Beyoncé is boosting stock prices. Beyoncé collaborated with Post Malone on the Cowboy Carter album for “Levii’s Jeans.”
CBS News now reports a 20% stock jump, cosigned by Levi’s CEO Michelle Gass. “I would just say that denim is having a moment and the Levi’s brand is having a powerful moment around the world.”
She added, “One of the things that really is significant about the Levi’s brand and we place a lot of emphasis and investment is making sure that Levi’s brand remains in the center of culture.”
Beyoncé is back on top of the Billboard 200 chart. Queen Bey’s reign over music continues as Cowboy Carter leads the Billboard 200 while holding the Top Country Albums chart.
Act II pulled in 407,000 album equivalent units for the first week, instantly becoming the biggest first-week total of 2024.
The album had 300.41 million on-demand streams, becoming the biggest streaming week for Beyoncé ever. She was also the first Black woman to hold the Top Country Albums chart.
Cowboy Carter is now Beyoncé’s eighth No. 1 album.
Beyoncé is back on top of the Billboard 200 chart. Queen Bey’s reign over music continues as Cowboy Carter leads the Billboard 200 while holding the Top Country Albums chart.
Act II pulled in 407,000 album equivalent units for the first week, instantly becoming the biggest first-week total of 2024.
The album had 300.41 million on-demand streams, becoming the biggest streaming week for Beyoncé ever. She was also the first Black woman to hold the Top Country Albums chart.
Cowboy Carter is now Beyoncé’s eighth No. 1 album.
Beyonce’s new blockbuster album COWBOY CARTER has officially nabbed the top spot on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Moreover, with around 407,000 units sold according to Luminate data, this marks her eighth No. 1 album debut across her career so far. It’s the biggest sales week of 2024 so far, and the most massive since Taylor Swift’s 1989 reissue last November. In addition, it’s the Houston superstar’s biggest debut since her 2016 LP Lemonade and resulted in her largest streaming week to date, as well as in her becoming the first Black artist to top the publication’s Top Country Albums list.
With this in mind, Beyonce is now fourth in the list of female artists with the most Billboard No. 1 albums, trailing behind Madonna with nine, Barbara Streisand with 11, and Taylor Swift with 13. Furthermore, various physical versions of COWBOY CARTER bolstered these sales, and this was actually her biggest-ever week on vinyl and the biggest for an vinyl album this year so far. The “BLACKBIIRD” singer has a lot to be proud of with this release, as do her featured guests. Beyond credited appearances, this LP also boasted contributions from 070 Shake, Pharrell, Stevie Wonder, Gary Clark Jr., Paul McCartney, Nile Rogers, and many, many more stars.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – OCTOBER 01: (Editorial Use Only) (Exclusive Coverage) Beyoncé performs onstage during the “RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR” at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on October 01, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Parkwood/Getty Images)
What’s more is that it looks like this horse is still in the race, as we’re still getting additions to the COWBOY CARTER lore. For example, Beyonce released a “Pony Up” remix of the single “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” recently as a bonus treat for the album. We can only hope that there are more planned additions, rollout strategies, and due expansions of the project in the near future. These don’t have to be new tracks per se, but considering how RENAISSANCE went, we’ll all surely stay along for the ride for a long time.
Meanwhile, what did you think of COWBOY CARTER? Is iHeart Radio’s 2024 Innovator striking gold again or are you already waiting on the third installment on the trilogy for another shot at a hit? Whatever the case may be, hit the comments section down below with your thoughts. On that note, keep checking in with HNHH for the latest news and more updates on Beyonce.
First off, Lily Allen, who?? Secondly, can you say Bey Hive swarm? The latter is what is about to happen after ‘artist’ turned podcaster Lily Allen called out 32-time Grammy-winning diva Beyoncé’s latest project ‘Act 2: Cowboy Carter.’ TMZ reports that Queen Bey is trying too hard. Hmm, isn’t that what you are supposed to do? TRY HARD to be successful? Anyways, the British singer broke down CC during her ‘Miss Me’ podcast – any of y’all heard of that one? – with her cohost Miquita Oliver.
