America’s canceled are refusing to go quietly into that dark night.
Over the weekend at the Martin Luther King Freedom Fest music festival in Tennessee, canceled country music star Morgan Wallen hopped on stage for a performance with rapper Lil Durk in a display of defiance towards cancel culture.
#LilDurk brings out #MorganWallen in Nashville 🎤 https://t.co/QoEKewho7V pic.twitter.com/7xA5bw6lKl
— WGCI (@WGCI) January 16, 2022
Wallen, one of today’s biggest country singer/songwriters, has been dealing with major media backlash since a video of him saying the N-word in jest to his buddies in early 2021 surfaced online. He has since apologized, but the mob has been hell bent on making him pay.
As reported by Breitbart, Wallen’s candid antics resulted in him getting his songs pulled from radio stations, major streaming platforms and even removed from major award contention. Still Wallen’s star power has kept him relevant in the country music scene.
One of his latest projects, “Broadway Girls,” a collaboration with rapper Lil’ Durk has become a smash hit since its release around last December. When the popular song was performed live this past weekend at MLK Freedom Fest, Lil’ Durk invited Wallen on stage and gave a short speech against cancel culture and in defense of his reputation.
As Wallen made his way toward the stage, the African American rapper told the crowd that he believes Wallen is “genuine at heart” and that no one has the right to say who can perform with him, canceled or not.
“And can’t nobody cancel shit without me saying it, you know what I’m saying?” Lil’ Durk exclaimed before he and the singer launched into their tune about meeting beautiful girls while on a night out on Broadway Street in Nashville, Tennessee.
In an interview with TMZ earlier this month the rapper tried to help Wallen rehabilitate his image, telling the outlet that he’s convinced the singer is a good guy and not a racist.
With good (and successful) friends like Lil’ Durk, perhaps Wallen can keep his career afloat.
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After his antics in 2021, Wallen gave a heartfelt apology in an interview with TMZ. “I’m embarrassed and sorry. I used an unacceptable and inappropriate racial slur that I wish I could take back. There are no excuses to use this type of language, ever,” he stated at the time.
And though he has since been remorseful and willing to get back into the public’s good graces, sanctimonious people still don’t think it’s enough, even some of his country music colleagues.
After The Grand Ole Opry scheduled Wallen to perform, fellow country music star Jason Isbell made a snide, passive aggressive dig at Wallen, tweeting, “Last night @opry you had a choice- either upset one guy and his ‘team,’ or break the hearts of a legion of aspiring Black country artists. You chose wrong and I’m real sad for a lot of my friends today.”
Well Isbell, take it from black artist Lil’ Durk, Wallen isn’t canceled anymore. Keep crying.