The History of Fashion Part 5: Modern Day Fashion (and the Legacy of Fashion)
The fashion of the 21st century has been diverse. Models are more televised (who are shown in social media, TV shows, music videos, and movies), more people are going out of their way to educate themselves about fashion, and more people are overtly fighting abuse and corruption found in the fashion industry to this very day. Naomi Campbell, to her credit, has fought against the bigotry found in many parts of the mainstream fashion industry. We have organizations like the Black in Fashion Council and the National Association of Fashion and Accessory Designers (NAFAD) have fought to hold the fashion industry more accountable and promote equal opportunities for black designers in America. We are opposed to false Euro-supremacist fashion views as fashion is meant to all people, regardless of color, sex, or background. Celebrities, athletes, and other wealthy people still influence fashion in a great fashion. The Internet has caused fashion trends to develop more rapidly instead of spanning months or years in its duration. Fashion culture has been decentralized where regular people can make tons of economic profit by developing their own grassroots belts, shirts, pants, dresses, and other accessories. From Instagram to cashapp, many independent fashion developers are working hard to promote products all of the time now in 2025. Denim jeans, jerseys, and suits are still very popular. Also, the 21st century saw unique colors, shapes, words on shirts, and more diverse imagery as the 21st century continued. Some people wanted to wear more corporate-owned clothes, handbags, watches, and just anything with a logo on it. We have to balance fashion with the rejection of extreme conformity. There is nothing wrong with wearing name-brand items per se, but we should recognize that our human dignity is not defined by wealthy name brands. We are defined by birth by our souls being entitled to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness by birthright. New fashion meeting places like the Met show give fashion experts and other people the opportunity to show eclectic forms of items of clothings.
The 2000s
The early 2000s was a continuation of the fashion of the late 1990s. By this time, many women wore a Matrix like look with metallic silver, black clothing, and belts. Balenciaga funded catwalks with models using black including Yves Saint Laurent Rive Gauche, and Calvin Kelin. There was more conservative clothing, especially after 9/11 with leather, trench coats, and straps. After 9/11, more people wore jeans. Many people wore True Religion, hip hop brands, and by 2005, skinny jeans were in prominent. Many of the young men and women regularly wore skinny jeans by the late 2000s and early 2010s. Numerous women wore crop tops, low rise pants, and long hair. Jessica Alba loved to wear True Religion fashion clothes. Tom Ford embraced a black leather style during the Fall of 2001. The early to mid-2000s dealt with more conservative clothes for men and women. Later, many women wore Uggs boots and low-cut skirts like Beyonce. Bohemian styles were commonplace. More people showed more skin in clothing. By the late 2000s, more experimentation in fashion took off. One example is how Lady Gaga wore diverse sunglasses, wore experimentative clothing, took more risks in terms of fashion. As the Internet grew, international online fashion increased profits.
The rise of smartphones helped many fashion companies, both well-known and unsung to gain profits. Mya, Paris Hilton, Beyonce, Lil Wayne, Jay Z, Rihanna, and other people promoted unique fashion clothing in their everyday lives. Men wore sunglasses, polo shirts, track suits, jerseys, Jordans, and cargo pants. Pharrell is underrated in his fashion displays along with Kanye West. By the end of the 2000s, emo-styles, hip-hop fashion, and ties were very popular. Hip-hop fashion (found in Rocawear, Phat Farm, Billionaire Boys Club, BAPE, G-unit clothing, Fubu, etc.) and indie culture were among the most popular fashion of the 2000s. More globalization caused people to wear casual clothes too. Fast fashion was advanced by H&M, Forever 21, Zara, and Target. More people wore tattoos and piercings. A lot of people don't know that before the 1990s, tattoos and piercings were not that common among human beings like that. Some wore braids and America's Top Model with Tyra Banks helped to expand the careers of many up-and-coming fashion models. America's Top Model has been labeled controversial, but it gave many models huge opportunities to further their careers. By the 2000s, Tracy Reese has been a fashion leader. She is a board member of CFDA since 2007. Reese had worked to create women clothing, accessories, and home fashions like linens. Her brand of Hope for Flowers is a great fashion brand for women who want to show positive change in the world. Kimora Lee Simmons and stella Jean have been fashion designing experts for years too. Patrick Robinson has been a member of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) since 1994. He has worked with Armani, Anne Klein, Perry Elliss, Paco Rabbane, and the Gap.
