- Despite country music’s roots, Black artists have faced a relentless struggle to obtain mainstream success in the genre.
- Beyoncé’s album “Cowboy Carter” highlighted Black country artists past and present.
- Here’s a list of must-know Black artists among the countless musicians worth highlighting.
Nashville’s 100-year history with country music has made the genre synonymous with Music City. However, contrary to the genre’s Black roots, country has not historically been associated with minorities, specifically Black artists. In fact, many artists have endured relentless barriers when pursuing mainstream success.
Like many others before her, Beyoncé recently highlighted this irony with her Grammy-winning eighth studio album, “Cowboy Carter.” The album sought to propel this conversation and give a stage to Black country artists past and present.
A handful of Black country artists featured on Beyoncé’s album — Brittney Spencer, Reyna Roberts, Tanner Adell, Tiera Kennedy, Willie Jones and Shaboozey — are representative of a longer list of Black artists working tirelessly in Nashville’s predominantly white male scene.
In addition to these names, here’s a list of must-know Black artists, certainly ones to include on your country music playlist. Of course, this is not an exhaustive list, rather a sampling of the countless musicians worth highlighting.
Black country artists that should be on your playlist
Mickey Guyton
Latest playlist-ready track:“Nothing Compares To You” (feat. Kane Brown)
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Mickey Guyton has made it her mission to break down barriers with her music. In 2020, she became the first Black female solo artist to be recognized in a country music category at the Grammys when she received a nomination for her single “Black Like Me.” She shares her experience as a Black woman in country music in the song. She later became the first Black woman to achieve a No. 1 hit on the Canadian country chart for “Boys,” her collaboration with Dean Brody. In 2021, she released her first album, “Remember Her Name.” In 2024 album “House on Fire,” she reflects on her evolution, continuing her work with producer Karen Kosowski.
Kane Brown
Latest playlist-ready track:“Haunted (feat. Jelly Roll)”
Since releasing his debut self-titled album in 2016, Chattanooga, Tennessee-bred country star Kane Brown has achieved the equivalent of over 100 million singles sold in under a decade. Last month, he released album “The High Road,” which more prominently features his multi-genre flexibility. Brown tops country’s radio charts roughly once every 18 months with songs like “Like I Love Country Music,” which marries bluegrass and trap. He can croon like Kenny Rogers on duet with his wife, Katelyn, “Thank God,” or blend hip-hop swagger and country’s modern radio expectations on songs like Jelly Roll collaboration “Haunted.” He’s a one-of-one artist.
Rissi Palmer
Latest playlist-ready track: “Still Here (feat. Miko Marks)”
St. Louis native Rissi Palmer has evolved into a stalwart artist at the forefront of two decades of inflection points for maintaining Black artistry’s vaunted space in Nashville’s mainstream industry and country’s culture worldwide. In recent years, she has hosted her Apple Music Radio “Color Me Country” program, been a correspondent for CMT’s “Hot 20 Countdown,” hosted a “Color Me Country” stage at the United Kingdom’s The Long Road Festival, co-curated the “From Where I Stand” concert at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and been one of many artists featured on groundbreaking author, songwriter and Vanderbilt professor Alice Randall’s 2024 compilation “My Black Country.”
K. Michelle
Latest playlist-ready track: “Tennessee”
Beyond Beyoncé, K. Michelle may have the highest profile of any mainstream Black artist expanding into Nashville’s country music industry. She’s a Memphis native signed to BMI-signed who has topped the R&B charts but is a lifelong country music fanatic. She’s also a Lifetime and VH1 reality television star In recent years, K. Michelle has made appearances at the Bluebird Cafe and at events including CMA Fest. She was also featured on 2023’s “A Tribute To The Judds” album and paired with Jelly Roll to perform “Love Can Build A Bridge” alongside the Fisk Jubilee Singers to close 2024’s Country Music Association Awards.
