43: EVERYONE SHUT UP COWBOY CARTER IS OUT 01:04:27

Nice to meet you. Or maybe we've met before. I'm the COVID-19 virus. I use disguises to fool your immune system. My buddy the flu virus and I make thousands of people sick every year. But updated vaccines make it a lot harder.

Don't make it easy for these viruses. Stay up to date on your COVID-19 and flu vaccinations this fall. Sponsored by Champions for Vaccine Education, Equity, and Progress. CVEEP.org. Direct from the Broski Nation headquarters in Los Angeles, California, this is the Broski Report with your host, Brittany Broski. Good morning, guys! Guys, wake up! Seriously! This is the last time I'm coming in the morning!

I've been nice! I've been nice! That's how my mom used to wake me up. I've already been in here three times, don't make me make it a fourth! And then I graduated from fourth grade. My mom used to go wake up my siblings until like well into high school. And even then my brother couldn't get up. Hey, get up. He's the youngest. Hey, get up, baby. I was six years old. Like, I'm up. I'm up.

I'm in the office with my glasses on doing some, doing some work before I go to school. I've got my, my cup of Joe and I've got my, my readers on and I'm in the office. I'm doing paperwork. And my mom comes in. I told you to, Oh, you're up. And I'm like looking up over my readers. Yeah, I'm up. Do you need help with anything? What do you need? She's like, I just, I didn't know what you wanted for lunch. I was going to pack your lunch. Yeah. I'll just get something at the office. Yeah. All right. Thanks.

That's me as a six-year-old waking myself up. Okay, guys, welcome back to another report. And what a report it's about to be. Okay, this report is coming in the wake of the much-anticipated release of Cowboy Carter, Beyonce's act two of the Renaissance sort of three-act structure. Cowboy Carter, let me just go ahead and say,

This is a hot take, okay? This is a hot take. My favorite Beyonce project of all time, selfishly, that I still think to this day is her magnum opus, is Lemonade. Lemonade impacted me in a very personal way that happened at the perfect time in my life when I really needed that piece of art. And I think that the cinematic structure of Lemonade is something that no artist has compared to or topped today. That's my hot take.

Cowboy Carter is without a doubt my second favorite thing Beyonce's ever done. It is an absolute work of art, an absolute work of art. Beyonce incorporates the cinematic element

project energy into this album, like she does for any album. But for this one, it was a specifically sort of nostalgic, it felt like home to listen to this album and to sit with it and spend time with it. And I listened to it front to back three times. I think that the collabs were so...

Smart. And so well done. And I have some questions that hopefully we're going to get to. And we're going to do a track by track breakdown of Cowboy Carter because I have things to say and you bitches need to listen. Again, this is

We've been waiting for this for so long and her statement about it. She put this Instagram post out with this long caption basically explaining like, you know, this shit means a lot to me. And she was gonna release it during the pandemic, but it was not the time. So let's read it.

Today marks the 10-day countdown until the release of Act 2. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all the support of Texas Hold'em and 16 Carriages. I feel honored to be the first black woman with the number one single on the Hot Country Songs chart. That would not have happened without the outpouring of support from each and every one of you. My hope is that years from now, the mention of an artist's race as it relates to releasing genres of music will be irrelevant.

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. 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.

So what she's referring to

She performed at the CMA, the CMT Awards, I believe, with the Dixie Chicks, or I guess the Chicks now. And they did a rendition of Daddy Lessons. And it was this, because you know that the Chicks are kind of excommunicated from the country music scene because of their controversial statements about George W. Bush. If you remember this, let's look up the exact so I don't misquote it. Like they really fell out of favor with the right-leaning country music, you know,

fan base oh that's right here we go they're so period in march 2003 the american country band the dixie chicks publicly criticized president george w bush triggering a backlash at a concert in london during their top of the world tour the lead singer natalie said the dixie chicks were ashamed bush was from the same state as them and that they did not support the imminent invasion of iraq

The Dixie Chicks were one of the most popular American country acts at the time. After the statement was reported by the British newspaper The Guardian, it triggered a backlash from American country listeners who were mostly right-wing and supported the war. The Dixie Chicks were blacklisted by many country radio stations, received death threats, and were criticized by other country musicians. Sales of their music and concert tickets declined, and they lost corporate sponsorship. Isn't that fucking crazy?

You come out and you're like, don't support the war and also fuck this dude. And you lose everything. You lose everything. It's such an interesting, like,

you know, cross section of American history too, because this is incredibly emotional times post 9-11 where patriotism is at an all time high. And here you have this, you know, all female country band in a different country being like, and fuck the president and fuck the war and fuck colonialism and fuck this and fuck that.

And everyone being like, "Yeah!" 'Cause they're not American. And then it gets back to America and they're like, "Hurrghh!" Just insane! It's like, it's like we're on the schoolyard. It feels like we're on the fucking schoolyard. You know, so-and-so said this about you: "What?! Let's beat them up!" What? A few days later, Natalie issued an apology, saying her remark had been disrespectful. She rescinded the apology in 2006, saying she felt Bush deserved no respect. Damn.