She went in on Beyoncé’s cover of the classic recording ‘Jolene’ by the amazing Dolly Parton. She called Beyoncé’s entry into country “weird,” to redo a song of that caliber. Allen went on to say, “I just feel like it’s quite an interesting thing to do when you’re like trying to tackle a new genre, and you just choose the biggest song in that genre to cover. I mean, you do you, Beyoncé, and she literally is doing her. Or is she doing Dolly?”
Then Allen had a problem with the rollout of CC, saying it was premeditated and “quite calculated.” She called out Jay’Z’s Grammy speech. She brought up how Bey was booed at the 2016 CMA Awards, but that didn’t stop Allen from firing off plenty of shots.
Get this: she also went in on Bey’s style, throwing shade at her look, saying, “I’m just saying that like, you know, she’s got a great team of stylists, hair people, you know, she works out a lot. I’m sure she’s got the access to the best trainers in the world.” Now, what’s her real problem? This quite frankly sounds like hate. Plain and simple. Talking about how Beyoncé LOOKS when she is PROMOTING an album? Whelp, the Bey Hive knows where to find Lily Allen, and this one won’t be pretty.
Now, according to CBS News, the album’s impact can even be traced back to the stock market. On April 5, the outlet reported that “Levii’s Jeans,” a collaborative track with Beyoncé and Post Malone, boosted Levi Strauss’ stock value.
As the pair sang about their love for the brand’s tried and true denim, financial analysts connected it to a 20% increase in Levi’s overall public value. In a statement, the company’s CEO, Michelle Gass, shared her excitement for the peak in consumers’ interest. “I would just say that denim is having a moment, and the Levi’s brand is having a powerful moment around the world,” she said.
Gass also addressed the report that Beyoncé aided in the uptick in sales. “One of the things that really is significant about the Levi’s brand,” she said. “We also place a lot of emphasis and investment in making sure that Levi’s brand remains at the center of culture. And I don’t think there’s any better evidence or proof point than having someone like Beyoncé, who is a culture shaper, actually name a song after us.”
First, Uber and Lyft were fighting to offer the Beyhive a better promo code. Now, Levi has entered the mix. Maybe apartment management companies or mortgage lenders will take note.
Meek Mill can’t seem to stay out of beef for very long. The Philadelphia rapper has picked fights with tons of major artists, and now we can add engineers to the list. To his credit, most rappers would be frustrated by the comments Anthony Cruz made. Cruz, who engineered the 2018 Mill comeback, Championships, voiced regret about working on the album during a recent interview with TmrO Network. He stated, quite clearly, that he should have taken an offer to work on a different project.
Cruz told the outlet that he was approached by Young Guru prior to working on Championships. Guru offered him a chance to engineer Everything Is Love, the JAY-Z and Beyoncé collab album that was being recorded the same time as Meek’s. Cruz turned it down out, but quickly came to regret his decision. “We had just started the very, very beginning of what would become Championships — and I dubbed it,” Cruz recalled. “That is a big thing that I have to carry and deal with. I would tell a youngin’ coming up under me, ‘Go to Paris, bro.’”
Meek did not appreciate the engineer’s thoughts. The “Dreams and Nightmares” rapper hopped on X to air out his feelings on the matter and criticize Cruz for being ungrateful. “Imagine building an engineer up teaching them presets working for years,” he wrote. “In [sic] to hear them say they woulda went to Paris instead of worked on what we building sound like jay groupies.” Meek, who has a professional friendship with JAY-Z, also made it clear that he’s much more than a stepping stone. “Jay my family … yall be selling yall self short and may never even make it to him,” he added.
Meek likes to rant on X. He proved it when he beefed with Drake in 2015 and when he was linked to the Diddy case earlier this year. He did, however, fairly point out that he gave Cruz a break in his engineering career. “When I met Cruz he was the store runner I needed an engineer and started using him everyday,” he recalled. The rapper labeled Cruz’s comments “insane” and suggested he may seek out another engineer on future albums.
Genre boundaries are constantly being broken down in the music industry. Most recently, the music world has been abuzz with the groundbreaking release of Beyoncé’s latest album, Act II: Cowboy Carter. Notably, the album features several up-and-coming Black country artists. One of these is Shaboozey.
