Oliver Anthony, the renowned "Rich Men North of Richmond" singer, has found himself in a heated dispute with the music industry. His ire is particularly directed towards Beyoncé and her highly anticipated 11-time Grammy-nominated "Cowboy Carter" album. In a December 4th YouTube video titled "What I’ve Learned from the Music Industry So Far…", Anthony opened up about his deep-seated dislike for the music industry and his management specifically. He firmly stated that he doesn't "need a bunch of nerds and coffee-drinking freaks in Nashville to tell me how to live my life."

About 10 Minutes into the Video

As the video progressed, Anthony began to riff about his management and requested to post about Beyoncé's 2024 album. However, his reaction was far from enthusiastic. "One of the guys I worked with wanted me to make some stupid f—ing post about Beyoncé’s country album, about how it was good, even though it was complete trash," he exclaimed. "It makes me just want to throw up." This outburst further highlighted his discontent.

Anthony's Take on Beyoncé's Cover of "Jolene"

His anger continued as he spoke about Beyoncé's cover of Dolly Parton's 1973 hit, "Jolene." "It’s just total cringe," he declared. "It represents how degenerative our society has become that a song like a Beyoncé version of ‘Jolene’ can come out and anybody actually listen to it and think it’s not just complete f—ing trash." While Anthony is entitled to his opinion, it seems that a significant portion of his frustrations stem from being asked to make a post about Beyoncé's album. Interestingly, Parton herself applauded Beyoncé's take on "Jolene" and is featured on the cover.

Anthony's Decision to Leave the Music Industry

In October, Anthony made a bold decision. He posted a video stating that he was leaving the music industry to focus on ministry work. This move came as a surprise to many, especially considering the success of "Rich Men North of Richmond" which reached No. 1 on the Billboard in August 2023. His departure has sparked much discussion and speculation within the music industry.Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.Murjani Rawls may be reached at mrawls@njadvancemedia.com and followed on Twitter at @MurjaniRawls.