Azealia Banks has accused Beyonce of being in ‘white woman cosplay’ for her Cowboy Carter album cover as she slammed the ‘boring and pretty’ superstar in a wild social media rant this week.
Beyonce recently addressed the backlash she received for entering the genre as she unveiled the cover for her album – and said ‘music can unite so many people around the world.’
Azealia wrote on social media: ‘Sis I live for whiteyonce Donatella Bianca Bardot DOWN, But I’m kind of ashamed at how u switch from baobab trees and black parade to this literal pick me stuff.
‘There was so much pertinent cultural commentary to be made her. I don’t get why you have to be in white woman cosplay to make – (what’s really folk/bluegrass/adult contemporary) facsimile “country” music”.’
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Azealia Banks has accused Beyonce of being in ‘white woman cosplay’ for her Cowboy Carter album cover as she slammed the ‘boring and pretty’ superstar in a wild social media rant this week
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Beyonce recently addressed the backlash she received for entering the genre as she unveiled the cover for her album – and said ‘music can unite so many people around the world.
‘There could have been a humor to it which would bestow upon you even a smidgen of personality to make you an interesting person again… but you’re reinforcing the false rhetoric that country music is a post civil war white art form.
‘And subsequently reinforcing the idea that there is no racism / segregation / slavery / violence / theft / massacres / plagues / manifest destiny craziness that form the bedrock of epithets like ‘proud to be an american’, or ‘god bless the usa’.
The star then accused Beyonce of having an ‘obsession’ with being ‘boring and pretty all the time’ and said: ‘We want you to be deep and artsy and avant garde and f**k our heads up and shift culture.’
Banks accused the Crazy In Love hitmaker of ‘using her capitalist advantage’ to score a number one with her country tracks – and said other country artists had far superior music.
‘Like in 2024 is being the first black woman to have a number one on the country charts an accomplishment when you’ve clearly used your capitalist advantage to smother out the currently existing black artists in country music who have been grinding for years but don’t have money to send fruit plates and backstage passes to Grammy voters?
‘Sis I’m sorry to rain on your parade but there’s actually nothing monumental about it. Had you made a great country song – going number one should be the headline without the weird race part.
‘But like Kelsea Ballerini and Carrie Underwood should have better songs than whatever nauseating little Bey on the prairie stuff is going on.’
The rapper also took aim at the singer’s stirring ballad 16 CARRIAGES from her new album. ‘[The song] doesn’t even make sense in context. What kind of pilgrim fantasy were you having, You’re from 1980’s Houston, TX, a major metropolis…’
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Beyonce’s longtime troll Banks, 32, who last month branded the Texas Hold ‘Em hitmaker ‘narcissistic ‘ for her foray into the country music world, slammed the star for ‘reinforcing a false rhetoric’ that there is ‘no racism in country music’
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Azealia wrote on social media: ‘Sis I live for whiteyonce Donatella Bianca Bardot DOWN, But I’m kind of ashamed at how u switch from baobab trees and black parade to this literal pick me stuff
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Beyoncé announced her country project last month, releasing two singles during the Super Bowl, 16 Carriages and Texas Hold ‘Em
Banks slated Beyonce’s husband Jay-Z for ‘overstrategizing everything’ and said Beyonce needed to ‘stop with the pity party’ over criticism she had faced due to the new country album.
She wrote: ‘Gurrrr criticism from who? Please stop with the pity party and admit you got criticized the same way you did when you tried to slide Listen into Dream Girls despite it not being a part of the original score.
‘It’s crazy to me that all it takes is some white person’s opinion for her to start tap dancing. This is almost as bad as her “feminist” era after some white c**** called her boring and predictable on a blog, You were never ever boring. Jay-Z is the only boring thing here
‘Limitations? Golly, Beyonce you’re a notoriously bad actress lmao yet no-one ever stops you from doing it. Challenging yourself?! Girl challenge your ego and collab with Rihanna.
‘Ugh I’m so saddened by Jay-Z and his overstrategizing everything Beyonce to the point where it’s clearly his influence and not the real Bianca Bardot.’
Banks then took aim at Rihanna’s ‘uninteresting’ beginnings as a solo artist, writing: ‘Someone tell Jay-Z his strategies are corny and Beyonce has better ideas I’ll give it to him for turning an initially very uninteresting Rihanna into one of the world’s biggest stars but he flopped with Rita and Meg and for the sake of all things grand should realize how much he cramps her diva style ugh
‘Her legacy and freedom of expression is not his to share and I wish he would get over that. Sure Jay is an important figure in music but he is not the star that is Bianca Bardot.’