Entertainment Weekly likened the incident to the backlash after John Lennon quipped in 1966 that the Beatles were more popular than Jesus. Okay, I would say the comparison of saying something that's hot and sort of spicy like that, targeting a very majority group, a majority community, i.e. Christians, you know, i.e. Republicans,

That sort of thing, I would draw a similarity, but that's very different. When John Lennon said that, I think that was also a British person not understanding the extent of American Christianity and actually how much it dominated society in the 50s and 60s and 70s and all that, and then going into the anti-war movement. Whatever. I think that...

Definitely raising a level of controversy they should be compared, but they are completely two separate things. But I do think it stirs this panic, you know, of like when you start talking about anti-Republican, anti-Christian, people liken that to communism or Satanism or all these. It's literally fear mongering. Like that's what it is. That's what it boils down to. And it also gives you a public enemy.

So who's a better public enemy than a musical artist, you know, with their own sort of perspective and thoughts and feelings. The controversy was covered in the 2006 documentary Dixie Chicks, Shut Up and Sing. Damn.

In 2006, the Dixie Chicks released the single Not Ready to Make Nice, which addressed the criticism. The Dixie Chicks and their position on Bush was cited as an influence by later country artists, including Taylor Swift, Miranda Lambert, and Kacey Musgraves. Damn. That shit's crazy. Anyway, knowing that the Chicks had been excommunicated, sort of from country music, you know, and arguably they just headlined Austin City Limits, what, not even two years ago?

They're back. And the chicks are, you know, incredibly nostalgic. And it's evident that the fan base, especially in the wake of the political climate today, you know, where arguably the pendulum has completely switched to the other side of this, like, really odd brand of liberalism that I won't even get into of just like how actually liberalism

ineffective American liberalism is and how it's idealistic. And it's like, we're actually not making a change. I could talk about it for hours, but like our heads in the right space, but we are just not, you know, we're not united enough to actually make considerable change. Again, that's all sort of like, I'm not going to get into political discourse hour with Brittany, but this is what Beyonce is referring to. She performed, here it is. Let's pull it up. CMA, the CMA awards.

So she brings her whole band. They do a live version of Daddy Lessons. And she's got the chick singing back up and playing guitar. And I mean, she brings it. You know, Beyonce is never going to give a half-assed performance. She gets, get up on your fucking feet! And the camera pans to the audience and you can literally see how angry people were. And I don't know if it was just blatant racism. I don't know if it's, you know,

You've got a certain brand of pop country that's being honored at these events, and she is just a complete outlier from that. But you cannot deny her Texas upbringing. That is a Houstonian woman. And she is just as much country as any person in this room. If you're telling me Keith Urban can be a country artist and he's not even from America, what are we actually talking about?

So I think that this, of course, I remember seeing this live and reading the discourse online afterward and being like, Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ. Like, it always...

It's not surprising or no, I guess it's shocking, you know, to see that sort of vitriol online, but it's, it's not surprising. So that's what she's referring to in this caption where, you know, previously she's done stuff like this before and she's she has made country records and look how the country community treats it, you know? So I also, before I even, this is going to be a two hour long episode, by the way, like I have so much to say.

The idea, and I've always brought this up in the discussion around Beyonce, it is like trying to tell a rainbow to pick a color. You know, you can't be all that, so pick a color. Trying to fit Beyonce into a genre and make her stay there

What the fuck is wrong with you? That is actually not how it works. And when you try to confine an artist creatively like that, or you try to fit them into a box, you try to fit them into a Spotify playlist, you try to fit them into whatever, the way that we label things, that's not how art works.

As humans, we like to give things names and labels so that we can better comprehend it. But I think that's just the beauty of Beyonce is she doesn't need that. Let the project be the project and enjoy it as the art it is. Anyway. Also, people are mad at the whole like, she's in red, white, and blue. She's, oh my God, shut the fuck up. Okay. I have a few surprises on the album and have collaborated with some brilliant artists who I deeply respect.

I hope that you can hear my heart and soul and all the love and passion that I poured into every detail and every sound. And trust and believe, I did Beyonce heard loud and clear. I focused on this album as a continuation of Renaissance. I hope this music is an experience, creating another journey where you can close your eyes, start from the beginning, and never stop.

This ain't a country album. This is a Beyonce album. This is act two, Cowboy Carter. And I am proud to share it with y'all. Damn, bitch! Come on, Maren Morris commented on it. Drag them, queen! I love Maren Morris. Okay, so with all that in mind, let's get into my initial thoughts and then we'll do it track by track, okay?

So, first of all, Cowboy Carter, and not Cowgirl Carter, let me talk about the importance of this, okay? She is a boss...

male-dominated industry, male-dominated world, male-dominated society.

Calling it Cowboy Carter, I think there's so much that comes to mind when you think about a cowboy. You know, strong, rugged, scarred, bruised, calloused. You've been through the fucking ringer. You have spent years laboring, you know? There's the sort of aesthetic associated with a cowboy that cowgirl doesn't conjure up. This is my opinion. Cowgirl, first of all, sexualized.

Okay, arguably. Second of all, cowgirl is more so the like southern rhinestone aesthetic that's sold, you know, of what is a cowgirl, of its pink fringe and its diamond rhinestones and its turquoise jewelry and it's all that. I think that there is such a, I love the creative decision to call it Cowboy Carter. Okay.

