Will Nashville finally learn to reckon with racism after Morgan Wallen's slur? | Opinion

• LeBron Hill is an opinion columnist for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. Feel free to contact him at LHill@gannett.com or 615-829-2384.

Country music artist Morgan Wallen's use of the n-word was caught on video by a neighbor on Sunday. It was gross and pathetic.

But in this current period, only a month removed from the biggest display of white privilege at the steps of our nation's Capitol, can we really be so surprised? 

As casual as the setting was for Wallen's use of the racial slur, we can only imagine how many other times that word, which stood for only oppression of Black people by white people, came out of his mouth.

I admit, I'm not an avid fan of country music, but at this point I've heard more news about Wallen's ill-advised actions than his actual music. And what I've gathered about his career, specifically in the last two years, is that it has been dipped in privilege. 

Wallen has been punished for bad behavior, but then rewarded

The 27-year old singer made headlines last October when he carelessly broke COVID-19 safety protocols. Video footage showed him in a crowded bar with no face covering. Later, variety show Saturday Night Live, where Wallen was scheduled to perform that weekend, nixed their invitation, though two months later they invited him back to appear on the show. They even joked about his carelessness in a skit.

On May 23, Wallen was arrested for public intoxication and disorderly conduct at Kid Rock's Big Honky Tonk in downtown Nashville, yet he remained with his label with no fallout reported.

Country music and the city most famous for housing it, Nashville, are entwined in this current situation, as it speaks to the need for these two entities to change. I remember watching the turmoil rapper and singer Lil Nas X had to go through when the country billboard took his hit song "Old Town Road" off the country charts because it didn't embrace "enough elements of today’s country music."  

Do Wallen's actions reflect the values of country music that banished a Black man's song from their charts? We give admiration to the few Black people who, like Lil Nas X, have gained success in the predominantly white genre, but do we account for the intimidation that has kept out so many other artists from crossing into it? 

Charley Pride, the first Black superstar in country music, was exposed to racism in his long career and withstood through his calm and composed presence. However, other Black artists shouldn't be expected to endure such racism by an entity that is just beginning to reconcile with it's not-so-clean past. 

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Let me be clear, this is not an "if they say it, why can't we say it" situation.

What made Wallen's use of a racial slur most appalling was the pompous and effortless manner in which he said it. This was a mindless action so normalized that those in the video didn't even react to what Wallen said. That demeanor is only made possible by a societal structure that creates security for white supremacy without consequences. 

Wallen's actions finally caught up to him

On Tuesday, Wallen's label, Big Loud Records, announced they will be suspending his recording contract indefinitely.  Spotify and other streaming services pulled him from playlists. CMT pulled his appearances from its platforms.

This is Music City's opportunity to make progress on equity and representation in country music and eliminate segregation within the music industry. 

The ball is in Nashville's court.

I echo Jason Isbell's tweet, which calls for change in country music. He wrote: "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."

There is reckoning taking place in country music, not only on race, but also on gender equality.

And the steps that we take after this moment will define Nashville and country music for years to come. 

LeBron Hill is an opinion columnist for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee. Feel free to contact him at LHill@gannett.com or 615-829-2384.