Source: MEGA, @JOHNSCHNEIDER/INSTAGRAM

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Music icon Beyoncé has ventured into the realm of country music, releasing two new country songs and announcing a full country album. However, this unexpected shift in genre has not been well-received by everyone, with some critics and industry figures expressing their discontent, RadarOnline.com has learned.

Beyoncé recently dropped two new country songs, Texas Hold ‘Em and 16 Carriages, much to the astonishment of her fans and the music industry.

Additionally, she made the bold announcement of releasing a complete country album on March 29. This sudden departure from her usual style has sparked a heated debate about the boundaries of music genres and cultural influences.

Former Dukes of Hazzard actor and country singer John Schneider was one of the vocal critics of Beyoncé’s foray into country music.

He expressed his frustration with the entertainment industry for not preserving country music exclusively for conservatives, stating, “Leftists are trying to take over everything.”

John Schneider compared Beyonce’s music to a dog urinating.

In an interview with the OAN network, Schneider likened Beyoncé’s actions to a territorial dispute, saying, “Beyoncé doing a country song is like a dog peeing on our tree.”

“They’ve got to make their mark, like a dog at a dog walk park, you know every dog has to mark every tree, so that’s what’s going on here,” the right-wing actor told the outlet.

The backlash against Beyoncé’s new music extended to some country stations that refused to play her songs, highlighting the divide and resistance within the country music community towards her unexpected genre shift.

The controversy has also reignited discussions about the origins of country music and the significant influence of African and African-American music on its development.

John Schneider is best known for his role in the Dukes of Hazard.

Renowned filmmaker Ken Burns, known for his documentary series on various topics, including country music, delved into the subject in his 2019 documentary.

He emphasized the diverse cultural influences that contributed to the creation of country music, challenging the notion of categorizing it into a narrow definition.

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A clip of the OAN interview was shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, where several users criticized Schneider, calling the actor a “racist” and a “gatekeeper.”

One user wrote, “This isn’t a racist dog whistle, it’s a freakin’ foghorn!”

Another commented, “I grew up with Tim McGraw singing with Nelly. Hell. Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus had the biggest country hit in the world just a few years back. But no. Beyonce. Someone FROM TEXAS. That’s too much. Okay Duke boy.”

A third user wrote, “Imagine gatekeeping a genre of music that black people created, imagine getting mad that a southern artist from Texas decided to go back to her roots. BTW, This is not her first country song!”