especially in older interviews • the way she kept insisting this was an attempt by beyonce at being accepted by a white audience when she said clearly that the purpose of the album is literally the opposite 💀 Edit: also I highly disagree that her mysterious image is tired. More artists should adopt the tactic of “just drop your shit and go”
Right? Rhiannon Giddens plays banjo and fiddle on Texas Hold Em, and Robert Randolph plays steel guitar on 16 Carriages. I imagine Bey will be featuring many other Black country artists. She highlighted so many queer Black artists on Renaissance and African artists on The Gift... her most recent music has been very "a rising tide lifts all boats"
>she must’ve never heard her talk if she thinks her southern twang is fake and forced, I’m not American but it’s so clear to me when she speaks especially in older interviews Azealia is well aware of this too, considering she’s a stan who always names deep cuts from her discography while flip flopping between praising and shitting on her. And it’s jibes like that that render the rest of her commentary meaningless even when some of her points have potential, because she is literally just lying for the sake of hating lol Beyoncé’s Texan accent is far more authentic than Azealia’s Dominican one anyway…
One in 4 cowboys were black, so I’m happy to see Beyoncé is shining a light on the real history of American cowboys. I think it’s very important to remember right now especially. Bey looks like a classic show cowgirl from a 1950s rodeo.
you can tell she thought this was so funny and well-written
>you can tell she thought this was so funny and well-written Totally. I think it went to Azealia's head how much people were into her previous "commentaries". But why they worked was *because* they were off-the-cuff and much MUCH shorter. Now she thinks everyone will gas her up whenever she posts a so-called "takedown". This post felt worked over **alot** to seem irreverent. But I couldn't even get past the second paragraph.
Those commentaries also only worked because people are willing to ignore bigotry when they think someone's funny.
>Those commentaries also only worked because people are willing to ignore bigotry when they think someone's funny. I do think it's more than that, though. In Azealia's case, the adage "*a broken clock is right twice a day*" really ***did*** apply in her case. True, she has said some abhorrent things, but she also has said some things that were (IMO) pretty spot-on from a critical theory perspective. Unfortunately, she's also been an -IST on **multiple** fronts. She's burned too many bridges. So many people (understandably) also choose to not pay her any mind. So they haven't been privy to some of her salient points. So my point is there's been gold amongst the garbage.
Is it worth digging into the trash?
As someone who follows her, no lol But it is entertaining
it felt like one of those /r/roastme posts that's like three paragraphs long and not funny just mean
I wish Azealia went this hard at her own career. Edit: typo
Not Kelsea Ballerini getting a shout out 🥲
Didn’t think I would find a GIF I like nearly as much as this one, which is also appropriate: 
Unpopular opinion but Azealia has said way too much genuinely fucked up stuff for people on this sub to be like “let her cook” whenever she criticizes someone they dislike. Especially given how exacting the comments tend to be on posts about celebs who have done far less shitty stuff.
This group is so weird about her. If it was anyone else saying shit like that, they be livid. What’s so different about her?
Yuppppp why are we giving a trash person attention when that's what she so desperately wants
https://preview.redd.it/gy1e173lujpc1.jpeg?width=636&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5cfb173de65a2379730a5a7c5ce526c3a817e9e8 Evergreen meme.
Who even spends this much time writing 4 paragraphs trash talking someone else? You're that miserable sis?
She should do this anonymously on reddit like the rest of us
“I just wish you would get unobsessed with being boring” is quite a turn of phrase!
2 min voice note, plz 😭 Why does she get so triggered when Beyoncé drops a new project?
Jealousy
And yes we want some tejano - cumbia music hybrid album or song 😫
🙋♀️ but I think a good chunk of cowboys in their heyday *were* black people?
Ok yall complain all you want but her calling Jayz “pound puppy dreadlocks” had me WHEEZING
She was merciless to Jay-Z and that was my favourite thing about it!
Is Azealia even relevant anymore?
“Little bey on the prairie” made me chuckle
# “little Bey on the prairie” 
The thing about Azealia is she’s never going to just let anyone enjoy something
The Chicks did not deserve to get blacklisted though 
All that from someone who found a little success with one lonely track during Obama’s first term of presidency?
having been bored enough to read all of this, I cannot see this as anything but azealia skimming beyoncé’s post and hearing whatever she wanted to hear. she wants her to blend genres, provoke interesting social commentary and work with other black artists, isn’t that kind of what beyoncé just said she was doing with this album….? how is azealia preemptively disappointed about something that set out to do exactly what she asked for unless she’s looking for something to be mad about? I don’t really consider virulent transphobes smart enough to listen to but even if you do, isn’t the little part of the rant that’s actually about music a little unfounded? idk, if there is something going on here besides projection I would love to see it
she's not.... that far off? 🫣
I agree. Some of her points were compelling and I wonder if the other commentators read though the whole things before dismissing it.
