Abby Lipscomb

Staff Writer

atl5355@psu.edu

Country music artist Morgan Wallen recently performed at the Grand Ole Opry, a famous country music stage, after a year of staying out of the spotlight. Black country artists and others were less than pleased at Wallen’s return to the spotlight, as the year prior Wallen had come under fire for a video of him using a racial slur which led to him leaving the spotlight. After this, he appeared at a hip-hop event called MLK Freedom Fest, continuing to try and crawl his way back into the music scene. 

Back in 2020, a video of the singer attending a party without a face mask where he kissed random women circled around social media. The video caused his invitation to appear on Saturday Night Live to be revoked as he was set to be their musical guest for their next show. He released an apology video to his fans which was met with a lot of love and support, with some even criticizing NBC’s decision to replace him on the show. 

This is honestly ridiculous. People who hold no regard for public safety or generational suffering should not have this type of platform. They should not be able to do something harmful and just get away with it because it was a “little slip-up”. Fans need to stop trying to defend these types of actions because they are not accidents. Because, despite releasing a public apology, he has done little to further acknowledge his mistakes or make up for them. Wallen even went so far as to admit to using the slur casually with the members of his social circle that were present in the video. 

The fact that he was allowed to perform at places like the Opry after committing these actions shows just how much the country music industry needs to reform itself. It needs to stop promoting and uplifting artists like this that just further solidify their deep rooted association to racism. Black country singers have tried to address this problem, but are constantly met with criticism and are attacked for voicing their concerns. 

Moreover, the internet needs to stop idolizing people like this. Too many times a famous figure will be insensitive towards the black community and people will rush to their defense, not wanting their favorite star to be shown in a negative light. We need to hold these people accountable. They hold too much power and influence over a large audience and need to realize when their actions are unacceptable.