Before this week, I had never heard of country music artist Gavin Adcock. I don’t keep up with country music, and I tend to only pay attention when country artists have a “crossover hit.” I just listened to one of Adcock’s songs… he actually has a nice, twangy voice. Too bad he’s a complete tool who just risked life and limb by alienating the Beyhive (and too bad he has the worst mullet I’ve ever seen in my life). Recently, Adcock decided to open his piehole about Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter. You know, Beyonce’s country album which won Grammys for Best Country Album AND Album of the Year?
Country singer Gavin Adcock has spoken out against Beyoncé‘s “Cowboy Carter,” stating during a recent live performance “that sh-t ain’t country music.”
Adcock put Beyoncé in the crosshairs after opining that “Cowboy Carter” was ahead of other records on the Apple Music country charts. “One of them’s Beyoncé, you can tell her we’re coming for her f–kin’ ass,” he said. “That sh-t ain’t country music and it ain’t ever been country music and it ain’t gonna be country music.”
Adcock, who was nominated for new male artist of the year at the 2025 Academy of Country Music Awards, later posted a follow-up on social media explaining the reasoning behind his words for “Cowboy Carter,” which took home album of the year at the Grammys in February.
“I’ma go ahead and clear this up,” he said. “When I was a little kid, my mama was blasting some Beyoncé in the car. I’ve heard a ton of Beyoncé songs and I actually remember her Super Bowl Halftime Show being pretty kick-ass back in the day. But I really don’t believe her album should be labeled as country music. It doesn’t sound country, it doesn’t feel country, and I just don’t think that people that have dedicated their whole lives to this genre and this lifestyle should have to compete or watch that album just stay at the top just because she’s Beyoncé.”
“It doesn’t sound country, it doesn’t feel country, and I just don’t think that people that have dedicated their whole lives to this genre and this lifestyle should have to compete or watch that album just stay at the top just because she’s Beyoncé.” Does this d–kweed really believe that Cowboy Carter is still charting simply because it’s a Beyonce album? CC is arguably her best album since Lemonade, and as a matter of fact, it does sound like country music! It sounds more like country music than half of the country artists charting today. Mullet McRacist just hates that a Black woman is making more interesting and enjoyable country music than most country artists.
Country artist Gavin Adcock slams Beyoncé after his album currently ranks below ‘COWBOY CARTER’ on the Apple Music Country chart:
“That s*** ain’t country music and it ain’t ever been country music, and it ain’t gonna be country music.” pic.twitter.com/rKwaqymt5t
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) June 30, 2025
Photos/screengrabs courtesy of YouTube, Beyonce’s IG and Backgrid.
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- Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles premiere of Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” at Dolby Theatre. Pictured: Beyoncé BACKGRID USA 9 DECEMBER 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
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- Los Angeles, CA – Los Angeles premiere of Disney’s “Mufasa: The Lion King” at Dolby Theatre. Pictured: Beyoncé BACKGRID USA 9 DECEMBER 2024 USA: +1 310 798 9111 / usasales@backgrid.com UK: +44 208 344 2007 / uksales@backgrid.com *UK Clients – Pictures Containing Children Please Pixelate Face Prior To Publication*
The ‘we’re coming for her fing ass’ is actually the offensive bit. Got a string em up vibe. I don’t think he wants to threaten Bey like that, New boy.
It was very offensive and creepy and disturbing, like painting a target. And so was saying this sh-t aint country. He could said music instead of shit and he didn’t. He can think her music isn’t country, sure. Others will choose to disagree. Whatever. But the way he spoke about it? That was disgusting.
I mean, he can say anything he wants that’s protected under the First Amendment, but I’m personally sick of white men gatekeeping every fucking thing. Who anointed this dough-faced mullet the arbiter of what is true country???
So sick of all these arrogant men offering their unsolicited opinions. And yeah, saying “we’re coming for her f-king ass” is some real KKK shit.
If those comments reflect the country music ‘lifestyle’ of which he speaks, I don’t want any part of it nor to ever encounter it. Everything about this was offensive–as offensive as that stupid mullet on his ignorant head.
His maga racism is off the country charts!
Maybe because I have always been the Rock ‘n Roll type, but country music all sounds the same sound to me. It gives Maggot vibes. I avoid BBQ joints because I hate country music so much.
I mean, what should we expect from a man with a name as stupid as Adcock ?
Agreed. As if we need any more.
I’m going to bet that if Taylor Swift was the singer on Cowboy Carter he would saying it was a country album. The white people in Country refuse to accept that country music was invented by black people.
Exactly this Amy Bee! “It don’t feel like country” is all I needed to hear. Is there another genre of music where gatekeeping is this fucking ridiculous? Eminem is considered a great rapper. Black people embraced Paul Wall. Jazz embraced Chet Baker, Frank Sinatra, and a ton of other non Black artists. But country gonna country staying in 1890 with its lynching songs and videos. Just look at how Shaboozey was treated at the last awards show and you get the whole picture.
