The music industry evolves at a dizzying pace. And I’m here to help you make sense of the “Key Changes” in these quick-hit roundups of music new analysis.
This week, the Academy of County Music Honors gave the Lift Every Voice Award to Rissi Palmer, an artist who’s made it her mission to spotlight and support country voices of color.
Several music business outlets reported that Morgan Wallen, on the other hand, won’t be in Grammy award contention — by choice.
He’s not submitting his music, despite an increase in the number of country categories. Grammy leadership just renamed country album of the year as contemporary country and added traditional country album of the year.
I’m currently looking into how other country artists are navigating those changes. Watch for that reporting in the coming weeks.
The country rap revenge tune “Hell At Night,” with hooks sung by Ella Langley and verses from BigXThaPlug, is from a new album, I Hope You’re Happy, filled with collaborations between the Texas rapper and current country stars. It’s a project that prompted the New York Times to dub BigX “Nashville’s favorite rapper.” (It’s worth noting that the album credits transcend both BigX’s circle and the country scene; among the songwriters is R&B artist Bryant Taylorr, a Nashville native.)
At the same time, central figures in Nashville’s hip-hop scene are exploring country reference points in their own ways.
2LiveBre is getting attention, and playlist placements, for his new song “Southern Country Girl,” on the heels of signing with New York-based hip-hop powerhouse 300 Entertainment.
And Mike Floss is fleshing out his new Black Cowboy person Silver Slim on conceptual, musical and visual fronts. “Got my mindset from Nat Love,” he raps during the new track “Right Where I Belong.”
Floss has been studying historical accounts of Nat Love, who began his life enslaved in Davidson County, then made a name for himself with his cattle-wrangling, rodeo-riding and storytelling skills out West. The stuff of legend, and lyrics.
