“The Great Gatekeep of Country Music” is the crown jewel of my graduate work, developed over a semester of following, studying, and interpreting the cultural response to one of my favorite artists, Beyoncé, and her album Cowboy Carter. The project allowed me to explore the often-overlooked Black origins of country music and examine the barriers Black artists continue to face when entering and performing within the genre.

Using intersectionality as a foundation, I examined how overlapping identities such as race, gender, and sexuality shape the ways audiences perceive artists and their work. I also applied Cortese’s Cultural Attitudes Model, which explores how white attitudes toward Black people influence their representation in advertising and media (Cortese, 2016, p. 138). Through the lens of Cowboy Carter, I analyzed the expectations surrounding which musical genres Black artists are considered “fit” to occupy and how those perceptions are reinforced or challenged through media and popular culture.

Ultimately, the project allowed me to combine IMC theory, cultural analysis, music, and media to explore the complicated relationship between race, representation, and country music.

Also included within the presentation are visualized diversity and inclusion data/information that aid in further visualizing the history of country music, while also calling to attention the diversity of artists currently in the genre.