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Banks slated Beyonce’s husband Jay-Z for ‘overstrategizing everything’ and said Beyonce needed to ‘stop with the pity party’ over criticism she had faced due to the new country album
Beyonce wrote an impassioned post about her album earlier this week, writing: ‘Today marks the 10-day countdown until the release of act ii,’ the Grammy winner began. ‘Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of the supporters of [the album’s singles] TEXAS HOLD ‘EM and 16 CARRIAGES.’
She continued: ‘I feel honored to be the first Black woman with the number one single on the Hot Country Songs chart. That would not have happened without the outpouring of support from each and every one of you.’
She added: ‘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.’
Her album cover shows Beyoncé on horseback, brandishing an American flag while wearing a red, white and blue leather outfit with a silver Stetson.
She has on a massive silver wig that flutters in the breeze, as well as a sash with the album’s name draped across her front.
‘This album has been over five years in the making. It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t,’ Beyoncé wrote in the caption.
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Banks previously wrote: ‘Them critics are not just going to accept an ugly blond wig and , bullying from jay-z !!! It’s giving big time musical grift. Yes black girls can make country music… but you’re just really not hitting the button’
‘But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive. It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history.’
She added: ‘The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. act ii is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.’
Beyoncé teased: ‘I have a few surprises on the album, and have collaborated with some brilliant artists who I deeply respect. I hope that you can hear my heart and soul, and all the love and passion that I poured into every detail and every sound.’
She explained: ‘I focused on this album as a continuation of RENAISSANCE…I hope this music is an experience, creating another journey where you can close your eyes, start from the beginning and never stop.’
In conclusion, she wrote: ‘This ain’t a Country album. This is a “Beyoncé” album. This is act ii COWBOY CARTER, and I am proud to share it with y’all!’
Beyoncé, who grew up in Houston, made her first foray into the genre with a country-tinged song called Daddy Issues on her 2016 album Lemonade.
The superstar put on blast by controversial musician Banks last month.
Banks wrote on Instagram: ‘Ugh Bianca girl I love you down but them r&b runs over the leslie feist back beats is giving pickmesha.
‘Nothing country about it. You’re seeing yourself up to be ridiculed again. There’s a theatrical element to country music !!!
‘Them critics are not just going to accept an ugly blond wig and , bullying from jay-z !!! It’s giving big time musical grift. Yes black girls can make country music… but you’re just really not hitting the button.
She added: ‘Beyoncé please stop the madness. The gay baiting, the overtly narcissistic attempts to lazily encroach into a genre *you think* your popularity is gonna gain accolades for you in… You’re looking like food sis. You will gag when k Michelle tears it.;
Back in 2018 Banks accused Beyonce of stealing her choreography, stealing from other female artists and being a ‘regular b***h’.
Azealia said in her Instagram tirade: ‘I realized that my ex dancer Ashanti choreographed for Beyoncé and stole the original choreography @gypjaq made for count contessa.’
‘Beyoncé needs to get over herself and just hire me ‘cause even though Coachella was cute…it was still more of the same.’
She went on to say ‘Beyoncé loves to push this female empowerment s**t but is just ALWAYS trying to steal from talented women and outdo them…but she really never does.’
Azealia added: ‘I really hope she gets real with herself soon and humbles herself enough to accept the visions and full projects women who admire her put together FOR HER.
‘Like we don’t need any more Beyoncé thot moments. No one needs Beyoncé doing [outfit of the days] like she’s some up and coming fashion toast b***h. I have NO CLUE why she wants to be a regular b***h.
‘It makes me sad.’
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Beyonce surprised fans by teasing forthcoming new music as she stunned in a Verizon Super Bowl ad
This comes after Beyonce surprised fans by teasing forthcoming new music as she stunned in a Verizon Super Bowl ad — for which she reportedly received a $30million payout.
The icon — who attended the big game alongside other notable stars — moved through various personas in the minute-long commercial, attempting to ‘break the internet’ with over-the-top performances.
It comes after days earlier the phone company teased the singer’s appearance in the advert with two brief bits shared on social media.
In one clip, actor Tony Hale squeezed lemons behind a lemonade stand and said: ‘Hold up, she wants me to squeeze all these lemons by myself? This better work.’
The clue was a reference to the pop star’s 2016 surprise Lemonade visual album.