One fashion model who was on America's Top Model to reach new heights of her career is Sister Eva Marcille. Eva Marcille, and she is 40 years old. She is a famous actress and television personality. She was born in Los Angeles, California. She attended Raymond Avenue Elementary School, Marina Del Rey Middle School, and Washington Preparatory High School (she graduated in 2002). She attended Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, Georgia. She won the third season of America's Next Top Model at the age of 19 years old. This was in 2004. She worked with CoverGirl, made a spread in Elle, and had a modeling contract with Ford Models. Marcille has been on the covers of Brides Noir, Women's Health and Fitness, Essence, King, CoverGirl, etc. Marcille has done runways for years now. Marcille is now signed to L.A. Models. She has worked on many television shows like Kevin Hill, Smallville, Everybody Hates Chris, The Game, and Tyler Perry's House of Payne. She was on many music videos like Baby by Angie Stone (featuring Betty Wright), etc. Marcille appeared on Nick Cannon's Wild'N Out show in 2005. By 2008, she was on the soap opera The Young and The Restless playing the young mother Tyra Hamilton. She was in the film of The Walk, Crossover, etc. She founded cEVAd, a CBD oil company. She loves her three children unconditionally.
The 2010s
The 2010s witnessed a new era of time. By the early 2010s, many people wanted a retro 1980s look. Some hipster types of people loved fashion. The growing world of social media from Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook helped many independent fashion human beings to gain more influence. Fashion culture is more decentralized. People can sell belts, wigs, watches, shirts, dresses, T-Shirts, etc. from their own homes to make a lot of economic benefits on another level. We see social media influencers transform overnight to be credible fashion leaders. The mainstream fashion brands of the 2010s included Abercombie and Fitch, Adidas, Balenciaga, Ben Sherman, Forever 21, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Under Armour, Nike, etc. Many designers continued to increase their profile like Michael Cinco, Frida Gianni, Marc Jacobs, etc. International models were more diverse from Irina Shayk, Cara Delevingne, Adam Senn, Liu Wen, Joan Smalls, Jourdan Dunn, Eva Marcille, etc. Many women wore bright colored clothing which was similar to the 1980s style like Jing Ulrich and Candace Swanepeol.
Sister Yaya DaCosta is a famous model and actress of our generation. She is 42 years old. She was born in New York City. She was raised in Harlem, New York. She is an African American with an Afro-Brazilian grandfather. She can speak English and Portuguese. She attended the elite Northfield Mount Hermon School during high school. Later, she went to Brown University, where she majored in Africana studies and international relations. She was the runner up on Cycle 3 of America's Next Top Model. She was on advertisements for Garnier Fructis, Lincoln Townhouse, RadioShack, and Dr. Scholl's. She was on the cover of magazines like W and Hype Hair. She was a guest starring in an episode of Eve on UPN. DaCosta was in independent movies like The Messenger in 2009. She was in the ABC soap opera All My Children in 2008, as Cassandra, the daughter of Angie Hubbard (played by Debbi Morgan). She was on the Broadway play of The First Breeze of Broadway. She was in the science fiction action-adventure film of Tron: Legacy. She played Whitney Houston in a Lifetime television film of her life. This was Bassett's directorial debut. From 2015 to 2021, DaCosta starred in the NBC medical drama of Chicago Med, as April Sexton, an ED nurse. She loves her son. From 2023 to 2024, she was on the show The Lincoln Lawyer.
Carly Cushnie loves to show a sleek minimalism in her fashion feminine style. Her clothes have been worn by Michell Obama and Beyonce. She has spoken about her desire to set an example for other young designers of color.
