Is Beyoncé Dropping A Country Album In 2024?

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For months, fans have been begging Beyoncé for the visuals for her Grammy Award-winning album, Renaissance. Today (February 11), during Super Bowl LVIII, the “Thique” singer finally delivered something for supporters to sink their teeth into.

Although the commercial wasn’t quite the visual the public was looking forward to, it confirms that the “Renaissance Era” is far from over. As Beyoncé takes a road trip back to her home state, Texas, she teases that something special is on the way.

So, what exactly should the Beyhive expect from their Queen Bey?

Is Beyoncé Dropping A Country Album In 2024?

Following the Easter eggs sprinkled into her 2024 Grammys wardrobe, it appears that Beyoncé is gearing up to drop a country album. But will it be released this year? Again, it seems that the answer is yes.

Based on the artwork, Renaissance Act II is scheduled to be released on March 29.

According to Pop Crave, the forthcoming album will feature 16 tracks. Of the records rumored to hit streaming platforms, the platform believes two songs are titled “Texas Hold’ Em” and “16 Carriages.” This wouldn’t be Beyoncé’s first venture into country music if you think back to her 2016 collaboration “Daddy Lessons” with The Chicks.

Beyoncé is known for her pop, R&B, and even rap records. But it looks like country music should brace itself for Bey’s formal entry.

BeyoncéSeemingly Teased That Her Long-Promised Country Album Is Coming Soon With An ‘Act II’ Promo

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Long ago, before Beyoncé’s 2022 dance album Renaissance took us all to a space-age future populated entirely by silver-haired, house music-loving alien superstars, it was rumored that the album would be broken up into multiple set pieces delineated by Black folks’ oft-overlooked contributions to genres like dance and country. As it turns out, it looks like that wasn’t just speculation on the part of fans; Beyoncé herself just shared a short promo video teasing that country album with the cryptic title “Act II.”

Such an album — which could bear the title Texas Hold ‘Em as an ode to the star’s home state — would be the culmination of Beyonce’s flirtations with the genre, which began early in her career and seemingly peaked in 2016 on the Lemonade cut “Daddy Lessons.” At the time, Beyoncé was credited with helping to kickoff the so-called “Yee-haw Agenda,” reclaiming space in country music for Black people, who were some of the earliest pioneers of the genre before being written out of the history books in favor of performers like the Dixie Chicks (now re-named “The Chicks”) and Lady Antebellum (now somewhat contentiously known as “Lady A”). Now, a veritable renaissance (heh) of Black performers has overtaken country music, with Tracy Chapman making history and acts like Mickey Guyton finding huge platforms.

So, when is “Act II” beginning? Beyoncé hasn’t given too many hints — according to the promo, the first inkling will arrive on 3/29 — but odds are, it’ll be sooner rather than later.

Ben Affleck Launches His Music Career In A Super Bowl Ad For Dunkin – To The Dismay Of J-Lo, Fat Joe, And Jack Harlow

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Ben Affleck Super Bowl Commerical 2024
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Ben Affleck is trying his hand at being a pop star. The Air actor has let the “bored man in the world” headline get to him. To get his feet wet in the industry, Affleck didn’t have to travel far, given that his wife is pop music star Jennifer Lopez.

But as his “voice of reason,” Jack Harlow attempts to stop him from crashing Lopez’s studio session. However, as the Dunkin Super Bowl LVIII commercial shows, Affleck is too far gone. As Affleck interrupts what appears to be Lopez’s time in the office, working on This Is Me…Now, he’s met with hilarious stares of disapproval from Fat Joe, Matt Damon, and more. But Tom Brady approves.

Ultimately, the bulldozing didn’t work out in his favor, but Affleck isn’t going to give up without a fight.

So far, Lopez has shared two records from the forthcoming project, including the title track and “Can’t Get Enough” featuring Latto. Although Affleck hasn’t made an appearance on either, there are still eleven tracks to come from the body of work. Who knows, maybe Affleck made the final cut.

Watch Dunkin’s full commercial below.

This Is Me…Now is out 2/16 via Nuyorican Productions. Find more information here.

