Beyoncé’s critically acclaimed Cowboy Carter album has amassed a lot success following its release in March 2024. The 43-year-old is also benefiting off the album’s success as her ongoing Cowboy Carter Tour has been hugely patronized.
But country singer Gavin Adcock is not too happy with Beyoncé’s album topping other projects on Apple Music’s country chart as a video that was filmed at an event showed him throwing tantrums.
“One of them’s Beyoncé, you can tell her we’re coming for her f****in’ ass,” the 26-year-old said, with the crowd cheering in response, The Independent reported. “That s*** ain’t country music and it ain’t ever been country music and it ain’t gonna be country music.”
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Adcock came under scrutiny after the video was circulated on social media. On Monday, he took to Instagram to double down on his claims.
“When I was a little kid, my mama was blasting some Beyoncé in the car,” Adcock said in the video he captioned. “It just ain’t country.” “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 I really don’t believe that her album should be labeled as country music.”
He added: “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 to stay at the top just because she’s Beyoncé.”
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Following its release, Cowboy Carter debuted at number one on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, making Beyoncé the first Black woman to achieve that feat. Cowboy Carter also won the Best Country Album at the 2025 Grammys, making Beyoncé the first Black artist to receive that accolade. She additionally became the first Black woman in the 21st century to win a Grammy for Album of the Year when Cowboy Carter topped that category.
Despite dominating the charts, Cowboy Carter received no nominations at the 2024 Country Music Awards. In a previous post on Instagram, Beyoncé explained that the album 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.”
“But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive,” she added. “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 also said that the criticisms she faced when she first entered the genre forced her to “propel past the limitations that were put on me.”
Adcock’s post drew sharp criticisms from Beyoncé’s fans, with one commenting, “How is beyonce not country when she’s from Texas? Is Texas not country no more? Or is it because she’s black please let me know.”
Another fan also decided to poke fun at the 26-year-old. “You guys! He’s 25 years old and he’s dedicated a whole three years to this,” the fan commented. “He shouldn’t have to compete with people who are legendary multi-genre artists with a house fully of Grammys! [sic] Gavin should only have to compete with other drunken viral video stars who need five songwriters to finish one mediocre EP for their country music pivot.”
