Gavin Adcock, the Georgia-born country artist best known for his beer-slinging antics and viral hit “A Cigarette,” has ignited backlash after telling fans during a recent concert that Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter “ain’t country music.” His comments, which came as Cowboy Carter continues to top country charts and smash industry records, have sparked a wave of criticism online, with Reddit users accusing Adcock of peddling a racially coded narrative that sidelines Black artists in the genre.
“There’s only three people in front of me on the Apple Music country charts, and one of them’s Beyoncé,” Adcock said from the stage, visibly agitated. “That shit ain’t country music. It ain’t ever been country music, and it ain’t gonna be country music.” He ended his rant with an aggressive, “You can tell her we’re coming for her fuckin’ ass.”
The moment was captured on video and quickly went viral, prompting a harsh rebuke on Reddit, where the video was widely shared and dissected. Among the top responses: “It’s just pop and hiphop for hicks who hate Black people.” The sentiment echoed across hundreds of comments, many pointing out that Beyoncé, a Houston native who collaborated with artists like Willie Jones and Shaboozey, has more geographical and musical claim to the genre than many of its modern pop-country stars.
“Beyoncé is from Texas. That’s more country than half these industry-manufactured Nashville bros,” wrote one user. Others noted that the genre has long evolved past rigid sonic definitions, citing the rise of hip-hop–influenced acts like Post Malone and Jelly Roll who are routinely embraced by the same country fanbase Adcock claims to represent.
Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter has already made history, earning her the first-ever Best Country Album Grammy for a Black woman and the first Black woman to top Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. Far from being a cynical crossover attempt, the album’s roots run deep: Beyoncé has said the project was born from her experiences of exclusion within the genre, prompting a deeper exploration into country’s Black musical heritage.
But Adcock wasn’t having it. In an Instagram follow-up, he doubled down: “It doesn’t sound country, it doesn’t feel country,” he insisted. “People that have dedicated their whole lives to this genre and this lifestyle shouldn’t have to compete with her just because she’s Beyoncé.”
Critics were quick to highlight the hypocrisy in Adcock’s argument. “So what’s more ‘country’—a Houston girl with Southern roots paying tribute to Black legacy in Americana, or a Warner-signed ex-football player using ‘the lifestyle’ to sell trucker hats and barroom anthems?” one user asked. Another piled on: “Most of these country artists would’ve lynched Woody Guthrie. They’ve forgotten what country music was even about.”
The controversy adds to a growing cultural reckoning in country music, where long-standing barriers around race, gender, and authenticity are being challenged by artists both old and new. Adcock’s attempt to gatekeep Beyoncé out of the genre is seen by many as a strategic play for viral attention.
That interpretation isn’t helped by Adcock’s recent legal troubles. The Georgia singer was arrested in May in Wilson County, Tennessee, on multiple charges including reckless driving, speeding, and open container violations. According to the Tennessee Highway Patrol, he also faced issues with his registration and driver’s license. The incident comes as he embarks on his The Need To tour and gears up to support Morgan Wallen’s I’m The Problem tour — aligning him with another artist frequently criticized for his own racial controversies.
As Cowboy Carter continues to dominate streaming platforms and collect critical praise, the question many are asking is less about whether Beyoncé is country, and more about why people like Gavin Adcock are so desperate to say she’s not.
