Cupid’s ‘The Cookout’ Is a Cultural Reset, Not Just a Summer Bop
It’s a time capsule. A tribute. A promise that Black joy will always have a beat to move to.
Photography by JD Mosely
More than 15 years after giving us the global dance-floor anthem “Cupid Shuffle,” Bryson “Cupid” Bernard is back—and this time, he’s aiming for something deeper than virality. With “The Cookout,” he’s giving Black culture an official soundtrack for one of our most sacred rituals: gathering.
“I just realized we never had an official song for the cookout,” Cupid shares. “We always talk about it, but nobody gave it a groove.”
On “The Cookout,” he fuses 808s and New Orleans brass with unmistakable feel-good energy. It’s new, it’s nostalgic, and it’s designed for people of all ages to step in rhythm together. But Cupid didn’t stop at just one version. The remix, featuring Houston icons Bun B and Paul Wall, feels like a Southern unity cipher, weaving line dancing into the language of hip-hop.
This isn’t just about music. For Cupid, it’s about purpose. “During the protests in 2020, I saw civilians and cops doing the Cupid Shuffle together. That meant something. If I can bring people together like that—peacefully—then I know this work matters.”
He’s built a legacy as the “Line Dance King,” but it didn’t come easily. Even with over 500 million streams, press from The New York Times to Rolling Stone, and a Guinness World Record under his belt, Cupid still fights for recognition in an industry that often undervalues joy-centered Black music.
“I fight with my label all the time,” he says. “They think my music is old. I think it’s timeless.”
Now on a national tour and looking ahead, Cupid sees himself as the “Frankie Beverly of line dancing”—and he might just be right. “The Cookout” isn’t just a track. It’s a time capsule. A tribute. A promise that Black joy will always have a beat to move to.