She has a very famous quote where she says, I'm not bossy. I'm the boss. First of all, yes. First of all, exactly. I think that's part of this energy as well of like it's not stealing an aesthetic. It's not, you know, picking something because it matched something.

a sort of mood board she was going for. This bitch is country. But what does that mean? You know? And I think she explores it through the track list. So we'll get into that in a second. Second of all, if you'll notice in the track list, all of the I's in the track list are twos. Because it's at two. Okay? American Requiem, Blackbird, Blackbird.

Spaghetti, alligator tears, spaghetti, like Levi's like, okay, we're noticing that. Also bold predictions for act three. People are saying it's a rock album. I hope it's a rap, rap album. I hope it, because we got a taste on spaghetti and it just ignited something in my fucking, okay. I can't actually talk about it. Okay. And the themes, the themes of the album that I, I really, I mean, from the first song to the last song, it's,

It's the classic Beyonce, like on the run, on the run to of just being, it doesn't matter how old you get, you are forever young and in love. That feeling that true love gives you is amazing.

It doesn't have an age, you know? And when you meet those old, you know, grandparent couples that have been together for 40, 50 years, and it's like they're still fresh young chickens in love. That is the energy that I got from this. I mean, that bitch is so in love with her. God! Oh my God! It just makes, it gives me BANGS! It also feels so...

vulnerable. It feels so vulnerable. And that's the beautiful part of Beyonce's art is, you know, she doesn't really share a lot through social media or through, you know, posting. And she brings us in in a different way, in a way that's very curated. It's a curated experience. You don't get access to her the way that you get access to, you know,

A lot of people, mainly influencers, where it's like, here is every part of my life. Any questions? With Beyonce, it's like the parts you do get, man, she means it. She means it. And I felt the love. Okay, so we'll go through it. Okay, American Requiem. First of all, let's Google the definition of Requiem. A solemn chant for the repose of the dead.

Something that resembles a solemn chant, a musical setting of the mass for the dead, a musical composition in honor of the dead. Okay? The word "Requiem" comes from the Latin word "Requies" which means "rest". It is the first word of the Intuit in the Latin "Mass for the Dead". A Requiem can also be a piece of music used for this ceremony or in any other context honoring those who have died. Okay.

First thoughts. The screeching is so sensual and so guttural. It was the first thing I, I mean, the first fucking song, of course, where I was listening on the plane and out loud I said, damn, shit. The runs are you like actually kidding? That's a constant note. I took notes upon my first three listens. The runs are, there's just no one like her. The line, can you stand me?

There's a gospel feel, obviously, knowing the background to what she's trying to accomplish here, opening up the album with something called American Requiem. I mean, there's a lot of political sentiment packed into a statement like that. But at the same time, you're setting the tone for what the album is going to be.

This is her reintroduction to us, to the world, as the Beyonce that they said she couldn't be. As the Beyonce that she was kicked out for. As she said, actually, we're not doing that. Second song on the album is a Beatles cover. Blackbird. A beautiful, simple Beatles cover. And y'all know that I was a Beatles girl to my core in middle school, high school.

So this like, because I didn't know anything about the track list before I listened to it. I didn't scroll through it. I didn't see the collabs. I saw Dolly post about it. And then I saw something about Post Malone and I was like, fuck, I don't want to ruin it. And so listening to it all the way through, I was like, it's just a Beatles cover. Holy shit. My heart swelled. It was beautiful. It's a beautiful transition. And she is the fucking queen.

No one does it better, maybe other than Ariana Grande, in terms of harmonies and layering. The production is so beautiful and it is such a testament to her attention to detail. The layering, the harmonies. I mean, you have to listen to it over and over and over to really understand all the layers that she's added to these songs.

Her lower range also needs to be studied by scientists, I think. Also, who are the women on this song? I wanted to Google that on the pod. Who are the women on Blackbird, Beyonce? Beyonce included four emerging black female country artists, period, Beyonce. Tanner, Adele, Tierra Kennedy, Raina Roberts, and Britney Spencer. And I have a Tierra Kennedy song saved for...

Yeah, yeah. I think it's this song, Found It In You. Love that song. Okay, moving on. 16 Carriages was one of the singles. Also, if you don't give a shit about Beyonce, grow up because we've got 21 more songs to get through. So sit down. Like, don't click off because I'm going to know.

16 Carriages, obviously there have been breakdowns done on this song. And if you haven't been tapped into that whole sort of lore, let me go ahead and break it down for you. 16 Carriages is about her childhood. And it's about growing up as a musical artist from a very young age. And how your childhood is, you know, I don't know if it's for the greater good or not. That's a debatable topic, but it's stripped from you.

Her childhood has been dedicated to being this cowboy legend, but what about the girl? At 15, the innocence was gone astray. That's the lyric. And I think there's two parts to this song. There's the young, grinding Beyoncé, and then there's the current grown woman, mother and wife Beyoncé. And she is the same girl. You know, she's still working on herself the same way that she did when she was a teenager. And...

It just makes me so emotional because we are all carrying with us past versions of ourself and they never leave you. You know, they're always there. The hurt ones, the happy ones, they live in you. And this song just, I think, really sums that up of...

I've been through this and I'm still going through this. And my God, how has life changed? But like inside of me is still this girl who something was taken from her, you know, and it was for it was working towards a goal that Beyonce had and still has. But like, what's the cost? What is the cost?

