Genres Are a Funny Concept, Aren’t They?

In this episode, I’m reflecting on my experience at Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter concert and using it as a jumping-off point to explore history, identity, and how narratives get reclaimed. We’re talking Black cowboys, the politics of genre, and why Beyoncé’s artistry is about legacy, protest, and power.

From the symbolism in her visuals to the deep roots of denim in our ancestral labor, this is an episode about remembering what we’ve always known: we’re not new to this. And we don’t need permission to belong.

*NOTE* I mention her award show snubs and accidentally say the CMAs added the 'Contemporary Country Album' category, but I should have said the Grammy's

In this episode, I get into:

• The overlooked legacy of Black cowboys and cowgirls
• Why genre is more about safety and perception than truth
• The history behind denim, indigo, and what it means to reclaim that style today
• The protest embedded in Beyoncé’s use of Jimi Hendrix and national symbols
• How institutions shift the rules when Black excellence shows up
• Spaghetti Westerns, Lola Falana, and seeing ourselves in stories

Things I mention or reference:

• Jimi Hendrix’s 1969 rendition of the national anthem
• Lola Colt / Black Tigress (Spaghetti Western featuring Lola Falana)
• Denim’s roots in Negro cloth and indigo from West Africa
• 7 Western Films Starring Black Women