Jelly Roll Reveals If Beyoncé Is Getting Blackballed By the Country Music Genre: 'This Is a Slippery Slope'

Jelly Roll has spoken out about the controversy surrounding Beyoncé and her album Cowboy Carter regarding its genre.

Making an appearance on Andrew Schulz's Flagrant podcast, Jelly shared his thoughts on the album and how the country music industry has treated it.

"Man, this is a slippery slope," Jelly began.

"The record was good. I don't know if it was Beyoncé's best record, you know what I mean, it didn't make me feel the way 'Renaissance' made me feel as a full body of work, but there was two or three songs on there that I thought could be Country Song of the Year for sure. What she did with 'Jolene' was just unbelievable, and how much Dolly [Parton] loved it, to me, that's the real tale. If Dolly loves it, it's a big deal," he shared.

However, he explained why the record may not be accepted by the country community.

"Nashville is a small community that is trying to keep country as a boundary-less genre. I know that seems boundary-less seems the opposite of not putting Beyoncé in it but meaning country never got put in sub genres like rock did," Jelly shared.

He added that the lack of nominations in the country categories are not as "malicious" as people think and that many just "missed" the album.

"Had the same campaign that happened for 'Renaissance' that happened with this album, I would have stood up and been like, 'This is wrong,'" he asserted before sharing that some may have felt that the album is an "eclectic art piece used to broaden the space."

Cowboy Carter has long been the subject of controversy in its space in the country music genre. Singer Luke Bryan got backlash for his comments regarding the album.

Bryan made an appearance on SiriusXM's Andy Cohen Live where he spoke about the lack of nominations that Cowboy Carter and Beyoncé got at the 2024 CMA Awards.

"But where things get a little tricky — if you're gonna make country albums, come into our world and be country with us a little bit. Like, Beyoncé can do exactly what she wants to. She's probably the biggest star in music. But come to an award show and high-five us and have fun and get in the family, too. And I'm not saying she didn't do that ... but country music is a lot about family," he told the host.

However, he later backtracked on his words and apologized about how he came off.

"You will hear my tone and intentions which were not negative. I respect Beyoncé and I love how loyal her fans are. I spend a lot of time supporting other artists. I want everyone to win. Love y'all," he said.

Previously, Cowboy Carter made history when Beyoncé became the first Black woman to top Billboard's Top Country Albums chart as well as the first Black woman to debut at No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs with her song "Texas Hold 'Em."

The singer previously faced backlash in the country community many years earlier when she performed at the CMAs with The Chicks and got a chilly reception. An audience member recalled in CNN's Call Me Country: Beyoncé & Nashville's Renaissance documentary that a person even referred to Beyoncé as "that Black b--ch," according to Page Six.

Tags

Beyonce, Jelly Roll, CMA Awards