Morgan Wallen was primed to become country’s biggest crossover star in years. But after he was filmed drunkenly yelling the N-word at a friend following a night out partying last week, radio conglomerates iHeartRadio and Cumulus Media stopped playing his songs, his music was pulled from Spotify and Apple Music playlists, and his record contract was indefinitely suspended.
Despite the swift backlash from the music industry, fans haven’t stopped buying Wallen’s music. In fact, the Associated Press reports that sales of Wallen’s new album Dangerous: The Double Album have actually increased since the N-bomb. And now noted good guy Jason Isbell, whose song “Cover Me Up” was covered by Wallen on Dangerous: The Double Album, has announced that he’s donating all of his songwriting royalties from Wallen’s record to the NAACP.
“So… A portion of this money goes to me, since I wrote Cover Me Up,” Isbell tweeted. “Ive decided to donate everything Ive made so far from this album to the Nashville chapter of the NAACP.” Previously, when asked to comment on the incident, Isbell said, “Wallens behavior is disgusting and horrifying. I think this is an opportunity for the country music industry to give that spot to somebody who deserves it, and there are lots of black artists who deserve it.”
So… A portion of this money goes to me, since I wrote Cover Me Up. Ive decided to donate everything Ive made so far from this album to the Nashville chapter of the @NAACP. Thanks for helping out a good cause, folks. https://t.co/Ch3FlDBmJf
— Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) February 10, 2021
Wallens behavior is disgusting and horrifying. I think this is an opportunity for the country music industry to give that spot to somebody who deserves it, and there are lots of black artists who deserve it. https://t.co/14B77zLgMR
— Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) February 3, 2021
I didnt say tar and feather the boy. If he makes real change, his life will be just fine. But if he isnt held accountable, black people in the industry will know how little country music really cares about them, even now. And thats much sadder to me than alcoholism. https://t.co/G1wVwpzI6V
— Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) February 4, 2021
