Music
Azealia Banks Unbridled, Her Candid Take on Beyoncé’s ‘COWBOY CARTER’ Album Sparks Controversy
Azealia Banks Unbridled, Her Candid Take on Beyoncé’s ‘COWBOY CARTER’ Album Sparks Controversy
Last month, Beyoncé took the music world by storm with a surprising shift into country music, announced in a captivating Super Bowl commercial. Fans flooded social media with excitement and anticipation for her upcoming album. However, amidst the fervor, one voice stood out in dissent: Azealia Banks. Venting her discontent on Instagram, Banks criticized the move, expressing concerns about the authenticity of Beyoncé’s venture into country music. “Them critics are not just going to accept an ugly blond wig and bullying from Jay-Z!!! It’s giving big-time musical grift,” she exclaimed, questioning the sincerity of the shift.
Now, with Beyoncé’s album finally released, Banks hasn’t held back from sharing her continued thoughts. Taking to social media once more, she pondered whether she would need to retract her earlier statements before diving into her first listen of the album. However, her initial skepticism remained firm. “Absolutely not,” she declared, highlighting what she perceived as redundant themes and forced lyrics. Critiquing the album’s length and questioning the relevance of its imagined conflicts, Banks admitted to even nodding off during her listening session.
This isn’t the first time Banks has directed her criticism towards Jay-Z. Prior to Beyoncé’s Super Bowl announcement, she had already engaged in public spats with the rap mogul, including blaming him for the feud between Megan Thee Stallion and Nicki Minaj.
While Banks’ outspoken perspective often garners attention, the complexity of her arguments can sometimes be challenging to follow. What’s your take on Azealia Banks’ blunt assessment of ‘COWBOY CARTER’? Do you agree with her critique of the album’s length and lyrical content? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Artist Spotlight
Lana Crow turns challenges into a celebration with “Laugh With You”
“Laugh With You,” the latest single from Lana Crow, is a sincere rallying cry to embrace life in all its messy, beautiful mess. In the song, indie pop and alt-pop combine to deliver an emotional blow that feels both personal and universal.
“Laugh With You” feels like an instant connection, and Crow is telling you stories of hard times with a cozy, knowing smile. This song is as much about struggle as it is about how strong you are. It serves as a reminder that these struggles are simply what give us the strength to keep going, even when life is tough.
Crow encourages people to welcome them, create happiness in the cracks, and laugh even as the world gets heavy. The result is a song that delicately nudges you to love and embrace yourself. It is an anthem for anyone experiencing tough times who refuses to give up hope. Lana Crow continues to demonstrate her songwriting skills, both musically pleasing and emotionally rich, with “Laugh With You.”
It’s a reminder that it’s how we respond to tough times, rather than how they affect us, that’s key. With this song, not only does Crow provide us with music, but she also lets us know that sometimes a laugh is what we need to remember that there is always something to smile about and that, even when it feels like life has waged war against you, laughter can still be found.
Artist Spotlight
Lisa Boostani creates a mesmerizing tidal realm in “Ocean”
Lisa Boostani’s “Ocean” takes you deep into a sensory world where body, spirit, and myth come together, beyond the surface of genre. Boostani makes a soundscape that is both ethereal and deeply human by combining the broad essence of psychedelic pop with the strong appeal of alternative rock.
Her voice rises as if it is coming from deep within her, shaped by emotion rather than action. She intentionally channels the intangible, turning weakness into strength rather than a source of pain, and “Ocean” tells people to get involved in this inner world, not just watch it. This release is an integral part of her first EP, “One,” which will come out in March 2026 and is based on love, sensuality, and unity.
If “Ocean” is any indication, the EP will show sensuality not as something pretty, but as a kind of spiritual intelligence, a way to know yourself by connecting with others. The song’s textures and structure have an aquatic quality, moving between clarity and delirium, rhythm and freedom. Its emotional focus is on immersion instead of resolution.
The striking quality of “Ocean” is the blend of the mystical worlds. Boostani understands that strength often shows up as gentleness and that deep feelings are better expressed through frequencies than words. She wants people to see consciousness as immediacy, sensation as truth, and openness as an undeniable strength.
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