Beyoncé did not tell her Cowboy Carter collaborators that they had made the cut onto the album until it was released.
Shaboozey raved to Billboard about his time in the studio working on the album. While he did not meet Beyoncé throughout the process of recording "Spaghettii" and "Sweet Honey Buckiin" earlier this year, he states that the process was "all collaborative."
The rapper also spilled that he and his team were left wondering if they would be featured on the release until its official debut at midnight.
"Everyone's working at the same time and different rooms and I came in a couple of days and recorded some parts. [Beyoncé] heard them later and liked them. It's cool how you don't know until the last moment if your part made it or not. We were waiting up until 9 p.m. PT [on album release day] to know if we made the cut."
The album also features spoken cameos from Linda Martell, who Shaboozey states he is a big fan of. However, he was not aware she was featured on his "Spaghettii" track until its release.
"That's how Beyoncé, she likes to put things together, taking different parts of different things and different bridges, always experimenting with the sound, so very free-form over there," he states.
Following the acclaimed album's release, fans were shocked to find out that one of Shaboozey's songs, "Spaghetti," was not featured on the vinyl pressings. Also not pressed on to the physical copies were "Flamenco," "Oh Louisiana," "The Linda Martell Show," and fan-favorite track "YA YA." The CD copies ran into a similar problem, with "Flamenco" being absent.
Fans have speculated that there may have been a last minute switch in album titles, as the CD and vinyl copies feature an alternative cover. Additionally, instead of Cowboy Carter, the physical releases all say Beyincé.
It is unclear if other collaborators, like Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, and Willie Jones, were also left wondering if they would be included in the official release.
Shaboozey will also be dropping his own country album on May 31, which he describes as "a little bit of this genre that even Cowboy Carter created, just a bit of everything. A lot of country, but some hip-hop moments on there, too. But a lot of my personal story and journey into those records as well."
Jones states that his duet on the album, "Just For Fun," is a dream come true. He states that the "Texas Hold 'Em" singer is "transforming country music" with this latest release.
"I got in the studio and I heard the song and I related to it more than damn near any song I've ever heard in my life. To be on the same track as Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter is definitely a check off my bucket list."
Labeling Beyoncé as his "favorite rapper," he commends her ability to shift in between genres, cementing her place as a music industry giant with whatever she touches.
"She's talking about growth, family and legacy and when life gives you lemons make Lemonade. Then after that, she gave us Homecoming and it's like she's saying, 'Go back to your roots and get educated.' Then she gives us Renaissance, like, 'Let's dance, let's be free.' So it comes to this album, too, with songs like 'American Requiem,' 'Blackbiird,' 'Spaghettii.' It's cool to see everybody's streams go up, just because Beyoncé believed in her legacy and her roots and her ancestors. She trusted the universe enough to walk by faith and not by sight and be humble and open."
