On Monday (Sept. 9), the Country Music Association (CMA) announced the nominations for this year’s awards ceremony, which will be held in November. Beyoncé, who dropped her first country album “Cowboy Carter” in March, was snubbed in every category…and you already know why.
With “Cowboy Carter,” Bey made history as the first Black woman to top the country music charts and have a number one song (“Texas Hold ‘Em”). The CMA has been accused of racism for decades — most recently when Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” was shut out from the country charts for allegedly not having enough country elements back in 2019.
That decision that was so controversial that country singer Billy Ray Cyrus immediately hopped on the remix to prove that the song was, in fact, country as well as show support for Lil Nas X.
Meanwhile, Morgan Wallen, who received several nominations for the CMAs this year, has a history of using racist slurs that hasn’t stopped the association from embracing him. On X, Black folks are chiming in to express their disbelief and disgust at the CMAs and their apparent disdain of Black artists.
One user, @xoraveen, pointed out: “No one in the history of having a #1 album AND song has been completely snubbed at an award show. IN ANY CATEGORY. The CMAs can kiss the blackest part of my a**. Beyonce deserved better.”
Another X personality, @AngryBlackLady, chimed in to say: “The CMAs need to quit playing in Beyonce’s face.” There were Black artists nominated for this year’s CMAs, like Shaboozey and The War and Treaty. However, the CMAs still have a long way to go.
One X user, @GFX101, stated that this blatant exclusion is on par for the CMAs. “I think we are generally not surprised Beyoncé wasn’t nominated at the CMAs. If anything it brings more clarity to what she was speaking about in her music,” they wrote.
“This makes me love Beyoncé in even more, she’s so inspiring & gifted.”
One person, @yourthickbigsis, said it best when she wrote: “You really thought the #CMAs were going to allow @Beyonce to follow up her 2016 @thechicks performance with a historic Country Album reclaiming country music’s Black origin and nominate her for any of their 2024 awards?! They can’t hide their thinly veiled racism.”
“Cowboy Carter” will rightfully receive its accolades in due time but it’s a shame the CMAs refused to give Bey her flowers in real time.