"Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter' Album: Achieving No. 1 and Facing Critique"
Beyoncé's album "Cowboy Carter" is a declaration of the place Black folks have in country music and a critique of the industry's gatekeepers. The album challenges the box Nashville has put on the genre and aims to create higher visibility for younger generations of Black country artists. Critics who claim the album is a gimmick or a ploy for awards are missing the point, as Beyoncé made the album to return home to a genre that has tried to deny Black folks' contributions to it.