As public interest in the featured acts is on a steady rise, Shaboozey is a unique figure regardless. The Nigerian-American singer and rapper is an exciting prospect whose ability to morph genres hasn’t gone unnoticed. The singer was not only featured on one track, but two, and this has understandably sparked curiosity, not just from the Beyhive, but from both country and Hip Hop enthusiasts. So just who is this rising talent named Shaboozey?
Born on August 9, 1995, Collins Chibueze, popularly known as Shaboozey, was born and raised in Fairfax, Virginia. As a child, he was inspired to do music after watching music videos on 106 & Park and from his experiences at a Nigerian boarding school during his junior high school days. In 2014, he founded the production company V Picture Films. That same year, he debuted his first single, “Jeff Gordon.” His talents eventually caught the attention of Republic Records, leading to a signing in 2017. The next year saw the release of his debut studio album, Lady Wrangler.
In 2022, Shaboozey signed with Empire and has continued making significant strides in his musical journey. He released his second studio album, Cowboys Live Forever, Outlaws Never Die in October 2022 under the label. He also recently released the music video for his song “Anabelle,” and has announced his next album, Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going, scheduled for release on May 31st, 2024. He’s since served as an inspiration for up-and-coming Black country music artists.
Shaboozey’s Artistry
Shaboozey’s music boasts a fusion of compelling storytelling and infectious beats. Since his first single, he has been carving his own path through the music industry, steadily garnering attention and acclaim. The artist is renowned for seamlessly blending elements of Hip Hop and country music. Besides his solo music career, the 28-year-old worked on the acclaimed and award-winning 2018 animation Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. He collaborated with Duckwrth on the song, “Start A Riot,” for the soundtrack album.
Among the various artists featured on Beyoncé’s new album, Act II: Cowboy Carter, Shaboozey stood out for not one, but two feature slots. He collaborated with Bey on the tracks, “Spaghettii” and “Sweet Honey Buckiin’.” Throughout his musical journey, Shaboozey’s music has woven together threads from country, Americana, rock, and of course, Hip Hop. Altogether, his multifaceted musical palette fits perfectly into Cowboy Carter’s genre-bending mission. Celebrating the release of Act II: Cowboy Carter, Shaboozey took to his X account and shared his enthusiasm. He promoted the album, writing: “2 SONGS ON A BEYONCE ALBUM?!?!?! WHAT?!?!?! LIFE NOT EVEN REAL RN!!! Y’ALL CAN’T TELL ME NUN!!!! “COWBOY CARTER” OUT NOW!!!!”
It’s been over 50 years since Dolly Parton released “Jolene” and the classic hit continues to make waves. Over the years, many artists have covered the iconic track across different genres. While a lot of these covers sound great, most listeners agree that the original song still reigns supreme. Nevertheless, there have been some truly outstanding renditions delivered over time.
Most recently, Beyonce’s take on the song from her Cowboy Carter album has generated overwhelming media buzz, and rightly so. Many believe it will go down in history as one of the best covers of “Jolene” and we couldn’t agree more. While the original will forever standout, many covers have begun to stand the test of time as well. Here are five of the best covers of the evergreen song.
Three years after Dolly Parton released “Jolene,” Olivia Newton-John recorded and dropped a cover of the song. As a matter of fact, it was released as the second single from her seventh studio album, Come On Over (1976). It is one of the most recognized versions of the song, and for good reason. Miss Newton-John did the track justice, delivering an unforgettable rendition with her beautiful soprano voice.
In 2021, Lil Nas X paid homage to Dolly Parton when he performed a cover of “Jolene” on BBC Radio 1 Live Lounge, earning praise from the country legend herself. Some may be surprised to see the “Old Town Road” crooner’s name on this list. However, he does give an excellent performance of the song. While his version is laid-back, that takes nothing away from it. The soft, almost haunting instrumentation, in addition to how defeated he sounds singing about Jolene, works perfectly.