The question that a lot of people have been asking are what are the 16 carriages? Are they the years, you know, like around the age of 16? That's kind of when Destiny's Child really, you know, I don't know. I think it's an open, open-ended question. My favorite line in this song, because I remember when I did the Rosalia episode and in each one I picked a line where I was like, this really, it really spoke to me. This was my favorite line.

Ain't got time to waste, I got art to make, I got love to create. On this holy night, they won't dim my light. I love Beyonce. Ain't got time to waste, I got art to make, I got love to create. Okay, the next song, she put all the fucking sad ones right at the beginning, what the fuck? The next one, "Protector," about her children. I just got chills all over my body.

Any song she makes about motherhood is gonna wreck me every fucking time. It's gonna wreck me because she's been open about, she's had a miscarriage and she wanted more than anything, more than anything in her career, she wanted to be a mother. And to go through that joy of pregnancy and then lose the child, I just can't. And now she's got three beautiful, healthy babies. So knowing that with this song,

I mean, for her kids to be credited on these songs and to grow up and to be able to listen to how fucking much they were loved forever and for everyone to know. I mean, they are. Wow. My favorite line is I gave water to the soil and it feeds me. Man, that you raise your children. And if you do it right and you do it with enough love, they they pour back into you.

You know, and it's this sort of familial, cyclical nature of life of you raise your children and then when you get too old to take care of yourself, your children take care of you. You know? Next is My Rose. Cute little interlude. Cute little interlude. The...

lyrics on this one crazy how many times have you let yourself get you down let yourself get you down so many roses but none to be picked without thorns so be fond of your flaws dear i'm gonna cry actually baby because no one bullies you as much as you bully you you know and i like this concept of singing it to yourself this isn't a love song for anyone else it's a love song to yourself it's a love letter to yourself and it's a pick me up

And it's also, it's, you know, how many times have you let yourself get you down? How many fucking years have you wasted being mean to yourself? You're my love, my sweetie pie, my baby, you're my heart. Talking to yourself like that is just, wow. Okay, then we go into Smoke Hour. I love this so fucking much. Sorry, she is a director. She is a cinematic movie producer.

Matthew McConaughey, okay, Beyonce could have been an interstellar Matthew McConaughey could not have made Cowboy Carter Okay, sorry. She is a cinematic fucking legend Willie Nelson one thing about Beyonce It's going to be a project a fully fleshed out Project every single time start to fucking finish. These are not songs on an album. It's an experience Okay, moving on from that

Also, Willie Nelson, hey, happy 132nd birthday, by the way! How fucking old is he then?! How old is Willie Nelson? He, motherfucker, is 90 years old! God! And his son is hot, by the way. Willie Nelson and family. Willie Nelson's son. Don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys. Yeah, dude, Lucas Nelson. Oh, get into Lucas Nelson's shit.

Oh my God. That is a beautiful young gentleman. Okay. Calm down. Okay, next. Seven. Texas Hold'em, of course. I think this was the right single. It was the most palatable for me.

mainstream, I think, because not everyone is going to appreciate the artistry that she puts into a project like this. I think Texas Hold'em was absolutely the right single and it's fucking killing. So number eight, Bodyguard. Bitch! Bitch, I feel like this. Woo! Woo! Bodyguard?

The windows are down, the sunroof is back, I feel the sun on my face, my freckles are out. There is a freedom and love and joy and beauty in this song that just feels like summertime. I'm in love! Oh my god, it's summertime and I'm in love! I got my man!

kind of reminded me it had the vibe of some of like Orville's really happy songs I don't know I was getting like really really aggressive Orville Peck vibes and she sang the fuck out of this song Beyonce makes me feel like she makes me feel okay being a psychotic lover girl because that's how love's supposed to feel

If you're going through life acting nonchalant, acting like you don't get butterflies when you talk to them or when you don't, it's like, what's the fucking point? Why dole? Why put a cap on the extent of the emotions that you feel when you're in love and you like, oh my God, you can't wait for them to text you back and you got a crush. And it like, it's just so, it, it affirms my feelings.

philosophy of like, bitch I'm crazy and it's- I'M FUCKING CRAZY! When I like someone, and I do, and I have a crush right now that's taking over my fucking life, I feel fucking mentally insane. Room reveal, room reveal!

I don't know, just with that on my mind, I'm addicted to a young man right now, as Brooke and Connor would say. I'm absolutely addicted to this young man. And I think about him all the time, and I like spending time with him. And I literally, listening to this song, he was all I was thinking about, and I was like, oh, this is fucking gross. Then I was like, no, it's not. It's really sweet.

Songs like this too, I think Beyonce does so well because when you think about Virgo's groove and songs like that, God damn. I feel kind of like, should I be listening to this? So intimate. Like, oh my God, she's so in love. I want to be in love. It's so sweet. I wrote a note here that says, and Virgo's groove like, God damn, didn't know she was getting it like that. God damn, didn't know she was getting it like that. Why did I write that? It's true though.

Next song, number nine, Dolly P. Yeah, this shit made me fucking sob. Yeah, I started crying immediately as I heard Dolly's voice. Are you serious? And how old is Dolly? She's probably about 82. How old is Dolly Parton? 78. Not that far off. My God. I mean, there is something so just like my two favorite women arguably alive. Yeah. And if she would have done...