Jack Harlow is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Beyoncé Teased Releasing New Music In An Internet-Breaking Super Bowl Commercial

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A few days ago, Verizon released a video showing Tony Hale of Arrested Development and Veep fame talking to a silver horse. “So should we be in a Super Bowl commercial? Yay or neigh” he asked the equine. Leaving aside the pun, Beyoncé fans, recognizing the horse, got excited. Would she appear in an ad during Super Bowl LVIII? We now have an answer: not only did Beyoncé star in an “internet-breaking” Super Bowl ad, she also teased new music.

You can watch the commercial below.

Speaking of Beyoncé and Las Vegas, where the Super Bowl is held this year, she’s rumored to be the next act booked at the Sphere. Last year, the New York Post reported that “the ‘Single Ladies’ singer’s manager-mom, Tina Knowles, as well as Bey’s husband, Jay-Z, have taken separate tours of the $2.3 billion venue on the Las Vegas Strip. But to put a ring on Beyonce’s finger to seal the deal, her team is asking for about $10 million to produce the diva’s high-tech stage show, a source said — roughly the same amount of money the Sphere paid U2 to put on its spectacle.”

Beyoncé also released an album teaser on her Instagram:

Is a Beyoncé country album coming on March 29th?

Here Is Usher’s Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show Setlist

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So far, Super Bowl LVIII hasn’t been a note. Most of the action has come from the evening’s entertainment starting with Post Malone’s rendition of “America The Beautiful.” But let’s be real: everyone was really tuned in for Usher’s highly anticipated halftime performance.

Given how many details were leaked, including Alicia Keys’ cameo, not much was left to the imagination. However, Usher still managed to deliver a notable set (and yes, it did feature his love of roller skating). Throughout the performance starring guest cameos from HER, Lil Jon, and Ludacris, Usher jumped across his multiple decade-long career. He even squeezed in some of the biggest hits of others on the stage.

Continue below to view Usher’s full setlist for the Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show.

Usher’s Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show Setlist

1. “Caught Up”
2. “U Don’t Have To Call”
3. “Superstar”
4. “Love In This Club”
5. “If I Ain’t Got You” With Alicia Keys
6. “My Boo” With Alicia Keys
7. “Confessions Part II” With Jermaine Dupri
8. “Nice & Slow”
9. “Burn”
10. “U Got It Bad” With HER
11. “Bad Girl” With HER
12. “OMG” With Will.I.Am
13. “Turn Down for What” With Lil Jon
14. “Yeah” With Lil Jon & Ludacris

Watch the full performance presented by Apple Music below.

Usher’s Super Bowl Halftime Show Performance Got The Crowd ‘Caught Up’ On 25 Years Of Excellence

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It feels a bit ridiculous to even type these words, but going into Usher’s Super Bowl LVIII Halftime Show performance, there was a certain amount of skepticism about whether he was a “Super Bowl caliber” artist from some fans (you can probably guess which ones). Of course, once the veteran hitmaker hit the stage, he obliterated all doubts about his worthiness for the moment, reminding those fans that he’s got 25+ years of pop-R&B excellence under his belt.

The results of Usher’s preparations were on full display as he performed pop culture mainstays like “Caught Up,” “U Don’t Have To Call,” and “Superstar” over the course of the 15-minute set. After coming out to “Caught Up” flanked by dancers dressed in Roaring ’20s regalia, he ran through a progression of 2000s hits before bringing out Alicia Keys for a rendition of their duet “My Boo.” Usher then launched into a retrospective of his slow-burners like “Nice & Slow” and “U Got It Bad.” Naturally, he came out of his shirt during the latter. H.E.R. joined him onstage to play the guitar solo, he broke out the roller skates for a breakdown, and Lil Jon played part of “Shots” before they went into everybody’s favorite Usher song, “Yeah,” joined (of course) by Ludacris.

And just in case the performance itself wasn’t enough to turn those fans‘ expectations around, the inevitable streaming bump that’s sure to follow certainly should. After last year’s performance, Rihanna topped the streaming charts. The year before, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg’s 1999 hit “Still D.R.E.” reached over a billion views on YouTube, and in 2019, even the meme-baiting stunt performance of Spongebob Squarepants‘ “Sweet Victory” prompted a 500% increase in streams for the cartoon’s soundtrack.