With Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s foray into country music, the genre may finally break free from the stereotypes that have long dogged it.<\/p>\n
On Super Bowl Sunday, Beyonc\u00e9 released two country songs \u2013 \u201c16 Carriages<\/a>\u201d and \u201cTexas Hold \u2018Em<\/a>\u201d \u2013 that elicited a mix of admiration and indignation.<\/p>\n This is not her first foray<\/a> into the genre, but it is her most successful and controversial entry. As of last week, Beyonc\u00e9 became the first Black woman to have a No. 1 song on the country charts<\/a>. At the same time, country music stations like KYKC in Oklahoma<\/a> initially refused to play the record because it was \u201cnot country.\u201d<\/p>\n Many non-listeners stereotype country music<\/a> as being white, politically conservative, militantly patriotic and rural. And you can certainly find artists<\/a> and songs<\/a> that fit that bill.<\/p>\n But the story of country has always been more complicated, and debates about race and authenticity in country are nothing new; they\u2019ve plagued country artists, record companies and listeners for over a century.<\/p>\n