When the film of Black Panther came out, it expressed the diversity of Blackness and the influence of fashion experts. Ruth E. Carter is a living fashion designing icon who has worked on fashion for Black Panther in 2018 and in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in 2022. She is now 64 years old. She was born in Springfield, Massachusetts. Her mother Mabel Carter raised her, and she was the youngest of 8 children. She attended the Boys and Girls Club. Ruth E. Carter learned how to sew from the organization. She graduated in 1978 from Technical High School in Springfield, and from Hampton Institute (later Hampton University) in 1982 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theater Arts. Carter worked in customers with Spike Lee for the films of School Daze, Do the Right Thing, Mo' Better Blues, Jungle Fever, and Malcolm X. Carter designed costumes for Amistad, Rosewood, Baby Boy, and the show Being Mary Jane (on BET which was created by Mara Brock Akil. Gabrille Union starred on the show). Ruth E. Carter designed clothes for the 2016 remake of Roots released in the History Channel. Carter designed Afrofuturism clothes for the film Black Panther, which was directed by Ryan Coogle. She was inspired by the traditional African garments from the Maasai and Ndebele people. She traveled to Southern Africa to study Lesotho designs. At the 91st Academy Awards, Ruth E. Carter won the Academy Award for Best Costume Design, making her the first Black woman to win the Academy Award in that category. She had the star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame by 2021. By 2013, Carter won her second Academy Aard for Best Costume Design for Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). In her acceptance speech, she dedicated her win to her mother, who had died during the prior week at the age of 101. In 2023, the North Carolina Museum of Art hosted an exhibit displaying more than 60 of Carter's original garments.
Ozwald Boateng is an Afro-British fashion designer of Ghanian descent. He is known for classic British tailoring. Also, his tailoring has been used by Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, and Keanu Reeves. By 2018, he contributed his bright suiting to Marvels' Black Panther.
Many people wore capri pants, motorcycle jackets, crop tops, and low-rise pants during the 2010s too. Many fashions from the Middle East increased from hijabs to black stain gowns. Printed clothing was common. By the late 2010s, a much more mature look was in existence. Many men wore neon colors, V neck t-shirts, and shawl collar cardigans. Some wore 1990s style fashion and business casual clothing. Some wore two-piece suits, workwear, and luxury sportswear. New style eyeglasses with transitions were common along with unique sunglasses. Many men wore clothing from luxury items, hip-hop fashion, sportswear, and athleisure. African fashion growing in the world too from mitumba clothing (in Kenya and Uganda) and kente cloth and silk Madiba shirts. Many black Americans wore dashikis. Many young kids wore neon cloths, amine styles, and a more conservative look too. Jordans, Riccardo Tisci, and Rick Owens promote distinct fashion. Chicano culture, K-pop, and British pop artists inspired futuristic fashion too. Women wore individual styles like the French twist, crown braids, natural hair, pixie, dreadlocks, etc. Men wore the undercut, the Afro, waves, the taper, mohawks, and the high-top fade. More men wore full beards during the 2010s.
One of the most talented fashion models and actresses of the 2010s and beyond in the 2020s is Sister Yaya DaCosta. She is now 41 years old. She was born in New York City. She is of African-American and Afro-Brazilian descent. DaCosta was raised in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City. She can speak English, Portuguese, French, Spanish, and conversational Japanese. She attended the elite Northfield Mount Hermon School during high school before attending Brown University, where she majored in Africana studies and international relations. Many people knew her as being the runner-up on Cycle 3 of America's Next Top Model. DaCosta was on advertisements for Garnier Fructis, Lincoln Townhouse, Seda, Sephora, etc. She was on the UPC sitcom Eve in 2005. Later, she was in early movie roles like The Messenger in 2009. She was on the ABC soap opera All My Children in 2008 as Cassandra Foster, the daughter of Angie Hubbard (played by Debbi Morgan). DaCosta was on the play The First Breeze of Summer on Broadway from 2008 to 2009 as part of the historic Negro Ensemble Company. She has been on Tron: Legacy, The Butler, and the film about Whitney Houston in a Lifetime television film about Whitney Houston's life (directed by Angela Bassett). She was on many music videos too. DaCosta was on the drama series of Our Kind of People as Angela Vaughn. She loves her son unconditionally. She has been on the show The Lincoln Lawyer in 2023. Yaya DaCosta is a gorgeous black woman inside and out.
