Oliver Anthony, the viral folk artist behind Rich Men North of Richmond, didn't hold back in a new YouTube video where he criticized Beyoncé's 2024 country album, Cowboy Carter.
In the YouTube video, titled What I've Learned from the Music Industry So Far..., Anthony shared his frustrations with Nashville's music industry and its practices.
Anthony accused the industry of treating artists like "fuel sources," explaining, "They want to see how much oil they can get out of you. And when they're done, they just spit you out." He also voiced concerns about the rise of viral stars being molded into marketable characters, saying, "The second you step out of that, you get so much friction."
While reflecting on his experiences, Anthony recalled being pressured by a management company to praise Cowboy Carter, despite thinking it was "complete trash." Anthony said that he was pressured to "make some stupid post about Beyoncé's country album" and about "how it was good." However, he decided against it and went on to slam the album.
He specifically criticized Beyoncé's cover of Dolly Parton's "Jolene," saying it made him want to "throw up" and labeled it "total cringe."
"It represents how degenerative our society has become that anyone could listen to a Beyoncé version of Jolene and not think it's just complete trash," Anthony said.
Despite his harsh critique, Parton previously expressed her approval of Beyoncé's rendition, saying, "As a songwriter, you love the fact that people do your songs no matter how they do them," she told E! News.
Anthony self-released his debut album, Hymnal Of A Troubled Man's Mind, earlier this year, further solidifying his stance as an independent artist critical of mainstream trends.
Meanwhile, Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter album marked a groundbreaking moment in her illustrious career. Cowboy Carter debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 chart, making her the first Black woman to achieve such a feat with a country album. The album also nominated for multiple awards, including a Grammy for Best Country Album as well as Album of the Year.
Despite this, the album was completely shut out of the CMA Awards. However, it did not go unnoticed as Shaboozey said the project helped him break into country music.
"It's awesome, she threw me the alley-oop and I went up there and tried to windmill that thang," he shared to People.
"We're all standing on his shoulders, and to include the great and talented and phenomenal Beyoncé with 'Cowboy Carter,' so tonight can feel like a retribution for a lot of different people," Michael Trotter, Jr. of The War and Treaty told the magazine of Shaboozey and Beyoncé.
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