Allow Beyonc To Remind You Where Country Really Came From

This article is part of HuffPosts weekly culture and entertainment newsletter, The Culture Catchall. Click here to subscribe .

When Beyonce says Yee! we say Haw! Eight years after releasing Daddy Lessons, were presumably getting a country album from Beyonce. This, ladies and gentlemen, is my Roman Empire. 

The pop star appeared in a Verizon commercial that aired after Ushers Super Bowl halftime show, in which she tried to break the internet and previewed Renaissance: Act II, which will be dropping on March 29. As a little treat, Bey gave us the first two singles from her project: 16 Carriages and Texas Hold Em, the latter of which features banjoist Rhiannon Giddens, one of my favorite Black country icons. 

The two tracks are undeniably country, through and through I mean, this is a Black woman from Houstons 3rd Ward who regularly wore cowboy hats in the early 2000s. But a certain Oklahoma country music radio station seemed to think otherwise. Thats when the Beyhive  Beys fan base went on the attack. 

My hope is that not only does she remind the American public that Black people created the genre and country music is our birthright but also that this moment further amplifies Black artists who have been paving the way in country, from Linda Martell to Charley Pride to Rissi Palmer, Mickey Guyton and beyond.

Were Still Talking About It

• A recent expos from Rolling Stone focuses on Dance Moms star Jojo Siwa and her momager Jesslyn Siwa. Along with her mother, Siwa assembled a girl group called XOMG Pop! allegedly promising them stardom. However, after four members left  claiming they were thrown in the trash fans started raising their eyebrows. Learn more here.
• Pop-punk band Paramore is calling out the Tennessee GOP for its racist double standards. After the group and Black folk singer Allison Russell took home Grammys earlier this month, state Rep. Justin Jones brought two resolutions forward to honor the Nashville artists. Guess which passed without objection and which was kicked back to committee? Of course, Hayley Williams had some choice words for the state House.
• Cruel Intentions star Selma Blair is under fire for islamophobic remarks she left on an Instagram video slamming Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib. After alluding that the Michigan Democrat is a terrorist supporting goon and saying Islam has destroyed Muslim countries, Blair is walking her comments back, of course. Read Blairs apology , as reported by HuffPosts Marco Margaritoff.

From The Desk

HuffPosts Culture Desk has been up to a lot in the past few weeks. Here are some of the most recent happenings from my colleagues and me: 

• Another season of Love Is Blind calls for another live blog. Erin E. Evans, Taryn Finley and I teamed up to gab about the first four episodes of Love Is Blind Season 6, set in Charlotte, North Carolina. One contestant gives off American Psycho vibes, while another is obviously on the wrong reality show. Follow along to learn more about this seasons contestants.
• For Black History Month, senior culture reporter & Black Voices editor Taryn Finley launched Black Love on Our Terms, a weekly series about the platonic, familial and/or romantic love that sustains our community. This week, Finley spotlights one of the most underrated couples on The Real Housewives of Potomac: Wendy and Eddie Osefo.
• Senior culture reporter Marina Fang headed to Pasadena, California, to cover the Television Critics Association winter press tour. Besides visiting the set of Abbott Elementary, Fang reported on the fate of a certain long-running network series and where one executive says the future of TV is headed. Read up.

To get the full entertainment newsletter in your inbox weekly, subscribe to The Culture Catchall here .