The 2020s
The 2020s in fashion saw a look for nostalgia for older aesthetics. Many people were inspired by the late 1990s, mid-2000s, and 1980s. Fashion was inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic causing people to deal with retail and consumer trends. TikTok, Shein, and Temu marketed clothes. There were E-commerce platforms and small businesses promoting clothing like Depop and Etsy. Many people wore fashion more reasonable prices. The facemask with diverse designs became a generational fashion motif. Many people in the 2020s wore pajamas, sweatpants, and athleisure wear to deal with the pandemic. Some people wore athletic shorts, sneakers, and more looser items. There was more comfortable clothing. The flashy logos of the late 2010s were replaced by quiet luxury items and timeless designs. There were more runway items. There was the maximalism fashion. Some people wore navy blue, neon green, and electric blue items. There were cashmere cardigans, Crocs, sandals, and Air Force 1s. Some people wore boho 1960s clothing like hippie style sandals and flared trousers. Some wore flannel coats. Shinny dresses were worn near the mid 2020s. Some wore the 1980s style fashion from corduroy sports coats to aran sweaters. More old-school blue-collar clothes existed and gender-neutral clothing existed in the 2020s.
By this time, we saw more patriotic items, sportscoats, duster coats, college sweaters, Western leather jackets. Young people wore more emo, hip hop, pop-punk, and skater plus vintage aesthetics. Many hip-hop fans wore political clothing items to oppose racism and all other injustices from T-Shirts with Black Lives Matter imagery, Black Panther themes, and camouflage patterns. The VSCO images were worn by women. Some younger people wore Japanese inspired kidcore clothing. Many women wore dyed hair, natural hair, scrunchies, hair clips, and bandannas. Men wore breads, mullets, and the Caesar cut along with dreadlocks including Afros. Some people wore buzz cuts and mustaches as inspired by political changes and movies like Miles Teller's role in Top Gun: Maverick. BBLs are still popular along with unique tattoos that deal with fashion. The skin care boom is embraced fashion wise by people in Generations of Millennials, Alpha, and Generation Z. Skin care is very important in my life as an older Millennial. Many people use sunscreen, retinol, and other methods to improve the human skin.
Conclusion
The fashion culture of the 21st century is very early. We don't know how will fashion evolve decades later into 2050 and beyond. What we do know is that much of the fashion during this generation has been influenced by the style of dress from the late 20th century. Not to mention that there has been new innovations like facemasks being stylized, large dresses with designs, throwback style eyeglasses, and some old school attire (like suits, jeans, and T-Shirts with political messages in them). There are massive corporations and celebrities with influence on how fashion is expressed. Also, there is a new generation of fashion designers and businesspeople who embrace a decentralized culture. They don't want to copy mainstream ideas. They have social media from TikTok, Instagram, and other platforms to promote and sell their products. Their products can include shirt, skirts, dresses, belts, watches, T-Shirts, pants, necklaces, earrings, rings, hats, shoes, socks, and other forms of expression. These fashion people are innovative, courageous, and bold. Many models during the 21st century is expanding their brands to go into acting, business, fragrance lines, and other realms of entrepreneurship. The rise of the Internet has made fashion more accessible to people. Some fashion is affordable and some is very expensive, but the drive to be creative remains the same.
Country Music (The 21st Century)
By the 21st century, times have changed involving country music. We saw new artists and older artists making their legacies known. The early 21st century saw 9/11 and the start of the war on terror. So, many country music artists promoted a patriotic theme in their songs and albums. We should love truth. One of the highest forms of patriotism is to support the country when it does the right thing and dissent with governmental policies that are wrong like the Patriot Act and the Iraq War. By 2002, there were groups and artists like The Statler Brothers who retired from music. Jimmy Fourtune had his own song along with The Oak Ridge Boys. Carrie Underwood was very successful in the 2000s. She won American Idol to promote her music. She is from Oklahoma. By the end of the 200s, she had 8 No. 1 songs of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. She won many awards from the Country Music Assocation, Academy of Country Music, etc. There was the country pop song with Shania Twain with her album of Up! from 2002. Taylor Swift, as a teen, made country music by the late 2000s along with Darius Rucker. Braid Paisley, George Strait, Alan Jackson, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, and other people shown country sounds. In the 2010s, there was more popularity among country music by the younger generation. There were Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Toby Keith, Kacey Musgraves, Jake Owen, and other people showing records. There was a younger generation of people who shown a new wave of country music constantly. This time saw a hip-hop, rock, and pop influence on country music too. Groups like Florida Georgia Line, Luke Bryan, and other people used hip hop instrumentalists. By the 2020s, country music has been dominated Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Shaboozey, Jelly Roll, Kacey Musgraves, Oliver Anthony, Kane Brown, and new school artists. Morgan Wallen released the Dangerous; The Double Album being four weeks atop the Billboard 200 chart. This time saw Beyonce's Cowboy Carter album which mixes genres with country music elements in it. This album helped to build a spotlight on black American country music artists from the past and present. Country music has always been diverse, not monolithic like any other musical genre.
