Shaboozey, the Nigerian-American musician with a couple prominent features on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter, is embracing this big release date moment and announcing his own new album, Where I’ve Been, Isn’t Where I’m Going, out May 31.
The genre-bending rapper/singer/producer/filmmaker has been trickling out new music from the LP over the past few months, including “Annabelle,” “Let It Burn,” and “Vegas” (which was a Rolling Stone “Song You Need to Know” earlier this month). Where I’ve Been marks Shaboozey’s third LP, following 2022’s Cowboys Live Forever, Outlaws Never Die and his 2018 debut, Lady Wrangler.
Ahead of the album’s release, Shaboozey will play a handful of headlining shows in Los Angeles, New York City, and Nashville; tickets for those gigs are on sale now. He’ll also be providing support for Jessie Murph on select dates of her “In the Sticks” tour.
Over the past decade, Shaboozey’s music has incorporated elements of country, Americana, rock, and hip-hop. This omnivorous musical approach arguably made him a perfect fit for Cowboy Carter, and he appears on two tracks: “Spaghettii” and “Sweet Honey Buckin.” In fact, “Spaghettii” even opens with pioneering country great Linda Martell saying, “Genres are a funny little concept, aren’t they? In theory, they have a simple definition that’s easy to understand, but in practice, well, some may feel confined.”
Along with Shaboozey, Cowboy Carter features a plethora of guests, including a handful country legends — Martell, Willie Nelson, and Dolly Parton — who narrate interludes throughout the LP. Miley Cyrus also guests on “II Most Wanted,” and Post Malone appeared on “Levii’s Jeans.” Other contributors include Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Willie Jones, Rhiannon Giddens, Robert Randolph, Raphael Saadiq, and Justin Schipper.