In 2024, it was supposed to be Beyoncé’s “country” album Cowboy Carter setting the pace for country music, redefining the genre and reclaiming it for Black America, while also cementing her legacy as the queen of all of music. Though none of us should fool ourselves into believing this is a “country” album any more than Cowboy Carter is, it’s an album that shows curious depth on a few tracks, deserves greater consideration than just the latest interloping episode from a pop/hip-hop performer, and happens to be a hair more country than Cowboy Carter too. Just like Beyoncé initially did, Shaboosey isn’t drawing popularity through the conversion of country fans, but through the interpolation of pop fans through a song and album being sold as country, even though empirically it isn’t.