He might not. My cousin is huge into country music and I asked him about it. He said Taylor is a sell out and “forgot where she came from.” This is MAGA crossed with toxic masculinity and a huge dash of racism, absolutely (WTF was that coming for her comment?! THAT was the worst part of his comment, not that he doesn’t consider Bey’s CC country).
He would show off his mainstream misogyny, not just his racism, if TS was the artist at issue.
Yeah I mean, I do agree with the point that these people can’t accept that country, like most musical genres, was invented by black folks. I also think that this shitbag hates Taylor and any woman that isn’t some cultist conservative wackjob like he is.
I hope he’s rich enough to foot the medical bills for all of his extended family members when the rural hospitals inevitably close.
Taylor’s album “Red” was still considered country when it came out and it doesn’t sound anything like country. It is a pop album the likes of what we’re used to Taylor putting out there today as a pop artist. Were white men spewing violent rhetoric about “coming for Taylor” back then? (Honestly asking, I didn’t follow her very closely back then.)
Oh dear. My former English teacher self is speaking up in her oh so pedantic manner. So, let me correct all of his grammatical errors:
“But I really don’t believe her album should be labeled as white music. It doesn’t sound white, it doesn’t feel white, and I just don’t think that people that have dedicated their whole lives to the white race and racism should have to compete or watch that ghetto stuff just stay at the top just because she’s Beyoncé.”
Done.
This exactly. I don’t know much about country music, but I do know that this guy wasn’t talking about music.
👏🤭
We’re talking about an industry in which a lot of the establishment lost their damn minds and set up a society to “protect” traditional country music after Olivia Newton-John, of all people, was nominated for/won a number of awards in the genre back in the ’70s. Gatekeeping is as quintessentially “country” as a banjo or fiddle, and racism only exacerbates it.
I’ll risk my neck by admitting that while I love Beyonce, I personally didn’t care for CC. I gave it a couple play-throughs, and it just didn’t connect with me. So you know how I expressed that? I just simply DIDN’T LISTEN TO IT. Artists are not obligated to conform to your personal tastes, FFS.
Whew, he really wants to keep the definition of country narrow. So they can gatekeep for one specific sound. But please he should be fully honest bc some of the current country of the last few years has just sounded like white boys with a southern accent rapping if we wanna get real. But that’s okay right? That fits the country sound somehow right? He’s not complaining about that kind of bro rap sound in country is he? Just Beyoncé. Please. Anyways, I’m not saying this guy sounds like that. I don’t know how he sounds bc I don’t know him. And now I won’t. Bc the way he spoke? Nope. No interest. But I bet he’s raised his profile among like-minded people such as himself and will do well with them.
A white guy is angry about a black woman’s success? I am SHOCKED.
And he will not see any irony in getting coverage by piggybacking off her much higher profile. Entitlement is a helluva drug.
He has quite the record of being a jerk.
In college he was suspended from the football team after a video of him standing on a moving school bus and drinking a beer before a game was posted online.
He also was fairly recently arrested for drunk driving.
And in looking at pictures he strongly resembles Trevor Bauer, disgraced former MLB player, who is another woman hating blowhard.
I’m meh on the album (I think Shaboozey nailed the R&B/country mix sound better), but this dude is kidding if he thinks half of what’s on the radio counts as traditional country now. The genre shifted with Swift toward a pop influence years ago, and artists with the traditional style are much rarer these days.
tl;dr he can die mad about it
Does he know that whites took country music from blacks? Kind of like Jack Daniels was taught how to make whiskey from a black man, Uncle Nearest.
I actually like country music, the classic stuff (Johnny Cash, Dolly Parton, etc.) and some of the more recent pop crossover and so called “alt country” artists and songs as well. This guy might have some talent but is selling a toxic brand of it. Like Toby Keith did. A lot of jingoistic, hokey swaggering BS. Like where every song has to have the words truck, Jesus, football, mama and beer in it.
Funny how Post Malone was welcomed in country music with open arms despite not always making country music. I wonder what the difference is?
Maybe if she had a ridiculous mullet…
Gavin the Mullett can join Jason Aldean in the trash can with his violent rhetoric about coming for Black people who have the audacity to exist and have a voice.
And Variety can join them too. Really, Variety? In today’s violent world, you’re really going to say that a white man put a black woman in the “crosshairs?”
They’re all sickos. I honestly feel sick.
That was a terrible word to use and undoubtedly chosen for a shock effect. What stupid attention-seeking game is Variety playing?
Yeah, my shock is not that this lowlife said what he said — but that Variety felt that they have something to gain by printing it.
I guess I’ll add Variety to the growing list of publications and businesses that I will in no way support. This new openly racist, misogynistic “sh-t” gets so tired though.
Some of country music’s rapidly fading Old Guard, including Saint Dolly Parton herself as well as Willie Nelson, contributed to this album. And not that it matters ((Beyonce’s music is beautiful and an homage to Black history and Black music as well as classic Southern sounds)) but if that’s not an endorsement, I don’t know what is. Lord knows Dolly and Willie didn’t start country music, but they are the last remaining old school mega stars of the genre, and each wildly talented songwriters in their own right, so I love that Beyonce sought them out as contributors. And from what I’ve read, they both loved working with her and gave her talent and creativity lots of praise, especially Miss Dolly. That’s the way to tip your hat to the roots of the genre, or whatever nonsense he’s on about.
