Last year, when Beyoncé released Renaissance, there were numerous hints that there was more to follow, given that the album was also referred to as Act 1. Making it presumably a trilogy of work. However, no one had any idea what direction the second installment of the Renaissance trilogy would go given Beyoncé's reputation for constant reinvention.

Announced at the end of her Verizon Superbowl commercial, Beyoncé broke the internet by releasing "TEXAS HOLD 'EM" and "16 CARRIAGES" from Act 2 as well as announcing a release date. On March 12, 2024, Beyoncé further stunned the world by titling the project Cowboy Carter and revealed a few more surprises and collaborations were in store.

Cowboy Carter is one of Beyoncé's longest albums, clocking in at an hour and eighteen minutes with over 27 tracks. The album is heavily influenced by country and folk music. Cowboy Carter incorporates numerous genres such as R&B, Brazilian funk, Italian opera, pop, blues, rock, and hip-hop to create an unconventional country sound. However, the production of Cowboy Carter is drastically different from Renaissance. It is intimate and stripped back rather than ethereal and polished with the seamless integration of the tracks being the only common denominator between the bodies of work. 

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In terms of collaborations, the album has a range of high-profile artists on it – from Dolly Parton to Miley Cyrus and Post Malone – all complementing Beyoncé's storytelling throughout the record. A new wave of emerging black country artists were also featured on this record, such as Tanner Adell, Shaboozey, and Willie Jones.  In terms of writing and production credits, the likes of Paul McCartney, Pharell Williams, and RAYE were involved.

This album has numerous standout tracks, including "DAUGHTER", "AMERIICAN REQUIEM", "YA YA", "TYRANT", and Beyoncé's rendition of the classic "JOLENE". Cowboy Carter also flips the domination of white voices on American country and folk culture. Beyonce provides a historically absent lens into the black roots of country music, which has prompted a lot of controversy and debate about Black artist's place in the landscape of country music. However, the album has garnered global acclaim.

Ultimately, Beyoncé completely reinvents country music on Cowboy Carter, once again proving she's an artist who can make incredible music regardless of genre and is still an undisputed superstar almost 25 years into her career. Seeing how vastly different this album is to Renaissance, all we can do is expect the unexpected and wait to see which direction Act 3 goes.

Taaseen Mohammed Islam is a student at NSU.