Beyoncé was the victim of racist vitriol spewed from a fan at the 2016 Country Music Awards, a new CNN documentary reveals.
The network is set to unveil Call Me Country: Beyoncé & Nashville’s Renaissance on Friday, April 26, and in the film, one fan recalled an ugly reaction from the crowd as Beyoncé, 42, debuted her “Daddy Lessons” remix with the Chicks.
“An audience member in front of me proceeds to say, ‘Get that Black bitch off the stage right now,’” attendee Tanner Davenport claimed in the documentary.
Davenport, the codirector of the Black Opry, a website that raises awareness for Black country artists, called it a “gut punch” to see that in the eyes of some, Beyoncé was not welcome at the CMAs.
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“I remember instantly kind of being taken back to reality in that moment,” he added. “To realize that there’s, like, a threat of Black people being in this genre for some reason.”
Those outside of Bridgestone Arena in Nashville that night also got a look at the ugly side of country fandom as social media soon became awash in negative messages aimed at Beyoncé, ranging from criticizing her politics to blatantly racist remarks.
The CMAs themselves even came under fire. Though a rep for the event called Beyoncé’s performance “a highlight of the evening” at the time, the CMAs soon deleted any mention of it from their social media accounts. They claimed it was because the footage used was unapproved, but critics viewed it as the CMAs bowing to the pressures of a vocal, racist minority.
While outsiders can debate the meaning behind the CMAs’ response, Beyoncé herself has made it clear she will not back down. She implied that the incident was a key inspiration behind her new country album, Cowboy Carter.
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“This album has been over five years in the making,” she wrote via Instagram in March. “It 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.”
“The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me,” she continued. “[Cowboy Carter] is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.”
Beyoncé became the first Black artist to top the Top Country Albums chart when Cowboy Carter debuted in March. It also came out at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Call Me Country: Beyoncé & Nashville’s Renaissance will be available to stream Friday, April 26, on Max.
