Country singer Morgan Wallen’s record label, Big Loud, announced they are suspending Wallen’s contract after a video surfaced showing the country star saying the n-word during a night out.
What We Know:
- The video, first released by TMZ, shows a drunken Wallen shouting expletives, including the n-word, to a group of friends after a night out in Nashville.
- Big Loud is now affiliated with the prestigious Republic Records group, a supplementary label of Universal Music Group that is home to stars like Taylor Swift, Drake, Post Malone, and The Weeknd. It remains unclear what specifically an indefinite suspension to Wallen’s contract actually means.
— Big Loud (@BigLoud) February 3, 2021
- After the video surfaced, Wallen began to face major backlash from radio corporations as well. According to Variety, Cumulus Media, one of the largest radio chains in the country, instructed its 400+ stations to remove Wallen’s songs. “Team, unfortunately, country music star Morgan Wallen was captured on video Sunday evening using a racial slur. Effective immediately, we request that all of Morgan Wallen’s music be removed from our playlists without exception. More to follow,” their message read.
- Even the country’s largest radio chain, iHeartMedia, with over 800+ stations, cut Wallen’s music from their playlists. A spokesperson for iHeartMedia told Rolling Stone, “In light of Morgan Wallen’s recent actions involving the use of a racial slur, we have made the decision to remove his music and content from our stations effective immediately.”
- Additionally, streaming services, including Spotify and Apple Music, have removed Wallen’s songs from their country playlists. Cable network CMT says it’s “in the process of removing his appearances from all our platforms.”
The country star faced backlash not long ago when a video surfaced of the star at a huge party in Alabama, disregarding covid safety concerns. This incident caused Saturday Night Live to revoke its invitation for Wallen to perform on the show due to violations of the shows’ covid safety protocols.