The War and Treaty
Latest playlist-ready track: “Mr. Fun”
This husband and wife duo, consisting of Tanya and Michael Trotter Jr., has warmed the hearts of fans worldwide. Since releasing their debut solo album “Healing Tide” in 2018, the pair has garnered much success and broken many records in the country music scene. Their major label debut “Lover’s Game” arrived in 2023 — and that same year they achieved a Top 20 tune on Billboard’s Hot 100 with their Zach Bryan collaboration “Hey Driver.” Their numerous firsts include being the first black duo to be dominated for duo of the year at the Country Music Association and Academy of Country Music Awards. They followed this up with two Grammy nominations in 2024, including best new artist.
Blanco Brown
Latest playlist-ready track: “CountryTime”
Before achieving chart-topping and viral stardom, West Atlanta native Blanco Brown was already successful as a collaborator, engineer and producer for Outkast, the Dungeon Family, Jeezy, 2 Chainz and more. He’s a stellar live performer, too, uniquely equipped to authentically break down the link between Goodie Mob’s “Cell Therapy,” Outkast’s “Rosa Parks,” “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and “Tennessee Whiskey.” From the success of his chart-topping country hit “The Git Up” during the pandemic to maintaining his artistry with continued releases, he’s essential both as a groundbreaker and table-setter for rap artists and hip-hop culture aficionados looking to succeed in Music City.
BRELAND
Latest playlist-ready track: “Icing”
This New Jersey-bred, genre-bending star began his career as a songwriter and rose through the ranks after releasing his debut single in 2019, “My Truck.” The internet sensation reached No. 26 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, and the song prompted a platinum-selling remix with Sam Hunt two years later. BRELAND has been open about breaking down barriers in country music and dismantling limiting genre parameters, via tracks like his 2022 debut album’s title song “Cross Country.” Overall, his music and other EPs have garnered over 150 million streams on Spotify.
Kashus Culpepper
Latest playlist-ready track: “Jenni”
Alabama native Kashus Culpepper is a Navy veteran who cites Chris Stapleton, Stevie Wonder and Howlin’ Wolf as some of his influences. Two years after dropping “Who Hurt You” and gaining underground acclaim, he’s spent time on the road with critically acclaimed artists like his fellow Big Loud signees Charles Wesley Godwin and Stephen Wilson Jr. Sara Knabe, the label’s senior vice president of A&R, calls Culpepper a “raw and real” singer-songwriter with an “emotional and soulful style” who will “write songs that will stand the test of time.”
Chapel Hart
Latest playlist-ready track: “You Can Have Him Jolene”
From the stages of NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” to the Grand Ole Opry, Poplarville, Mississippi, natives Chapel Hart are a family group defined by carefully straddling the line between the genre’s outlaw ways and pop-cultural explosion. Are they as likely to take a day off to hunt for turkeys as they are to drop rap bars over a fiddle break? Absolutely. Co-signed by country icons including Dolly Parton, Darius Rucker, Marty Stuart, Tanya Tucker and the late Loretta Lynn, they’ve received more standing ovations on the Grand Ole Opry than times they’ve appeared on the program.
Camille Parker
Latest playlist-ready track: “RUN WILD”
If you are looking for the intersection of Mary J. Blige and Dolly Parton, look no further than Camille Parker, a native of Durham, North Carolina. The singer-songwriter has toiled for a decade in Nashville and gained acclaim and respect while attempting to distill into country hits a life journey that includes being educated at New York City’s Talent Unlimited Performing Arts School — alums include Living Colour’s Corey Glover, rapper Mos Def and actors Laurence Fishburne and Malik Yoba — and living everywhere from Las Vegas to outside Washington, D.C., to Paris while working as a blackjack dealer, as a R&B demo singer, in retail sales, as a waitress and even as a receptionist at a bottle cap company.
Saaneah
Latest playlist-ready track: “Get The Hell Outta Dodge”
Last year, North Nashville-born country artist Saaneah became the first Music City-born African-American female performer to debut at the Grand Ole Opry. Through her work on Alice Randall’s “My Black Country” album, Saaneah’s expanded in influence in Nashville’s country and roots scenes. Since emerging as a 2008 “American Idol” hopeful, her sound, which blends the influences of her native area’s soulful roots with mainstream country’s multitude of traditions, finally feels most comfortable in Nashville’s industry.