Doesn't she have a song called Flamenco on the album? I saw that and I was like, I swear to fucking God, if Rosalia is on this album, I'm going to lose my shit. Yeah, she's got a song called Flamenco. I got real nervous. But no, it wasn't. She wasn't on it. Yeah, hearing Dolly's voice, just doing a little intro right before her cover of Jolene. I truly, like, I'm going to say this and I want you to know I'm not joking. I'm not trying to be like, ooh, internet, like,

you know, relatable with the kids sort of thing. We throw around the word icon pretty loosely. And I think that it's kind of dampened the meaning of what an icon truly is. This song is,

Beyonce covering this song and changing the lyrics in the way that she did is the true definition of the word iconic. It is iconic. It is a moment in time that will forever be remembered. Like, this is not, oh, that's a fun song. It's an iconic song. This is a diamond in the diamond mine of Beyonce's discography, okay? Let me just get that off my chest. The lyric changes, of course.

Of course. You don't want no heat with me, Jolene? Holy shit! Jolene, I'm a woman too? That growl in her voice in this song, she is serious. She is serious. Like I truly, in the most literal sense of the word, this re-imagination of Jolene is just, wow. It's a standout. Okay, number 11, daughter. Let me speak to you from the heart. As a woman...

who more closely resembles both in personality and in emotion and in thought process. I resemble my dad, I think, more so than my mom. I process things the way that my dad does. I try to assess situations the way that my dad does. And my dad is a military man who I love my dad.

But there is a sort of hyper-masculine element to being a daughter raised by a military man. And my relationship with my mom is very, you know, best friend vibes. And sometimes I don't need a best friend. I need a mom. And so sometimes the dynamic lends itself to me parenting more so than being parented, especially the older I get.

And so I'm listening to this song openly weeping on the plane because that's sort of my emotional background. And I see the parts of my dad in me, you know, like I am my father's daughter. And there's good and bad parts, you know, they're just like with any person. And so listening to this and knowing Beyonce's background with her dad, crazy. It's a little different, guys.

Double cross me, I'm just like my father. Colder than titanic waters. Did my best impression of a damsel in distress. I literally wrote, she's about to explode. And then she did. I said, is she singing in Latin? It's Italian. On a country record. This is a church song. Those were my notes. Also, like, yeah, holy shit, the meaning of this song and the sort of, you know, I know what I am. I know what I am.

Take me. Take me at what I am. Or fucking leave me. You know, because there's really no changing. You can try to change. You can try to be this...

aggressively feminine version of yourself and you can try to take the backseat in life and just be the, you know, woman that sits quiet and pretty. But that if you're not that, and if that's not how you were raised and that's not how you fucking work, that's not what's going to happen for you. That's not how it's going to shake down. And I've tried it. And it sounds like Beyonce's tried it. And it's just, you know, I am my father's daughter. So I think that the

The overall message of this song is it was validating, honestly. But at the end, it reminded me of, if y'all remember Beehive from the I Am World tour, when she does the Ave Maria wedding little interlude, the little breakdown, where her crew comes out and puts like a little wedding dress and veil on her. And the lights change to this beautiful white lighting. And she's backlit and she sings this

Italian rendition of Ave Maria. Or I guess it's in Latin. Is it in Italian? That's Italian. You need to go watch that right now. You need to go watch that right fucking now. Beyonce, Ave Maria. It's from this one right here.

Pause the video and go watch this right now. She's in this beautiful white getup with this, oh my God, and it's just gorgeous. And she sings it in Italian. And that was very, it was reminding me of that. It also just shows the range that she has, dude.

You're singing Italian opera on a country record? Who the fuck is doing it like Beyonce? It's not even like creating a new genre. The genre is Beyonce, bitch. It's her art. Anyway.

I was absolutely stunned into silence, but I wasn't surprised because we know that she loves this and she has a passion for incorporating all the different types of art that she loves into her art. So, love. Okay, 12, Spaghetti. Yeah, yeah, it's my favorite song. What, you're going to argue with me? Yeah, this is my favorite song on the whole record. Not going to apologize. Like Spaghetti Western?

The whole genre discussion we've been talking about, thank fucking Christ she aired it out. She aired out on this song. Thank God. Here are my notes. Bro, Q, I love Beyonce. Rap Beyonce is back. No sauce, no sauce. It's such a cool take on Spaghetti Western as the title. This is a quote that I was like, God, shit, shit.

I've been plagued by the plagiaristic. Ain't gonna get no clout addiction my attention. Ain't gonna get no clout addiction my attention. I wrote this song needs to be eight minutes long and have Big X the plug on it. Needs to be eight minutes long, Big X the plug on it. And guess what? Yeah, it does. Yes, it does. Okay, Beyonce and Big X the plug collab win.

Who is Shibuzy? I like him. That was another note I wrote. I've never heard of Shibuzy and I was going to Google it on the podcast. But I'm assuming he's from, he is not from Texas. Born in Virginia, Shibuzy is a Nigerian-American singer and rapper who's best known for bridging hip hop and country music. She is so smart. Like giving the stage and the spotlight to, you know, it's like if she's coming up, she's bringing people with her. I just love her to goddamn death.

