Morgan Wallen Suspended Indefinitely by Record Label, Big Loud Records
Morgan Wallen's record label, Big Loud Records, has suspended him indefinitely after he was caught on video using the N-word.
An announcement on the record label's Instagram page represents a swift denouncement of Wallen's actions and choice of words and effectively means he's been dropped, although there is room in their wording for him to rejoin at some point.
As of 12:15PM ET, Wallen was still listed on the label's website.
"In the wake of recent events, Big Loud Records has made the decision to suspend Morgan Wallen's recording contract indefinitely," the statement reads. "Republic Records fully supports Big Loud's decision and agrees such behavior will not be tolerated."
The move — and the speed of the move — are a stunning repudiation that's without precedent in country music. Wallen's latest album had just topped the Billboard 200 chart (all-genre) for the third straight week and broke numerous country music streaming records along the way. There may not be an artist hotter currently, but in a matter of hours, it was all wiped away.
Big Loud's move to remove Wallen comes after his music was pulled by Cumulus and iHeartMedia and his content was removed from CMT. Many artists have started to denounce him and his comments publicly, with many also showing skepticism about the prospect of any real, long-lasting effects on his career.
Wallen signed with Big Loud Records in 2016 after appearing on The Voice on NBC. His career started slowly, with his debut single "The Way I Talk" peaking just inside the Top 40, but once he started to align with Florida Georgia Line and the song "Up Down" was released, his fame skyrocketed. With 2018 came No. 1 singles "Whiskey Glasses" and then "Chasin' You" (2019), the most-played songs of that year and the one after. A cover of "Cover Me Up" further elevated his status as more than an artist to watch.
In 2020 his reputation began to take a hit, as he was arrested in downtown Nashville after being thrown out of a bar, and caught on video partying maskless with college coeds during a pandemic. He also surprised everyone with news that he had become a father. The year finished with Wallen promising to change his ways, and as he released his second studio album, he was on the right path until this past weekend, when he was videod shouting a racist slur at a friend after a night out.
Aside from his initial apology to TMZ, Wallen has not commented on the incident or the industry's response.
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