For the good, the bad, or controversial, 2021 was a year full of memorable moments.
Now, as the year draws to a close, That Grape Juice is reflecting on the events that rocked – and to some degree reshaped – the Urban and Pop cultural landscapes as we know it.
Up next, we take a look back on Morgan Wallen‘s racial controversy and the backlash that followed.
Join us below…
Wallen was on top of the charts – both Country and Pop – when a night out sent him into controversy.
On January 31, the ‘Chasing You’ singer was caught on video hurling racial epithets at his drunken friend after returning from a night on the town in Nashville. He can be seen on video calling his friend a “p*ssy a** m*therf*cker” and “p*ssy a** n*****.”
While he issued an apology shortly after, Country radio stations began to immediately pull his music, with over 400 stations doing so.
The response to his words was swift. His record deal was “suspended indefinitely.”
However, the controversy only seemed to fuel album sales. His album – ‘Dangerous: The Double Album’ – saw a massive increase in sales after the incident.
Despite the sales increase, Wallen was still dropped by his management. His sister came to defend the singer, where she went on to say that the backlash for his words was “out of control.”
Wallen then went on an apology tour. He took to social media for one apology, where he went on to accept the penalties for his actions. During an appearance on ‘Good Morning America,’ he insisted that his use of a racial slur was “just playful.”
Despite the highly publicized controversy appearances across social media and television, Justin Bieber showed support for the ‘Dangerous’ album, where he said that he “loved” it. The backlash was quick and Bieber removed the post from his Instagram Stories. He claimed that he had no idea that had said racial slurs and apologized for his action.
Moreover, as part of his apology, Wallen promised to give $500,000 to Black groups. Only the Black Music Action Coalition received any money with $165,000 in April. The other groups went on to claim that they had not even heard from the ‘Whiskey Glasses’ singer. He also allegedly was supposed to meet with the NAACP in July, but failed to do so as well.
All-in-all, Wallen ended up with the year’s top selling album and has returned to performing live.