His single, Let It Burn, received over 8 million streams. Last month, he released a music video for his latest single, Annabelle. You need to check him out. You need to check him out because he's credited on this album twice. Insane. Okay. Yeah, Spaghetti is my favorite song on the whole album and you can go argue with the wall. Alligator Tears is the next song, number 13. Okay. I have a playlist called, I think it's called like Stare at the Wall or something like that.

And it's basically, I don't know if you, the best, honestly, way I can describe it is on Lemonade, there is a song. Stay with me. So on Lemonade, she's chronicling all the different chapters of emotions, the stages of grief of when you're cheated on. That's, you know, betrayal and apathy and anger and when the sadness actually finally hits you. And there is a chapter called Apathy. And it's,

That is so real because you convince yourself you don't care. You convince yourself you're unaffected by it. You convince yourself, you know, that's kind of when it's riding that line of depression of I don't care what happens to you, what happens to me, what happens to actually anything. I am so numb. It's the numbness of being hurt that bad. I've got a playlist of songs like that where it's just like, I feel numb.

I feel numb. Whether that's, you know, you've been disappointed again or something awful has happened and you just, your brain shuts down. This song is going on that playlist. It gives the like driving pissed off, but you're so mad that you just don't give a fuck. You know, it's that. So I'm adding this song to that playlist. Um,

And I think that this was my interpretation of the meaning of the lyrics. One of the lyrics was, sweet things need time to grow. And the gist of the song, from my point of view, was that she can do anything you tell her to do, but will it be enough for you? You know, you can tell her that she needs to be this, act this way, don't say this, don't do that, don't wear this, shut up, be quieter, be louder. If she did everything that she

you know, the public told her to do, A, would she be as successful as she is now, having listened to an audience that doesn't know what they want? They're just fucking mad. And B, would it ever be enough? You know, especially in the discussion of looks and sound. You can change yourself. You can get all the different surgeries and do this and dress like this and change your literal face. Will it ever be enough? Because that's the thing about

humans is that to each their own. You know, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and we've created this mold of, you know, what Western beauty is and I'm not bringing a new perspective to this conversation. I'm just kind of bringing it up. Talking about it like that, where here's the mold and you're not fitting into the mold and we need you to fit into the mold. Okay. And if you don't get the fuck out.

saying, okay, even if I changed everything about myself, once I fit into the mold, it still wouldn't be enough for you. Acknowledge that. Anyway, made me mad. Smoke Hour 2, love. Willie. We got Willie part two. Okay, number 15, just for fun. I'm obsessed with this concept of I am the man. It's the Cher quote. It's what I was talking about earlier with Cowboy Carter. It's I don't need...

a masculine presence in my life because I am the masculine presence in my life. This is a big discussion on TikTok that honestly, I feel really weird about because you're too, not you're too much, but like you need to let the man be the man and you need to be able to, you know, revert back into your feminine side and you do all this. I, first of all, fuck that. That's actually going to piss me off. Second of all,

I don't know why we have to put a gender label on certain attributes. Third of all, fuck that! Like, I truly, I truly am not going to sit here and take advice that is like, you need to dull yourself, you need to...

Let someone else do something for you. You need to act more this way when that way is not in my nature. I have a very masculine side to myself. I don't really know how to reconcile it. It's who I am. It's how I was raised. It's I've been alone for so long. You have to

you know, work out that muscle to like, I fix shit around my house. I'm like, I do my shit with my car and you have to, I don't have anyone else. You know, it's me. I'm her. So this idea of like, suddenly, because you're with a romantic partner or you meet someone or you're whatever, you don't have to be that. It's like, but this is me. This has been my state of being for X amount of years. Like that's such a weird thing to say to someone. Be softer, be more feminine. Lick on my nuts.

How about suck and lick on my little nuts? Anyway, so this song, the like, I am the man. Like, I don't need a rich man. I am a rich man. That's literally, it's so cornball cringy now because girl boss internet culture has taken it over. But to its core, I agree with the concept. Um...

She's explored this a lot also with songs like If I Were a Boy and Jealous. You know, she talks a lot about like, if I was in your fucking position of power as the man, oh my God, I bet it would feel so good because men, men, men get away with so much more, I feel like, because women are so caring and they're so forgiving and they're so nurturing. Again, I'm speaking in generalities, but

In the back of this song, there are glasses clinking on. I want to know what that is. Just for fun, Beyonce. Glasses. Born in the darkness, who brings the light? Damn. And I just, I need to get through this. Oh, just getting used to it. And then Willie Jones is on this song with her. And it says, I'm going down south just for fun. I am the man. I know it. Damn. I want to know what the song is and what the sound is in the background.

Maybe it's just whiskey glasses. I don't know. Maybe it's just like whiskey glasses clinking against each other. There's also a beautiful harmonica in this song that just melted me. And then there's a lyric that says, I pray to her just for fun Beyonce lyrics. Because time heals everything. I don't need anything. Hallelujah. I pray to her. Damn. Damn. Anyway. Okay. Next song. Too Most Wanted with Miley Cyrus.

Yeah, we got a Hannah Montana feature on the fucking Beyonce record. I literally wrote, fuck off. It is a beautiful duet. Just a beautiful duet. Their voices blend together so beautifully.

And just being young and in love. Like, I just, I want to be in love. Their voices just, it's also, you know, we know both of these women as child stars. Beyonce and Miley Cyrus have been famous since they were little girls. And their voices have changed. And their personalities have changed. And...

