Darius Rucker praised Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter LP for “bringing a lot of attention” to country music.
The Hootie and the Blowfish frontman, 58, claims the “Single Ray” hitmaker, 42, was a big deal in bringing country music to a wider audience and proving that it's not just for white people.
“I can't overstate how big an achievement she was because she brought so much attention to the genre,” he said on “Who's Talking to Chris Wallace.”
“One of the things I love about Beyoncé's work is that when I started making country music and having hits, African-American women and men came up to me and said, 'I love country music, but I just couldn't find the words to express it.'”
“And I think she brought more attention to the genre, more people to it, more black people to it, and more people to think, 'Yeah, I like country music.'”
The Grammy Award winner became the first black woman to have a number one country song in Billboard history with the album's hit “Texas Hold 'Em.”
The musician has previously argued that Beyoncé's albums are better country music.
Darius, who switched to country music in 2008, told Us Weekly: “I'm happy for her. I'm happy for the genre.”
“She's really brought more attention to country music. More people watching country music is always a good thing.”
Darius hopes other black musicians will follow in Beyoncé's footsteps.
He explained: “What she did was[s] More people of color will be able to try their hand at country music than ever before.”
Luke Grimes also recently said that Beyoncé's country music is “great” as a genre.
The 40-year-old star told The Independent: “It's music, it's not rocket science. People are trying to make sounds that will help them have a better time, so why get upset about it?”
He then praised Beyoncé as “one of the most talented people on the planet” and believes she's already had a positive impact on the genre.
Luke explained: “She's one of the most talented people on the planet, so if she likes country too, that's great.”