And just like she did in eight years ago, the Grammy-winning musician blew fans away on Sunday as she dropped two new singles.
As she announced an upcoming album, a country-genre follow-up to 2022’s Renaissance, she also released two new singles in tandem.
Along with the music came breathtaking artwork, which included a very scantily clad Beyonce, who posed pantless.
In one snapshot, she put on a very busty display as she wore a silver hardware bra underneath a cropped black blazer.
The caption to her 319 million followers, she wrote, ‘TEXAS HOLD ‘EM and 16 CARRIAGES out now.’
The 16 CARRIAGES artwork was a closeup black and white image of Beyonce — full name Beyonce Knowles Carter — in a black cowboy hat.
She rocked a voluminous and wispy bob haircut underneath the headgear.
And the Houston, Texas native was clad in a black cowboy shirt with stud detailing around the collar.
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It comes after days earlier the phone company teased the singer’s appearance in the advert with two brief bits shared on social media
In one clip from the Verizon teaser, actor Tony Hale squeezed lemons behind a lemonade stand and said: ‘Hold up, she wants me to squeeze all these lemons by myself? This better work’
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The previous teaser clue was a reference to the pop star’s 2016 surprise Lemonade visual album
Beyonce shared the full Verizon commercial online and wrote in a caption, ‘@verizon #ad.’
She followed up the post with another video outtake — one that showed her driving an old yellow taxi car through a desert.
The Texas license plate on the vehicle read, ‘HOLD ‘EM.’
The scene opened with Knowles turning the key in ignition with a red fishnet gloved hand.
The shot then switched to her stepping on the gas while wearing a white sandal that showed off a red pedicure.
Eventually a group of late-aged men dressed in country-inspired attire appeared with baffled expressions on their faces.
One slowly pointed to a billboard, where an exaggerated caricature of Beyonce was seen in red cowboy boots, lingerie, and a cowboy hat.
While lying on her side, she held up one waving hand, and in black font against a yellow background were the words ‘Texas Hold ‘Em.’
Bluesy guitar strums from the first notes of her new song played before the screen went black with ‘act ii, 3.29’ surfacing in the same white font used to promote her wildly successful Renaissance album.
Beyonce drove fans wild as she dropped a new country song on Sunday
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In one scene Beyonce dressed as an astronaut
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The final scene saw the star use a line that referenced her hit single Break My Soul, from Renaissance, before she teased at the end: ‘Ok, they ready. Drop the new music!’
Fan reactions to the music on social media were swift, with the once-in-a-generation artist’s fans — known collectively as the Beehive — taking to X and other platforms.
One person used a photo of NeNe Leakes in a post on X and wrote, ‘Beyonce said drop the new music and they’re still playing this [Super Bowl] game like nothing happened ??’
Singer Kesha even joined in the discourse, writing in a post, ‘BEYONCE?!!!!!!!’
Someone else shared a photo of Beyonce dancing during a past concert and said: ‘GIRL F**K THAT FOOTBALL GAME BEYONCE IS COMING BACK.’
Another hardcore supporter of the beauty’s declared that she knew the star was up to something.
‘I’m like, Bey DOES NOT do commercials, what she launching?’ the person wrote, adding a crying laughing emoji.
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Fan reactions to the music on social media were swift, with the once-in-a-generation artist’s fans — known collectively as the Beehive — taking to X and other platforms
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One person used a photo of NeNe Leakes in a post on X
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Fans of the Texas-bred star displayed their witty humor
Singer Kesha even joined in the discourse, writing in a post, ‘BEYONCE?!!!!!!!’
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Someone else shared a photo of Beyonce dancing during a past concert and said: ‘GIRL F**K THAT FOOTBALL GAME BEYONCE IS COMING BACK’
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Another hardcore supporter of the beauty’s declared that she knew the star was up to something
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One fan predicted that country artists will be shaking in their boots as Beyonce ventures into the genre
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One fan expressed excitement for new music from Beyonce, Lana Del Rey, and Kacey Musgraves
The new music launch comes days after the mother-of-three teased a forthcoming haircare line.
She uploaded a video teaser that featured old footage of her mom Tina Knowles’ and herself as a kid.
Included in the montage of clips were scenes of women having their hair washed in hair salon bowls.
She wrote in the caption, ‘Hair is sacred. The journey begins Feb 20. Visit CECRED.COM.’
The video was shared in a joint post with her new range’s Instagram handle. The page has already attracted 124,000 followers.
