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Beyoncé Talks Business and Legacy in an Email Interview with GQ

Beyoncé Talks Business and Legacy in an Email Interview with GQ

In an exclusive email exchange, Beyoncé opens up about her career, her evolving artistry, and her latest ventures, offering a rare glimpse into her thoughts on business and impact.

In a rare interview conducted via email, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter gives GQ a glimpse into her world of business, art, and legacy. Writer Frazier Tharpe II highlights the significance of this exchange, as Beyoncé reflects on her journey, sharing insights on her album Cowboy Carter and her foray into the whiskey industry with SirDavis.

"Whiskey isn’t just for old men in smoky bars; it’s for anyone who appreciates depth, complexity, and a bit of mystery," she tells Tharpe in the email exchange, emphasizing her desire to break stereotypes while building a brand that reflects her bold approach to business.

Tharpe's thoughtful questions guide the conversation, revealing the deeply personal motivations behind her latest moves and what it means to leave a lasting legacy.

In one exchange he asks, Your new album is notably called Cowboy Carter, not Cowgirl Carter. What are you trying to say, with that and now with SirDavis, about gender and about race, through these titles?

I wanted everyone to take a minute to research on the word cowboy. History is often told by the victors. And American history? It’s been rewritten endlessly. Up to a quarter of all cowboys were Black. These men faced a world that refused to see them as equal, yet they were the backbone of the cattle industry.

The cowboy is a symbol of strength and aspiration in America. The cowboy was named after slaves who handled the cows. The word cowboy comes from those who were called boys, never given the respect they deserved. No one would dare call a Black man handling cows “Mister” or “Sir.” For me, SirDavis is a sign of earned respect. We all deserve respect, especially when we give it.

Making liquor has been in Southern families like mine for many generations. The Jack Daniel’s famous recipe? That was heavily influenced by a Black man named Nathan “Nearest” Green. He was a former slave who became Jack Daniel’s master distiller. Now, there’s a delicious whiskey, Uncle Nearest Premium Whiskey, named after him, that is run by two women—Nearest Green’s great-great-granddaughter, Victoria Eady Butler, alongside Fawn Weaver. Victoria, in true legacy form to what Mr. Nearest started, is one of the first Black female master blenders in American whiskey.

Hopefully, this story, along with others like Victoria’s and Fawn’s, and now mine, will continue to open more doors.

Beyonce

The email interview sheds light on her vision, illustrating Beyoncé’s dedication to pushing boundaries, both creatively and her current inspirations in music and film. Hint: The lists consists of Raye, Victoria Monét, Sasha Keable, Chloe x Halle, Reneé Rapp, Doechii, GloRilla, and That Mexican OT as well as House of the Dragon and The Chi created by Lena Waithe.

The version of the interview referenced here is available online at gq.com. Another version of the original story will appear in the October 2024 issue of GQ with the title “It's Not About Being Perfect. It's About Being Revolutionary.”