CMA Awards Accused Of ‘Denying Black Artists’ After Beyoncé Snub

The 58th CMA Awards nominees dropped on Monday and Beyoncé was nowhere on the list—despite her record-breaking album “Cowboy Carter.”

The Grammy-winning superstar was left out of the nominations entirely, missing out on a chance for Album of the Year for her groundbreaking project. Fans were hoping that this year could’ve been historic, with Beyoncé poised to be the first Black woman to snag that coveted award, but it looks like that won’t be happening.

After the CMA Awards nominees dropped, social media exploded, backing Beyoncé and clamming the association.

Since releasing “Cowboy Carter” on March 29, Queen Bey has shattered records and made history left and right. Not to mention, she’s been a major force shining a spotlight on Black country artists and the roots of the genre.

Unfortunately, fans feel that the Black community is not being recognized after the CMAs decided not to name Beyoncé in their nominations.

According to the Country Music Association, the Album of the Year award is “judged on all aspects including, but not limited to, artist’s performance, musical background, engineering, packaging, design, art, layout and liner notes” and the awards are “determined by eligible voting CMA members comprised of professionals within the Country Music industry.”

The music icon has officially become the first Black woman ever to snag the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.

“Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of the supporters of ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ and ‘16 Carriages,’” she wrote on social media, referring to the singles from her “Cowboy Carter” album. “I feel honored to be the first Black woman with the number one single on the Hot Country Songs chart.”

“It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history,” she continued. “The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. Act ii is a result of challenging myself and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.”

Fans did not hesitate to express their opinion regarding the CMA nominations, with a majority of them slamming the association.

“Both Beyoncé & Post Malone ventured into country music this year, and both earned #1 Country Songs (Beyoncé didn’t need a Morgan Wallen feature),” one X user said. “Somehow Post Malones song received 4 nominations at the CMAs while Beyoncé’s received 0.”

“Beyoncé still dominating the conversation around the CMAs despite them trying to exclude her,” another wrote.

For the record, “Texas Hold ‘Em” ruled the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for ten weeks straight between February and April, making it the second longest-running No. 1 of 2024. It only trails behind Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” for the top spot.

Shaboozey addressed Beyoncé’s snub in an X post: “That goes without saying. Thank you @Beyonce for opening a door for us, starting a conversation, and giving us one of the most innovative country albums of all time!”

The reactions didn’t stop there.

“The CMA’s have once again deferred to those in the industry who prefer to deny Black artists the recognition they deserve, failing to nominate Beyoncé in a single category this year despite her record-breaking success with ‘TEXAS HOLD ‘EM’ and ‘COWBOY CARTER,'” a third expressed.

“The CMAs have failed to recognize the first black woman to score a #1 album/song in country music HISTORY,” a fourth wrote on X.

A fifth chimed in, “I knew they were going to find a way to snub Cowboy Carter. Racist a– award show.”

Despite not being nominated at the 2024 CMA Awards, Beyoncé hit a major milestone after becoming the most nominated artist at the 2024 People’s Choice Country Awards with a whopping 12 nods.

Tracy Chapman made history as the first Black woman to snag a CMA Award 35 years after dropping her iconic hit “Fast Car.”