Darius Rucker is one of the few artists in country music who can truly relate to where Beyoncé is after releasing Cowboy Carter. As a member of Hootie and the Blowfish, Rucker landed two No.1 albums, several top 40 hits, and two Grammy wins. Then, in 2008, he released his debut country album Learn to Live. Finding acceptance in country music coming from another genre was hard enough. Like Bey, Rucker also had to deal with people questioning his authenticity as well as outright racism. In a recent interview, he weighed in on the pop superstar’s foray into country music.
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Recently, Rucker sat down with US Magazine to talk about his upcoming memoir and tour. During the conversation, he shared his opinion on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter and her place in country music.
[RELATED: Darius Rucker Announces New Memoir ‘Life’s Too Short’ Coming This Spring]
Darius Rucker Speaks on Beyoncé’s Country Album
“I’m happy for her,” he said of Beyoncé. Then, Rucker added, “I’m happy for the genre. The eyes that she brought to country music went up, and that’s always a good thing when you have more people watching country music.”
However, Rucker hopes that Cowboy Carter and its success will do more than draw more eyes to the genre. He hopes it will open the gates to more diversity in the upper echelon of country music. “I hope what she’s done translates even more than it already has to more people of color getting a shot in country music,” he explained.
[RELATED: Beyoncé Makes Country Music History With Double-Chart Win]
While Beyoncé came to country music with a massive and devoted following, she proved that a Black woman could succeed in the country music world. Cowboy Carter shot to the top of the charts, giving the superstar her eighth No. 1. Additionally, the album’s lead single “Texas Hole ‘Em” landed at the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. This made Bey the first Black woman to top the country-specific singles chart.
“I feel honored to be the first Black woman with the No. 1 single on the Hot Country Songs chart,” she wrote in an Instagram post. “My hope is that years from now, the mention of an artist’s race, as it relates to releasing genres of music, will be irrelevant,” she added.
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