Sexyy Red joined country music artist Zach Bryan onstage during his concert May 3 at the Enterprise Center in her hometown of St. Louis. Still, some fans weren’t feeling their unique collaboration.
On May 4, Sexyy Red shared footage on Instagram from her cameo appearance at Bryan’s concert. The “Pound Town” rapper was twerking amid a predominantly white audience, cheering her on enthusiastically while Bryan performed his hit track “Revival.”
At one point, the mother of two dropped down into a split, jumping up to shake her clappas in a circle at audience members. It’s unclear if the rap star performed after her unexpected appearance, but the St. Louis native did stop to take a picture with crowdgoers following her impromptu twerk session.
Social media reacts to Sexyy Red’s Zach Bryan concert appearance.
Red’s appearance drew praise and criticism from social media users. Critics likened the performance to “black exploitation.”
One naysayer wrote in the comments section of We Are The Culture after the outlet reposted the video, “Damn, they treating her like a good old house winch.”
Another user said they were reminded of “when slave masters used to tell our ancestors to come in from the fields and dance and entertain their guests.”
A third user chimed in, “She don’t even realize they just made a whole mockery out of her. So sooo sad.”
There’s been a reluctance among some fans to embrace Black artists venturing into country music despite the fact that Black musicians, such as Charley Pride and Aaron Neville, were instrumental in pioneering the genre. Beyoncé’s Act II: Cowboy Carter paid tribute to the rich legacy and influence of Black country roots, yet the album has faced significant criticism since its release. In February, a radio station in Oklahoma even went as far as to refuse to play “Texas Hold ‘Em,” one of the tracks featured on the album.
One netizen speculated that white audiences would rather see Red twerking and acting a fool than respect Bey’s tasteful ode to the genre.
“They don’t want Beyoncé, but this is what they want from us. So sad on so many levels.”
Some fans tried to defend Red, noting how her appearance was similar to Beyonce’s cross-genre homage. They argued that the move was “genius” and that she was attempting to unlock a new “fanbase.”
One supporter chimed in, “The fact that the crowd went wild!! Y’all can’t make me hate her!“
Though fans were tripping on Red’s performance, Bryan sang her praises and thanked the rapper for blessing his show.
“HOME OF @sexyyred.Thank y’all so much for coming, and you always got friends in us. See you soon, Greenville,” he wrote in the caption of the Instagram post.
While we understand Sexyy Red’s intentions, this attempt respectfully missed the mark. We would have preferred to see her deliver a freestyle or perhaps perform an acoustic rendition of “Get It Sexyy” alongside Bryan, reminiscent of her dope collaboration with guitarist Einer Bankz in 2023.
What did you think of Sexyy Red’s recent appearance? Are you feeling it? Tell us in the comments.
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