While the BET Awards have not historically focused on country artists with a specific category for the genre, country music took center stage in this year's ceremony with the help of some emerging Black artists.
The awards show, held Sunday at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles, California, featured special performances by rising country music stars and "Cowboy Carter" collaborators, including Tanner Adell and Shaboozey.
And it was clear that the two artists fell into the bigger picture about recognizing and celebrating Black country artists.
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To kick off the show, singer-songwriter Adell, who was featured on Beyoncé's eighth studio album, performed her hit single "Buckle Bunny" Saturday at the fan festival, known as BET Experience.
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The "Buckle Bunny" singer graced he stage during the red carpet pre-show, where she told host Terrence J it felt "magical" to be at the BET Awards festivities given her recent success that skyrocketed after collaborating with Queen Bey.
In March, Adell told The Nashville Tennessean, part of The USA TODAY Network, that her appearance on "Blackbiird" fulfilled her lifelong dream of working with Beyoncé within an unexpected whirlwind of just a few months.
Her performance was a "special moment" she said she "kept as close to her person as possible" to avoid "destroying the good energy" of the moment.
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Shaboozey, who is featured on "Spaghettii" and "Sweet Honey Buckin'" from Beyoncé's acclaimed album, echoed similar sentiments saying it was a "dream come true."
During the awards ceremony, Shaboozey rocked the stage with his hit song "A Bar Song (Tipsy)," which interpolates the throwback No. 1 rap song "Tipsy" by J-Kwon. During the set, he was joined by the rapper.
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When chatting on the red carpet with Shaboozey, Terrence J acknowledged that Black country artists seem to be having a huge moment. The "Tipsy" singer emphasized how important it is to highlight Black country artists in all spaces.
"Country music is American music," he said. It's important to "hear those stories as well."
During the awards show ceremony, "Insecure" actor Jay Ellis introduced Adell before she graced the stage and performed her latest song, "Cowboy Break My Heart."
Ellis emphasized that Black people have been making country music "since the beginning," adding that, "now the world is paying attention."
While Introducing Shaboozey to the stage Sunday night, BET Awards show host, Taraji P. Henson, paid homage to Black artists in the country, saying that during Black Music Month it was imperative to honor Black country artists of the past present, and future.
"Country music is black music," Henson said onstage.
And Henson was clear about Beyoncé's impact on this moment in time, saying "It's a lot of us (Black people) wearing country boots and hats this year because of Beyoncé."
Henson emphasized country music's Black roots while holding a banjo and speaking on its African origin.
Before leaving the stage, she warned off any naysayers from Queen Bey. "Of course she's going to do country music she's from Houston," she added.
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As fans know, the "Ya Ya" singer released her highly acclaimed album, "Cowboy Carter," on March 29 and has already made history and broken multiple records. The bottom line is that Beyoncé has been a huge catalyst for the recent spotlight on Black country artists and the genre's roots.
Prior to sharing the album with the rest of the world, Beyoncé got candid about creating the 5-year project and alluded to her 2016 performance at the Country Music Awards (CMAs).
In a post on Instagram, she wrote: "This album has been over five years in the making. It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive.
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"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 wrote.
"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."
Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network's Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.
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