Having them now, you know, sing together with their mature voices, I think is, I really enjoyed it. Obviously. I mean, the song's incredible. And those high notes! The high notes at the end! A great song. By all means, a great song. Next, number 17, Levi's Jeans with, oh, we're doing King and Queen of Texas. We're doing King and Queen of Texas, Post Malone, and Beyonce Giselle Carter Knowles. Okay? Okay?

What's wrong? What's wrong? Broski Nation, they hit the Pentagon. This, literally, this song, when I saw, it was like a, I don't know if it was a leak, but one of those, like, rap caviar or something like that, a thing like that was like, Post Malone might be featured on Beyonce's. What the fuck are you talking about, dude?

Because he's been getting more into country lately. Of course, it's kind of white dude country. But this, I was so pleasantly surprised by this collab. Also, we kind of got... Because Posey's been doing this like... It's almost Fleetwood Mac inspired. Ever since he released Circles on... Was that Hollywood's Bleeding? What album was that? Yeah, it was on Hollywood's Bleeding. When he released Austin... Let's pull up his albums. When he released Austin...

I think I talked about it a little bit on here. Like there were only three or four songs where I was like, damn, that's a banger. The rest I was like, these are, it's just like easy listening, which I don't listen to Post Malone for easy listening. Like I want a fucking banger that I can pregame to, you know what I mean? And I'm never going to tell an artist like,

stifle that creativity or don't try something new because that's how you grow and it's how you evolve and I enjoyed Austin the album but it's been this very Fleetwood Mac-y inspired thing and so this return to like bitch you got Post Malone to rap again like on this song it was crazy and Beyonce damn like Texas we are up bitch where are my Texans in the chat it reminded me also of like

An old Randy Travis type of duet, like an old, like 90s country duet, like the back and forth popcorn lines. It was so, I just loved it. And Posty screams. Oh my God, need him, by the way.

And her vocals, of course, are just insane every single time. Next song, Flamenco. Again, if this would have been a Rosalia feature, I would have not been able to record this. That actually would have been too much. She put fucking Palmas in the background. She put Palmas in the back of the song called Flamenco. Beyoncé, I'm running out of words to describe the reverence I feel

When you are, and truly, renaissance is, in more than one meaning of the word, the perfect word to sum up what she is and what she represents and what she does and what she offers. And she is a renaissance woman. She's good at everything. And she's

It's done with a taste level that just keeps getting better. It keeps getting better. I honestly, some parts of this album, I was thinking, this is like Jacob Collier level understanding of music. It is an academic, like collegiate course, PhD level of understanding that she is incorporating into, you know, it's one thing to be like, okay, I understand this from a historical or academic point of view, but to take it and

and do it in a new, fun, and exciting way. It's just, the respect never runs out. One of my notes that I put under this song is, oh my God, she can't die. Beyonce can't die. She can never die. Dolly Parton can't die either. Oh my God. Next is the Linda Martell show. Now I know Linda Martell from this song, You're Crying Boy Crying, this one. ♪

It's just like good country, just like classic, good country music. And so I'm again, like platforming all of these incredible underground, quote unquote, underground black country artists and bringing them up with her is just wow. Because wow, she recognized that this was about to be a moment in time. Everybody's going to win, you know?

So, Linda Martell show, love. Next, Yaya, track 20. Yaya? I literally wrote, I can't stand her. I love her so much. You know what this reminded me of? Almost like burlesque. It's like burlesque type shit. Like the movie? I will be performing this in my room into the remote. That's literally, that's, it is just a fun performance.

energy filled like I want to do my makeup to this song and dance around and just celebrate being a woman like it's cinematic too it's cinema it's cinema I wrote her brain is fucking crazy

Yeah, yeah. It's just fun. Like she's going to go crazy with this live, dude. There were songs on Renaissance where I was like, she is going to fuck this shit up live. And she did. And she did. And she blended it with her old discography and she did new dance breaks and old dance breaks. And it's just like that is it's part of the fun of introducing this new art into the villa.

And then combining it with the old art because it all blends together seamlessly. She is the master. The master. Yeah, she went batshit on this. I wish that she had put Gary Clark Jr. on this song. And I'm wondering now if he is on it.

Yaya Beyonce credits. Also the little Beach Boys. She picking up good vibrations. Looking for sweet sensations. Performed by Beyonce. Written by Pending. Damn. I wish Gary Clark Jr. was on this song. Okay. Anyway. Number 21. Oh Louisiana. Bitch what? I need to smoke a blunt in this song. I need to smoke a fucking blunt.

The transitions are flawless as per usual through the tracks. I also, I want to Google if this was a sample of something. Okay, it's a Chuck Berry song. T. See, I didn't know this. Oh Louisiana is a bridge between songs that interpolates the first verse from Chuck Berry's Oh Louisiana.

It reflects Beyonce's heritage as her mother, Tina, is Louisiana Creole. Beyonce has previously paid tribute to the state and her southern roots on bidet and lemonade. Okay, the more you know. I wondered, I was like, this is, it sounds damn. Okay, yeah. Oh, Louisiana, it's a Chuck Berry sample. Um, 22, Desert Eagle. This shit was funky. Okay, and she said she's a whole lot of woman.

