Apr 3, 2024 - Music

Meet the D.C.-area locals featured on Beyoncé's "Cowboy Carter"

Mimi Montgomery

Beyoncé and Jay-Z sitting at a table together. — Beyoncé and Jay-Z at February's Grammy Awards. Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images/The Recording Academy

The DMV gets some love on Beyoncé's latest album, "Cowboy Carter," thanks to performances from artists with local ties.

The big picture: "Cowboy Carter," released last week, is Beyoncé's tribute to the country genre's Black roots. It's also history-making — Beyoncé became the first Black woman to hit number one on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart, thanks to the single "Texas Hold 'Em."

She used the album as a platform to feature and amplify Black country-inspired artists, who've since seen an audience boost.

Meet two "Cowboy Carter" locals:

Shaboozey: The country-rap performer from Fairfax appears on the songs "Sweet Honey Buckiin" and "Spaghetti."

"Shaboozey" is a play on the Nigerian American artist's last name, Chibueze.
His third album, "Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going," comes out next month; he's also launched his own production company, with a goal of one day opening a Virginia film studio.

Brittney Spencer: The Baltimore native and country artist performs on Beyoncé's take on the Beatles song "Blackbird."

She grew up performing in a church choir and attended Towson's Loch Raven High School, but her career took off after a video of her covering the Highwoman's "Crowded Table" went viral in 2020.
Spencer released her debut full-length album "My Stupid Life" earlier this year.

Add Axios on Google

Meet the D.C.-area locals featured on Beyoncé's "Cowboy Carter"

More Washington D.C. stories