‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ producer Killah B made history with first country song

Music producer Brian “Killah B” Bates had already made a name for himself in the music industry, but after producing a single for Beyoncé’s latest album, “Cowboy Carter,” he was able to make history with his first country record. And he says it won’t be his last.
The three-time Grammy nominated producer has collaborated with some of the biggest names in music, including Ariana Grande, Usher, Chris Brown, Summer Walker, Jason Derulo and more. However, it wasn’t until he co-wrote and produced Beyoncé’s hit single “Texas Hold ‘Em” that he made his first country song — one that would go on to break many records.
“I feel amazing. I just feel like I could take over the world,” Bates tells USA TODAY. “And that’s the type of energy that us young Black creators and young creators, in general, we need. To make my mark on our history … I’m so honored. And there’s a responsibility that comes with that, that I’m going to continue to uphold.”
Earlier this year, Beyoncé made history as the first Black woman to top Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart after “Texas Hold ‘Em” debuted at No. 1. And Bates also became the first Black producer, along with Raphael Saadiq, to top the country chart for the hit.
A Chicago native, the songwriter and producer recalls growing up with both his parents struggling with addiction. Bates credits his grandparents for raising him and his brother and saving them from becoming a product of their environment.
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“My grandfather was a jazz musician in Chicago,” Bates said. “He had a family, and he couldn’t focus on his music career. So he saw that I had musical abilities, and he invested into me and poured into me.”
Bates says his grandfather put him in piano lessons and he became a classically trained musician at a young age. Eventually, he taught himself how to play drums and asked to play drums in church, which he did.
“My father would play country, classic rock and old school ’70s R&B Dusties all day,” he says. “Outside of them playing music, I would go search and study myself. So I would study Luke Bryan, the Dixie Chicks and more. And I studied so many genres, and it was something I loved.”
Eventually he moved to Atlanta, then Los Angeles, to follow his dreams and began to make his mark in the industry. As far as working on “Texas Hold ‘Em” with Queen Bey, nearly two years before the single was released, Killah says a friend connected him with the singer’s representatives, who listened to the record.
“She was instantly blown away, and so she asked for the files,” he says. After Beyoncé put her own spin on it, he got to hear it and was “blown away.”
While “Texas Hold ‘Em” was his first time producing a country record, he was more than ready.
“I studied so many country songs in the past that when it was time to make this song, I had it in my DNA,” Bates says. “I had the ingredients ready, even though I hadn’t made it before. The way that I study music, I’m able to capture the essence and authenticity, and the instruments and the style that’s used to create each genre. So that’s a gift of mine that God gave me.”
And the “Texas Hold ‘Em” producer emphasized the notion that Black artists have a rightful place in the genre.
“Black people created the instruments that created country music, and we created the styling of country music,” Bates says. “Black people don’t just have a place in country music, we are the forefront of country music, and it was taken away from us at some point.”
Put simply, he says, “This is part of our culture.”
Back in February, Beyoncé sent shock waves around the world when she released her first two singles — “16 Carriages” and “Texas Hold ‘Em” — and announced a country album during a Super Bowl commercial.
Within a week, her hit “Texas Hold ‘Em” debuted at No. 54 on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. On the streaming front, her songs began topping country music playlists and charts on Apple Music and Spotify almost instantly.
“When ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ dropped, my whole world dropped,” Bates says. “It was the craziest marketing strategy ever.”
The “Ya Ya” singer followed up by releasing her full country album “Cowboy Carter” on March 29. She continued making history and breaking records thereafter.
Bates says he’s honored to be a part of history. Going forward, fans can expect more hits from him from all genres.
“I have more country records that are coming out,” he says. “I’ve been working on more country stuff, definitely going to go and sweep through Nashville. But I also have a lot of dance, pop and rock ‘n’ roll coming. Expect me to do genres of music that people wouldn’t expect me to do. Expect me to dominate.”
Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network’s Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.