Darius Rucker Praises Beyoncé’s Country Music, Hopes It Wins AOTY

Darius Rucker is a big fan of Beyoncéjoining his genre … saying he’s loving her new country music, and hopes it finally lands her a coveted Album of the Year Grammy.

The legendary singer-songwriter — who’s one of the few Black artists who’s broken through into country successfully — was at LAX Wednesday when a photog asked him about Beyoncé’s latest offering, “Texas Hold ‘Em.”

Darius is fairly brief and succinct in his review — but he’s clear … he’s digging Bey’s twang.

He says ‘THE’ is a great song and even throws good luck her way over the prospect of Beyoncé’s foray into country music finally earns her a Grammy award for Album of The Year … something that’s still missing from Bey’s mantle.

Remember … Jay-Z made a big stink about Beyoncé’s lack of an AOTY award during a speech at this month’s Grammys, so lots of folks are wondering if a country album will get Bey over the hump … Darius included.

Of course, Beyoncé’s going to have to beat out Taylor Swift — and others — to win AOTY … Taylor’s got a new album coming out too, and Darius actually addresses Taylor too here.

The cameraman asks Darius if he thinks Taylor should go back to country — something that another bystander next to DR actually weighs in on before has a chance to. As for Darius, he says Tay Tay should crank out whatever type of music she wants … ditto for Beyoncé.

One last thing Darius addressed here about Bey and country … namely, John Schneider‘s ugly remarks about her last week — when he likened her to a dog marking its territory.

Like many people … he agrees that John’s words were laced with a racist undertone — and he says gatekeeping country music is absolutely silly. On the question of whether Beyoncé is a “lightning rod” … Darius scoffs at that notion as well in this interview.

Long story short … Darius is all for Beyoncé getting into country music — he’s definitely a fan.