When people hear the name Beyonce, they often think of her R&B music, as she has long been associated with that genre. Queen B, as many of her fans call her, is among the greatest musical artists of all time, holding the record for the most Grammy awards won by any artist, with 32 to her name. Along with just Grammys, Beyonce also has nine songs to hit the number one spot on the Billboard Hot 100, along with an impressive seven albums making it to the top of the Billboard 200.

But more recently, Queen B has branched out from her usual genre, branching into country music, with her single, “Texas Hold ‘Em,” reaching the number one spot on the country charts.

Since its debut, “Texas Hold ‘Em” has maintained its place at the top of the country charts, having been number one for five consecutive weeks, and still holds the top spot at the time of this writing. 

Country music has long been a genre that was not too inclusive to Black women, with Beyonce being the first Black woman to top the chart and only the seventh Black woman to even appear on the chart. But despite Queen B’s undeniable commercial success, many Rancho Cucamonga High School students seem to be dissatisfied with the song

“I don’t think Beyonce should’ve really gone country, but it is what it is,” Mason Dole, a sophomore at RCHS, said.

Many RCHS students, while happy that Beyonce is breaking racial barriers, feel that the song is subpar, and undeserving of the number one spot on the country charts. 

“It feels like she’s putting on a costume; she’s not as authentic to the genre as she’s trying to be,” Julianna Hall, a freshman, said. “ I appreciate her giving country music more representation, but I don’t think that the song is that good.”

Regardless of the perceived quality of the song, Beyonce’s historic song is just a teaser to her upcoming album, “Cowboy Carter.” The album is set to drop on March 29, 2024. The album will be her 8th studio album and her first album since 2022.