Beyoncé Knowles-Carter'srecord-breaking albumis stillruffling feathers within the country music scene, with country singerGavin Adcocksounding off about the success of"Cowboy Carter." The 26-year-old Georgia native unleashed his harsh, candid thoughts about Beyoncé'sGrammy-winning albumduring a recent concert. Ina clipfrom the show, Adcock let off steam about his album "Own Worst Enemy" being ranked lower than "Cowboy Carter" in the Top 5 on Apple Music's country album chart. Beyoncé's 27-track project currently ranks No. 3 on the chart. Meanwhile Adcock's album sits at No. 4. Parker McCollum's self-titled album is No. 2, and Morgan Wallen's album "I'm the Problem" tops the list. And that's clearly not sitting well with Adcock. During his mid-concert rant he told the crowd, "You can tell her we're coming for her (expletive)." "That s*** ain't country music, and it ain't never been country music. And it ain't gonna be country music," he said as the crowd cheered him on. Adcock later doubled down on his stance in a video meant to clear up his onstage comments. He captioned it, "It just ain't country." View this post on Instagram A post shared by Gavin Adcock (@gavinadcockmusic) He acknowledged hearing a ton of Beyoncé songs growing up. "I really don't believe that her album should be labeled as country music," he said. "It doesn't sound country. It doesn't feel country. And I just don't think people who have dedicated their whole lives to this genre and this lifestyle should have to compete or watch that album stay at the top just because she's Beyoncé." As fans know, Beyoncéfirst announcedher eighth studio album "Cowboy Carter" on March 29, 2024, and has brokenmany recordsandmade historyon multiple fronts. The project has also been acatalystfor the recent spotlight on Black country artists and the genre's roots. Consequently, it has challenged music industry norms and sparked conversations pertaining to the intersection of race and country music. In 2025, the album wonbest country album at the Grammy Awards.It was the first time a Black woman was nominated and won in the category. She alsotook home the top prize of the evening, album of the year, joining only three other Black women in the show's history to earn the honor. Throughout its first year, the project also received many other awards and nominations. While it has become a huge force within country music and the music industry as a whole, it has alsorevealed deep-seated biasesstill present in parts of the industry. The album wassnubbed at the 2024 Country Music Association Awards, garnering zero nominations. The CMAs are considered one of the most prestigious awards in the country music industry, and fanssuspected this year the megastar would be the first Black woman to be nominatedand win album of the year for her groundbreaking and culture-shifting project. Prior to releasing the album, Beyoncégot candidabout creating the five-year project and alluded to her 2016 performance at theCMA Awards, which was met with an icy reception and harsh criticism. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce) "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," she wrote onInstagram. "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." Beyoncé is currently in the middle of herCowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin' Circuit Tour, with which she's alreadymade history Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network's Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, onInstagram,TikTokandXas @cachemcclay. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean:Gavin Adcock slams Beyoncé after 'Cowboy Carter' outranks his album
