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 Things I’ve learned from the music industry so far…Anthony shares 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 spit you out.” He also expressed concern about the rise of viral stars being molded into marketable personas, saying: “As soon as you get out there, you’re going to encounter a lot of chains.” mich.”
While reflecting on his experiences, Anthony recalled being pressured by his agency to give him praise cowboy Carter, despite thinking it was “complete rubbish”. Anthony said he was pressured to “post some stupid article about Beyoncé’s country album” and about “how good it is.” However, he decided against it and continued to shut down the album.
He was particularly critical of Beyoncé’s cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”, saying it made him want to “vomit” and calling it “absolutely cringe”.
“It shows how degenerate our society has become that anyone can listen to Jolene’s version of Beyoncé and not think it’s complete trash,” Anthony said.
Despite his harsh criticism, Parton had previously expressed approval of Beyoncé’s performance, saying: “As a musician, you love it when people perform your songs no matter what.” Tell them how they do it,” she said. E! News.
Anthony self-released his debut album, A hymn to the mind of a troubled personearlier this year, further solidifying his stance as an independent artist critical of mainstream trends.
Meanwhile, Beyoncé cowboy Carter The album marked a breakthrough moment in her illustrious career. cowboy Carter debuted in the top spot Billboard 200 chart, making her the first black woman to achieve such a feat with a country music album. The album was also nominated for multiple awards, including the Grammy Award for Best Country Album as well as Album of the Year.
Despite this, the album was completely left out of the CMA Awards. That didn’t go unnoticed, however, as Shaboozey said the project helped him break into the country music industry.
“It was amazing, she threw me the alley and I went up there and tried to windmill that ladder,” he shared with Everybody.
Michael Trotter, Jr. of The War and the Pact told Shaboozey and Beyoncé magazine.
Tags Beyonce, Beyonce Knowles, Music