Based on how Beyoncé was treated at the 2016 CMA Awards and Darius Rucker’s comments on how the music is still reckoning with the “stigma of rebel flags and racism,” we know it’s incredibly difficult for Black artists to find major success with entitled country fans who think this is “their music.”
Country music has always been Black music. Like most art and culture in America, the genre’s roots can be traced back to enslaved Africans. The banjo, a signature instrument of country music, has its origins in the West African lute. Early roots and Americana music is based on the spirituals and work songs of enslaved people. It was co-opted by white artists who did not give proper credit to the genre’s real creators.
The re-written history of country music has led to a longstanding narrative that it’s not for Black people. In the past, a few legends like Charley Pride, Ray Charles and Linda Martell hace broken through, but those are the exceptions, not the rule.
Husband and wife duo, Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Trotter, better known as, The War and Treaty, made history in 2023 as the first Black artists to be nominated for duo of the year at both the ACM and CMA Awards. Unfortunately, even that level of acclaim and popularity can’t save them from country music’s racist origins. According to The Hollywood Reporter, during a recent performance at the Coca-Cola Sips & Sounds Music Festival in Austin, Texas, they discovered “a cotton plant in their dressing room.”
“Anger is what I felt. Disrespect is what I felt. Sadness is what I felt. Sadness not just because of what that plant represents to people that look like me but sadness for myself because I am a son of this country,” he said.
Michael, who is an Army veteran wounded during his service, added: “It’s not fair. It’s something that white artists don’t have to worry about at all. … It just happens to come through the bowels of this genre. So, I feel that it’s not enough for us to talk about it, we have to demand that we be about it.”
The duo left the event immediately after their performance, no longer feeling safe at the venue. The incident forced the couple to have a poignant talk with their 12-year-old son Legend, but he was already a step ahead of them, telling his parents exactly how they should handle the situation. “He said that this is not the time to be quiet about it. He was very upset, and he understood exactly what it meant,” Michael said.
The festival responded to the incident with a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, calling the situation “an honest mistake.”
“There was no purposeful harm intended, and we sincerely apologize,” the statement reads. “Their concern was met with immediate action, including a heartfelt in-person apology, removal of the decor and a personal conversation with the artists by event organizers to assure them this was an honest mistake.”
It’s not just about Michael and Tanya, it’s about the safety of their family, band and crew, as well as other artists and fans. As the genre continues to attract fans from all walks of life, events and venues have to take appropriate measures to make sure they are adequately supporting those in attendance.
Whether this was just a mistake, or something more malicious, it signals Black fans that they’re not welcome at these concerts. It also tells us that they had no one on staff who would understand what this would mean to the artists. As more Black artists expand the genre, they need allies to help them feel safe in these spaces.