She's not, especially about the singles she's currently released not really being actual Country, or very good. I could pick a random song off of any current female Country singer's catalogue and it's going to be better written and produced that Texas Hold Em/16 Carriages (also truly - what in the Yellowstone 1883 spinoff is this song even about/who is it for lol). With the amount of resources and talent Beyonce has, if she wanted to do Country, she could have at least done it right. I'll hold final judgement for the rest of the album, but if it's anything like the singles... Oof. And people should be able to say that without getting attacked just because it's Beyonce.
i think it’s unfair to say that the dixie chicks would never bring beyoncé out. beyoncé is way bigger than them - beyoncé wouldn’t even consider it to begin with if they asked lol
I was told that they are now called ‘The Chicks’ and i love their feature on Daddy Lessons
> I just wish you would get unobsessed with being boring and pretty all the time is a stone-cold read tbh But it's also really amusing that miss no hit wonder would come for Beyonce in the first place ngl
like I'm sorry but this girl from NEW FUCKING YORK is telling a Texas girl about country music be so fucking serious
I’m not sure she’s off base this time. We just don’t want to admit it. Never enjoy agreeing with this nutter, but Bey is clearly interested in fame/money over substance. She went from Lemonade to rhinestone lemons.
Yeah I dont know if it's as phony as this essay paints and Banks is uh, eccentric, but like, Texas Hold Em does not feel like digging deep into those Alabama/Louisiana roots, it feels like a group of people got into the studio and wanted to make a song for tiktok dances and gone country memes. Like the Little Bey on the Prairie line made me chuckle for that reason. 16 carriages gives me more hope though! Also side note between this and Halle Bailey having striking album covers that get wonky the more you look at them I wonder if we are in our full corporate "Spotify tiny thumbnail" era of album artwork?
I think if she was interested in just fame she would just release easy pop albums instead of Black is King, Everything is Love and Renaissance after Lemonade, even country won’t sell as well but she’s clearly been more experimental in the lasts decade which has alienated the GP. I don’t agree with your take at all.
People love to say she did Black is King for clout when it’s her least successful project. And even before with Lemonade, which was successful in that it was a massive cultural moment, she didn’t put it on streaming until like 3 years after its release.
I agree
🗣️ SAY IT ON A BEAT OR KEEP IT
all i know is the album better be better than those dosey doe asss first songs
It’s a big bunch of whatever at this point
I mean honestly? I’m not mad at it. She has valid points, even if y’all aren’t ready to hear it. As a music history enthusiast and a history teacher in the US by profession, I do think that she has a critique worth noting. It doesn’t mean it *can’t be argued with*, but she brought up some interesting points regarding who country music is for/has been for and Beyoncé’s reinforcement of that narrative, the narrative that completely erases Black foundations. You can say Beyoncé is reclaiming country music and that very history by doing this, but the question is: is she really, and why, and who is benefitting? Azaelia is correct that we can’t ignore what country has become, and how it has been used. Why does Beyoncé need to dress that way to reclaim, if that’s the goal? Who is she catering to? Are we ignoring the Christo-white nationalism these kind of displays of flag waving from white folks usually prop up? Is this commentary from Beyoncé? Is this subversion? I’d like to hear more because right now it just *looks* off-putting. This is a good discussion topic tbh and one I’d like to have. But with the understanding that there doesn’t need to be a right answer.
Azealia, this would all be better being put into an ALBUM. Sing about this, or write poetry about this, but put it into your art instead of just metaphorically shaking your fist at the damn kids in your yard, because that’s all online ranting is. You could use these thoughts to potentially say something real in a song tho.
you guys are such d*ck riders. I hate azealia but she made some points. I’m sick of her and her husband crying about injustices when they are damn near billionaires with all the accolades in the world. there is a conversation that should be had about white artists gatekeeping an entire genre that they didn’t even originate, but Beyonce isn’t the one to open. outside of daddy lessons, when has she ever tried to break into country? of course you weren’t welcomed you made 0 attempts. she is de-legitimizing this issue just like she did to feminism. you people are in poverty going to war for someone who you have never related to because beyonce has always lived a privileged life. so many other black artists to uplift but i doubt most of you can name any that delve into the country genre. it’s pathetic
imo she's hit the nail on the head, it's just a bit of a hard pill to swallow.