For decades, country music has done its best to shed its unfair bad reputation. High-minded music critics have historically dismissed it as sentimental music for hicks, rolling their eyes at the massive sales and wild popularity of its stars. None of that is just, as country music can be incredibly moving and musically dense, and its fans are one of the nicest and most welcoming communities in music.
That’s perhaps proven by the ongoing crossovers between country and pop that have electrified audiences. Lil Nas X’s Old Town Road pioneered the “country rap” style, but it took Beyoncé‘s critically acclaimed Cowboy Carter to cement the bridges between the two worlds.