That's my favorite line from it. She's a whole lot of woman. Need that tattoo. Also, this shit is just sexy. Like there are tracks on this record that are just sexy. Damn. Okay. Next song, 23 Riverdance. Again, with the two I's.

This is the Beyonce you've all been waiting for. That is my Beyonce. That's my Beyonce. It's what I wanted from this record, and she gave it. I would have accepted her farting into the mic, to be completely honest. This song is what I wanted. Everyone say, thank you, Beyonce. Amen. Everyone on one, two, three, thank you, Beyonce. Amen.

Bounce on this shit, no hands? Bounce on this shit, no- I'm so horny. Okay, 24. Two hands, to heaven. Need to dissect these lyrics. Okay, we're gonna pull it up. And the beat change up is fucking insane. Two hands, to heaven. Lyrics. Bottle in my hand, the whiskey up high. Two hands to heaven, wild horses run wild. God only knows why though. Rhinestones and diamonds both shine in the light. Ooh.

Two hands to heaven, my whiskey up high In the Arizona heat, summer fling, saw your best side Slip into my dreams every night, be the good guy Two hands to heaven, I've prayed, priest forgive my soul Lovely daggers pierced my heart many moons ago Toxic roses chased by wolves and carnivores Lost virgins with broken wings that will regrow I'm a stallion running, no candle in the wind

You will never see me coming or going, but you'll know whenever I'm here. I need to spend some time with this song. I need to spend some time with this song because it intrigues me and the beat change up is so, that's part of the storytelling as well. So I want to spend some time alone and I'll come back to you. She is so horny, girl. She is just like me for real. She is just like me for real! Horniest woman I've ever met!

And here's the thing. Sexuality and being comfortable with just the divine sexual nature of a woman in love is not a new topic for Beyonce. It's not a new theme she's explored. It goes hand in hand with the, you know, young forever in love sort of thing. This song is like Rocket Part 2, in my opinion. Like Rocket is one of her...

Damn! This is giving Rocket part two, okay? Let her talk her shit. She's gonna talk her shit. Let her get it out, okay? Yeah, I need to spend some time with this song. Okay. I know I said "Spaghetti" was my favorite song. I may have lied. I may have lied. "Tyrant," track number 25, "Tyrant," featuring Dolly Parton. What? "Briskination," they hit the second Pentagon. This song is crazy.

cried immediately when I heard her voice I could recognize I could be two miles underground in a cave and I could hear Dolly Parton's angelic singing voice and I'd be like oh that's Dolly like even if I hadn't looked at the track list I would have been like is this Dolly it's classic Dolly type lyrics too which I love and the bass and the fiddle it's just it's such an homage to

What Dolly brought to country music and the personality and the love and the character and the flavor. It's honoring that. And then you hand the baton to Beyonce. You know, that's kind of in my mind what I was envisioning. I literally wrote, holy fuck. And then I said, it's not what I was expecting from a Dolly collab, but I am fucking on the floor. Yeah, dude, this song is... I...

I love that though, because you never know what to expect. She keeps you on your toes and you're gonna like it. Okay? This is my second favorite song. I still think Spaghetti is my favorite song. Tyrant is my second favorite. Number 26, Sweet Honey Buckin'. God damn!

I just love her. I just love her. We're getting towards the end of the album and she's tying it up with the bow, okay? Then we get to track 27, Amen. Amen is a callback to American Requiem. It is the perfect, honestly, I liken it to like a conclusion paragraph. Like in an essay, it is the perfect,

conclusion paragraph that summed up the thesis. All of our findings, we summed it up in the conclusion. It does callbacks. It's the beautiful harmonies stripped back, just angelic. This is like, this has been, you know, Cowboy Carter. I just, this album means so much in so many different ways to so many different people.

And communities and groups of people of it cannot be understated how important this moment in pop culture is. It is so important. And we are so lucky to be alive at the same time. Beyonce, bitch, go listen to Calvin Carter if you haven't.

And it would be a fun sort of thing if go back and as I'm talking about it, go back and let's do it and let me know if you agree. I want to hear y'all's opinions, but also if your opinions are wrong, I don't want to hear them. I'm not interested if they are wrong, okay? This has been my review of Cowboy Carter by Beyonce Giselle, okay? Beyonce, I love you. Thank you for this. Thank you for releasing it now. I do think that the world needed Renaissance first.

And during the pandemic, it was a very heavy time. And I think, you know, I definitely am more in a headspace to appreciate this now versus three, four, five years ago. So, yeah.

Love this record. I love Beyonce. If you don't love Beyonce, you need to grow the fuck up and just get with the program. Like, it's really not a debatable point anymore for me. You know, it's not something I can really understand. Oh, I just don't really like Beyonce. You have not sat with her discography. It shows. You have not given her the time of day and it shows. There is no reason to not like Beyonce or at least respect her. Damn, I'm gonna get mad. Okay.

I love y'all. Thank you so much for listening. Also, thank you so much for the love on the Theo Vaughn podcast. That was, uh, that was the highlight of my career. I've watched Theo Vaughn since I was in high school. Uh, and he was just an angel. Okay. I love him to death. New video with Cody is out. Go watch that. We got one on my channel, one on his channel.

The podcast merch is still live. Broski.shop. Go get your uniform if you don't have one already. Love you guys. I will see you next week. Bye-bye.