Beyoncé also did a lot of research for this album.
I like B but this album was not great. It sounded like she was trying too hard to be “country” and it comes across as inauthentic to me (that’s just my opinion, please don’t hate me!). Still like that she did it, expanded her creativity and challenged, as well as angered, so many people in country music, especially this clown. Beyonce deserves to be there in whatever genre she chooses and the album is popular for a reason.
I read a rumour that Jay Z basically bought her AOTY award. Not sure if that’s true, hope it’s not, but also wouldn’t be too shocked if it was…
Jay-Z “bought” her AOTY? Gee why didn’t he think of doing that earlier for other albums like Renaissance? Girl have a seat. As for Beyonce who is Texas born with a mother from Louisiana and father from Georgia trying too hard to be country? It amazes me that people don’t say that about Keith Urban from Australia and Shania Twain from Canada or Kid Rock from Rochester Hills MI. Why is that I wonder?
“Used to say I spoke too country
And the rejection came, said I wasn’t country ‘nough”
😂😂 Beyonce, a woman from Texas, isn’t country enough, the clowns with fake ass accents are? Also, the misogyny.. Beyonce can buy her own award, she doesn’t need Jay Z’s money. She had multiple albums that deserved AOTY and lost to the less deserving albums. Nobody said sh*t about award buying then. Once she gets her very deserved award, everyone is talking about rigged game.
When you hear old interviews from when Beyonce was young, she’s actually always had a very southern accent. Not sure if that’s what you mean by sounding “country.” Where’d you read that rumor bc it’s wild and pretty offensive.
I think that he is hoping that his name will trend. Beyonce is throwing it in their face that she’s taking back country music for black people because black people originated it and the was excluded from it. Will the beyhive waste their time on a bloated maganut like him. He’s not ready for what they will do to him. He couldn’t get a mile close to her because he’s a nobody looking for a come-up. He should be happy that a Beyonce album is bringing attention to that genre.
Is that a mullet??? That’s all I needed to see.
And while I didn’t really like CC, that is not the way to express your opinion. If anything it cements the stereotype of country music. He comes across as not only offensive but antagonistic and close minded. I guess that’s the look they want for that genre of music. Also, the way he speaks makes my ears hurt. But the uneducated are loved.
You can think an album is not country and not be racist. I don’t know who that guy is or why he is inserting himself in this. But I am a country fan from way back and I like the Cowboy Carter album. But It doesn’t sound traditionally country to me. Country has a different sound to me. Maybe it’s a new style of country Just like it is very obvious which Taylor Swift songs are country and which are not.
I mean wasn’t that Beyonce’s whole point? Country genre was seized by old, white men in Nashville who are now deciding what is country and what is not, even though its roots are coming from black people. If that didn’t happen (that is, black people were still playing a part of its advance, sound), we would have something else as “traditional country music” now. That is literally the whole album and the work Beyonce did with it.
The Bro-country sound that started in the 2000s and exploded in popularity in the 2010s is such a world of difference from the music being made by 20th century country artists — it’s a form of hip hop and electronica music repackaged to be palatable to country’s more conservative listeners. Even artists like Shania Twain, Faith Hill, and Carrie Underwood, who did receive some form of backlash when their music got too pop, are probably still given more leeway in the industry than Beyonce was ever going to be given. Wonder why that is? (And frankly, I do think some of their 2000s work is too pop and deserving of scrutiny.)
But as sevenblue said above, it comes down to who the power brokers are and what they say goes. I bet if someone like Miranda Lambert sang “Texas Hold ‘Em”, it would be seen as a “proper” modern country song with nods to earlier music.
I’m not a country fan or really a Beyonce fan at all. But I appreciate an artist who is willing to take risks and try something unexpected, especially one with an established career. If people have a problem with it then don’t listen. But if its topping the charts then Beyonce must be doing something right. And I really liked all of the TTs people did to Texas Hold ’em, it looked like people were having fun with the song, which isn’t that the point of good music? To make you feel something?
So interesting to see this knowing that country music came from blues music and blues music came from African spirituals and this clown is saying what????
Not a huge fan of Destiny’s Child or Beyoncé. Liked some of their songs, but not something id but the CD or pay to see a concert. I grew up listening to my father’s classic country: Conway Twitty/Loretta Lynn, Charlie Pride, Eddie Arnold. And I do like SOME country artists. I LOVED Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album. You can tell she put a lot of effort and love into creating that LP. She deserves all the kudos and awards for making it. When some unknown (to me) little country shit says “It isn’t country”, it screams “You don’t belong here”. Nothing makes me madder than ignorance.
I’m sure Beyonce is laughing at his sorry arse all the way to the BANK. Who made you the gate-keeper anyway, …. insert name here…. Can’t remember it, can’t be bothered to scroll to where it was written.
They’re free to say the quiet part out loud now, aren’t they?
Loser.
Because she’s Black? Isn’t she from Louisiana, the deep South? To hell with this jerk.
“racist nobody says some nonsense”