Patriotic Fervor
By the 2000s, country music sales continued to rise. The year of 2000, Country music artist Lee Ann Womack had the hit number Billboard song of I Hope You Dance. She has been a singer and songwriter for years and decades. She was born in Jacksonville, Texas on August 19, 1966. Back in 1996, she was signed to Decca Records in Nashville, Tennessee. She can perform traditional country music, and a crossover sound mixed with pop music. She made more music like There's More Where That Came From in 2005. Her music had major success in America and Canada. She won five Academy of Country Music Awards, six Country Music Association Awards, and one Grammy Award. She is married to record producer Frank Liddell, and her daughter Aubrie Sellers, is also a country music artist. In 2002, The Statler Brothers retired from music. This time saw 9/11 and the early war on terror. September 11, 2001, was when evil people used planes as weapons to kill almost 3,000 innocent human beings in New York City, Pennsylvania, and in Virginia (at the Pentagon). There was a wide sense of patriotism spreading across America. So, country music reflected the time over 20 years ago. By 2003, Kenny Cheney's There Goes My Life, George Strait's Cowboys Like Us, and Toby Keith's I Love This Bar were very popular in country music culture.
Carrie Underwood in the 2000s was a new artist who was highly successful. She is from Checotah, Oklahoma being the first American Idol winner to record mostly country music. By the end of the decade, Underwood had 8 No. 1 songs on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart along with many awards form the Country Music Association, Academy of Country Music, and others. Country pop continued in the time as well. The Chicks, Lonestar, Martina McBride, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Keith Urban, and Rascal Flatts made more music. Big and Rich can about to express country music too. There were Jewel, Jessica Simpson, Sheryl Crow, and others who made music.
By the late 2000s, a teenage Taylor Swift was the first country act to have widespread mainstream popularity since the 1980s and 1990s. Love Story and You Belong to Me were very popular. Swift was the first country artist in history to win an MTV Video Music Award in 2009. Country music embraced pop. There was a backlash. Many people in country music culture said that some artists became too pop and not country enough. There were artists like George Strait, Alan Jackson, and Brad Paisley who were more traditionally country. Also, many country artists promoted defending America during the early part of the war on terror found in Afghanistan and Iraq. Yet, it is important to note that patriotism is also about expressing dissent to make America better not to be brainwashed to view America as 100 percent perfect and immune of any legitimate critique. That true point must always be emphasized.
The Transition
By the 2010s, country music grown in popularity. Many younger people by the 2010s became fans of country music. There is a segment of country that embraced hip hop sounds too. This time saw popular country acts being Taylor Swift, Zac Brown Band, Jellyroll. Miranda Lambert, Jason Aldean, The Band Perry, Keith Urban, Toby Keith, Kacey Musgraves, Luke Combs, Brett Young, Kane Brown, and tons of other people. Forever Country was composed of three country songs shown by September 2016 to honor the 50th Annual Country Music Association Awards. Also, there has been influence of hip hop on modern day country music. Many country artists started to rap on songs, wore more blue jeans, show themes of partying, ride pickup trucks, and embrace a subgenre called bro-country (promoted by Florida Georgia line, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, etc.). Jelly Roll is a country music artist who used hip hop, rock, and other genres of music in his songs and performances. He is now 40 years old. He was born in Nashville, Tennessee and loves his wife, Bunnie DeFord and their 2 children. His song of Son of a Sinner won three CMT Music Awards in 2023. He won New Artist in the same year at the CMA Awards. He was inspired by Southern hip hop artists UGK, 8Ball and MJG, and Three 6 Mafia. He made many mixtapes and songs from Haystak to Tech N9ne. His Grand Ole Opry debut was done on November 9, 2021. His recent 2024 album is Beautifully Broken. Old Town Road was performed by Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus. Also, we see saw the passing away of country music artists like Glen Campbell, Randy Travis, and other people like Troy Gentry.
