On Max’s “Who’s Talking to Chris Wallace” on Saturday, Nashville star Darius Rucker said the success of Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” has made country music more American and lessened some of the stigma of racism.
A partial transcript follows:
WALLACE: So this spring, Beyoncé took the charts by storm. Cowboy Carter was a huge hit. How big was it?
Rucker: It’s huge. It’s huge. I can’t even begin to describe how much she’s done. She’s brought so much attention to the genre. One of my favorite things about Beyoncé is that when I started making country music and I had hits, African-American women and men came up to me and said, “I love country music.” I couldn’t say that until now, when you’re performing. She brought so many more eyes to the genre, so many more people are watching it, so many more black people are saying, “Yeah, I love country music.” I always want country music to be more American, and I think she’s been a big part of that.
WALLACE: A few years ago you wrote that country music still carries the stigma of the rebel flag and racism.
Rucker: It’s still around. You know, you still see it in some places, and I don’t think it’s ever going to go away. So it’s still around. It’s not as prevalent as it used to be. It’s not the majority of country music, but it’s still around.
Wallace: And yet, a few years ago, do you think that would still be around?
Rucker: It’s still there because it’s still in America. It’s still part of America, part of the Americans. It’s America as we know it, so yes, it’s definitely still there.
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