3. Kelly Clarkson
Being that she was the very first American Idol, Kelly Clarkson was already a trailblazing icon. However, over the years, she has grown in prominence and renown. Besides being known for her original smash hits, Clarkson now also has a reputation for completely eating up covers. The iconic “Kelly-oke” session from The Kelly Clarkson Show has seen the singer elevate many songs by other artists. It’s no surprise that Clarkson has had a go at performing “Jolene” as Dolly Parton is one of her idols. While Parton’s version remains undefeated, Kelly Clarkson’s rendition gives it a run for its money for sure. It is sung excellently, as expected.
2. Beyoncé
After Beyoncé officially announced Act II back in February, fans did not know what to expect from the album. However, there were quite a few predictions of a Dolly Parton appearance, and some people even successfully predicted a “Jolene” cover. Cowboy Carter dropped, and fans evidently can’t get enough of the album with her cover of “Jolene” becoming one of the most popular tracks on the album right now. Beyoncé’s unique take on the track is interesting, featuring new lyrics that are sure to keep Jolene far away from her man. With lyrics like “I’m warning you, don’t come for my man,” and “I’m still a Creole banjee bitch from Louisiana,” Beyoncé isn’t interested in having a conversation.
Fans of Miley Cyrus know she adores Dolly Parton, and her cover of “Jolene” is certainly the best of the best. Over the years, Cyrus has performed the song many times, sometimes even with Parton. However, for this piece, we will be highlighting the cover from Cyrus’ “Backyard Sessions” in 2011. The “Flowers” singer has always been a star, and its performances like this that cemented her as such. There’s a reason her cover of “Jolene” has over 450 million YouTube views currently… It’s just that good. Barefoot and free, Cyrus was evidently in her element.
Beyoncé dropped her new album Cowboy Carter a few days ago. On it, she put her own spin on The Beatles’ 1968 track “Blackbird.”
Now, Paul McCartney, who approved her to use the original backing track in her cover, posted a sweet message about Bey to Instagram.
“I am so happy with @beyonce’s version of my song ‘Blackbird,’” he wrote. “I think she does a magnificent version of it, and it reinforces the civil rights message that inspired me to write the song in the first place. I think Beyoncé has done a fab version and would urge anyone who has not heard it yet to check it out. You are going to love it!”
Later in the caption, McCartney also provided some insight into the discussions he had with Beyoncé about covering the song he wrote decades ago.
“I spoke to her on FaceTime and she thanked me for writing it and letting her do it,” he added. “I told her the pleasure was all mine and I thought she had done a killer version of the song. When I saw the footage on the television in the early 60s of the black girls being turned away from school, I found it shocking and I can’t believe that still in these days there are places where this kind of thing is happening right now. Anything my song and Beyoncé’s fabulous version can do to ease racial tension would be a great thing and makes me very proud.”
Check out McCartney’s post about Beyoncé, along with her cover “Blackbiird,” above.
“Texas Hold ‘Em” is Beyoncé’s latest No. 1 hit, and while the Cowboy Carter favorite is still going strong, Bey just breathed new life into it with the “Pony Up” remix released today, April 4.
The remix adds a newfound New Orleans bounce influence, which can be most evidently heard in the song’s new verse. Beyoncé sings in the new verse (according to Genius):
“Woke up this mornin’, my heart keeps racin’ (Woo)
Straight to the bottom, we all need salvation (Come take it to the floor now, ooh)
Need you to end this drought, take me downtown
Gon’ leave the truck, whiskey, baby
Let’s get weak and (Weak and) wasted
Might as well just throw it all (Woo-woo)
And pony up, b*tch, don’t hold back on me
It’s a rodeo, we gon’ dosido (Hey)
Broke me in and then you take me home, huh
Give me all of your love, all of your sins
All of your f*cks, pony up
Up to you, but it’s boots on the ground
Sippin’ on a Tennessee, spinnin’ me around
I just see you with a whiskey
I’m drinkin’ straight, baby, all day
It’s a hell of a life
Baby, I just might
Throw a party for the whole damn town
Chasin’ my sins away with brown, oh, oh, brown, oh, oh
I’ma need another round, round, round, round
One for me, one for my lover.”
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