A Youth Movement
By the 2020s, country music was dominated by both a youth movement and old-school artists. There is a turning point in country music where many narrow-minded people want people to view country music as monolithic. Yet, country music since its inception was never monolithic. There has been the Nashville sound, the Bakersfield, California sounds, and other styles of country music for decades. In this decade of the 2020s, Luke Combs, Morgan Wallen, Tyler Childers, Jelly Roll, and other people have found mainstream country music. Country music's crossover appeal has increased so much that for the first time since the inception of the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, the top three spots were occupied by country songs (by August 2023). Kacey Musgraves's fourth studio album Star Crossed focused on disco and dance pop music. Kacey Lee Musgraves was born on August 21, 1988, being 36 years old at Golden, Texas. Her major label debut studio album of Same Trailer Different Park in 2013 won the Grammy Award for Best Country Album at the 56th Annual Grammy Awards. Kacey is known to make very impactful songs like Space Cowboy, Butterflies, and I Remember Everything with Zach Bryan. Her 6th studio album of Deeper Well was released in 2024. Country folk singer and songwriter Oliver Anthony made music too. There is regional Mexican country music like corridos tumbados, banda, and norteno. Many of these artists are very famous in the world.
Merging Genres
In recent decades, there has been a merging of country music with other genres of music. Many people who complained about country being too pop were mostly silent when Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers did pop songs before. There is such a time called country music pop that originated in the 1960s. This type of music was created to appeal to a wider audience. Country music merging with pop music dealt with melodies and lyrics that were difference. Even the Nashville sound used pop, rock, and folk into country music. This style of music was promoted by Studio executives Chet Atkins and Owen Bradley. This sound was promoted to the younger crowd of people. Crossover hits were common among Patsy Cline, Marty Robbins, Jim Reeves, and Eddy Arnold. Crossing genres were shown by Charley Pride, Lynn Anderson, Mac Davis, and Donna Fargo. We know about Olivia Newton-John. Today in the 2020s, we have country music merging with hip hop too. Artists like Maren Morris, Dan + Shay, and Kelsea Ballerini have experienced with different styles. Florida Georgia Line have rock elements in their songs, and Beyonce's Cowboy Carter merges multiple genres into one album. There are tons of black young country music artists expressing themselves all of the time since country's inception.
The Legacy of Beyonce's Album of Cowboy Carter
The eighth studio album of Beyonce is Cowboy Carter. This album has stirred up debate, increased black people and other people of color's interest in country music, and has been an example of why diversity matters in music. The haters forget that black people were at the origin of country music, and black representation in country music is legitimate music. These same haters were mostly silent when Shania Twain did pop music, when Elvis made gospel music, and when Dolly Parton made many pop records. Yet, they have some type of animosity towards Beyonce for making country music elements. Beyonce can sing, dance, and write songs. Beyonce and her daughter Blu Ivy recently performed at the Christmas Day halftime show in 2024 during the game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Houston Texans (in Houston, Texas which is Beyonce's hometown). She is not perfect as no human on this Earth is perfect, but her album of Cowboy Carter is not totally trash as some narrow-minded country music so-called fans think. The song of Beyonce's American Requiem showed lyricism, vocal ability, harmonies, and other forms of talent found in country music. The album of Cowboy Carter represents a new era of country music history. It was released on March 29, 2024, via Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records. It represents Beyonce's 2nd album of her planned trilogy of albums after Renaissance (which came out in 2022). Cowboy Carter's goal was to show the contributions of black pioneers to American musical and cultural history. A lot of people don't know that black people were well-known cowboys and country music pioneers.
