This week, country artist Shaboozey reached a new milestone. On its 19th week in the No. 1 slot, the breakout star’s song “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” has tied the record for most weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Shaboozey has now matched the record set by Lil Nas X, whose chart-topping track “Old Town Road” was the top song in the country for 19 weeks straight in 2019.
“The universe really does work in mysterious ways,” Shaboozey tweeted in response to the news. “Never know how a story will unfold unless you keep going and trust the author; thank you always.”
Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song,” which samples J-Kwon’s 2004 hip-hop hit “Tipsy,” has also dominated Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart for 23 weeks. The country-rap medley has earned the artist three Grammy nominations for Song of the Year, Best Country Song, and Best Country Solo Performance. Shaboozey also earned Grammy nominations in the Best New Artist category and Best Melodic Rap Performance for his appearance on Beyoncé’s song “Spaghetti.”
The 29-year-old genre-bending artist’s appearance on “Cowboy Carter” took his career to new heights as his social media following and streaming number skyrocketed after his single’s release in March. So much so that Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” succeeded Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” as No. 1 on the Hot Country chart in July, marking the first time in Billboard history that two Black artists have consecutively held the No. 1 position and led the chart back-to-back.
“It’s been pretty great for [Beyoncé] to put a lot of eyes on me at one time. Her being able to put a light on me at that time period helped my rollout. She helped amplify what I was already doing in this space, and it’s really amazing [coming from] somebody that is really influential [and a] historic figure,” Shaboozey told The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s cool to see how far country music has reached since Beyoncé did her project. It’s cool to see the music reach all over the world.”
Though Shaboozey continues to break records with his country-rap style music, the country music scene has not been as accepting of him. Throughout the 2024 Country Music Awards, the New Artist of the Year and Single of the Year nominee’s name was mentioned in offhanded and lowkey offensive remarks multiple times throughout the ceremony.
When Cody Johnson received the Album of the Year award for “Leather,” producer Trent Willmon joined him onstage, offering a flat joke: “I got to tell you, this is for this cowboy who’s been kicking Shaboozey for a lot of years,” seemingly offering a twist on the phrase “kicking booty.” The Grammy-nominated performer’s name was also a source of comedic fodder for hosts Luke Bryan and Peyton Manning, with Manning declaring, “Holy Shaboozey!” during the show.
While social media fans were outraged by the offhanded commentary throughout the show, Shaboozey offered a classy clapback on X, captioning a photo of him smiling and shrugging, “Ain’t nobody kicking me!”
Though Shaboozey left the award show empty-handed, the “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” singer expressed gratitude for the experience as a debut nominee and performer.
“[I] couldn’t have ever in my wildest dreams imagined being here. I’m grateful for all of it,” he said in a series of tweets. “Win or lose, I’m blessed by something or someone that has a power beyond my understanding.”