The album also merges many genres of music too like R&B, blues, pop, bluegrass, folk, zydeco, etc. Beyonce worked with country music legends like Dolly Parton, Linda Martell, and Willie Nelson. She also featured many modern-day black country music artists like Shaboozey, Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, Reyna Roberts, and Willie Jones. Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Nile Rodgers, Jon Batiste, and Rhiannon Giddens contributed to the acoustic instruments played on the album too. Cowboy Carter is one of her best albums of her career. It goes into experimentation with a message that diverse country music artists have as much value as mainstream country artists. She answered the criticism among some who don't view her as having country roots when the woman went to rodeos, is a fan of country music, and had relatives found in the Deep South. In fact, Beyonce was born in Houston, Texas, and listened to country music at an early age. Her family attended the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo every year in western clothing. She performed at the Rodeo four times between 2001 and 2007.
She is a Southern black woman. At the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, Cowboy Carter has 11 nominations including Album of the Year and Best Country Album (being the 2nd most nominated album in Grammy history). Texas Hold 'Em and 16 Carriages represent country sounds. Lemonade's song Daddy's Lesson is a country music song from 2016. Dolly Parton asked Beyonce to cover the song Jolene which she did. Beyonce recorded about 100 songs for the album. Black Southern culture is shown in the album. Predictably, the 58th Annual Country Music Association Awards didn't nominate Cowboy Carter for anything, but we don't seek validation from corporate power that seeks to whitewash country music. We seek validation from the Most High God. Cowboy Carter broke records involving streaming. Beyonce is the first black woman to have a number one country album. She is the first woman and 2nd artist overall to debut her first 8 albums at number one. Cowboy Carter debuted at number one on the Americana/Folk Albums, Top Album Sales, and Top Country Albums charts. Beyonce helped more people to listen to country music in America and worldwide. Paul McCartney, Nancy Sinatra, and Linda Martell praised the album. Stevie Wonder called Cowboy Carter a masterpiece that is changing music and culture.
Further Representation
There is further representation in country music. Country music is never monolithic, and it's very diverse. There is Jimmie Allen who loves the song Freedom Was a Highway. He spent his last 100 dollars in 2016 to see Charley Pride sing at the CMA Awards. He sang with Pride in singing the song Kiss an Angel Good Mornin' to honor the country music icon. By 2019, he was the first black singer to send his debut single Best Shot to No. 1 on the country radio charters. Allen won the ACM Award for New Male Artist of the Year. Allison Russell has worked on collaborations throughout her career. She sang Stand Rogers songs with people in Montreal, Canada. She was in the supergroup called Our Native Daughters. Her debut project was called Outside Child. This album mentions her life, her abusive upbringing in Canada, and talks about hope plus courage too. She worked with Americana breakout Yola and gospel young legends The McCrary Sisters. The album mentions soul, jazz, and country folk influences. Amythyst Kiah plays the banjo. Her 2021 album of Wary + Strange" showed her music like the song Black Myself. This album came out in 2021, and she is from Tennessee. Kiah performed at The grand Ole Opry. Brittney Spencer was a Baltimore native who moved into Nashville by 2013. She released her single Sober and Skinny. She has worked with Amanda Shires, Maren Morris, Jason Isbell, and Brett Eldredge. Shy Carter is from Memphis, and her has performed a lot of country music too.
Conclusion
For almost one century, country music has been in existence. The common misconception is that all music will remain static. That isn't the case. Rock music didn't remain the same as it evolved into metal, pop rock, and folk-rock music for generation. We know that R&B didn't remain the same as it has changed into the quiet storm, fast beat type of R&B, and other developments. Hip Hop definitely didn't remain monolithic as we have conscious hip hop, trap, emo rap, and other diverse forms of hip hop. Therefore, country music has been in constant evolution with the Nashville sound, the hip hop/country hybrid, folk country music, country music rock, etc. The 21st century is a time of massive change and debates about politics and the future societal realities. Now, we have an ideological battle between democracy and more authoritarian systems of government. During the early part of the 21st century, 9/11 promoted a patriotic power that translated into many country artists presenting songs about love for America. Showing the greatest love for America is to promote freedom, including freedom to dissent peacefully too. That is part of the First Amendment. As time went onward, country music saw more younger people embracing it, the merging of genres of music, and a sense of power to develop its own creativity. Beyonce's historic Cowboy Carter album helped to bring people to realize that there are tons of black country music artists spanning decades with important messages about love, rural life, cultural excellence, resiliency, and other topics common among the human race in general. Therefore, country music is a lot more dynamic when its diverse components are embraced for real.
By Timothy
No comments:
Post a Comment