Country star Morgan Wallen has apparently neglected to keep his promise to meet with the NAACP after a video of him using the N-word was publicized in February.
As Atlanta Black Star previously reported, the musician was embroiled in controversy when a leaked video emerged of him hurling the racial slur after coming home after a night out with friends. In the video, Wallen is seen outside hurling profanities at his friends after a night out in Nashville, Tennessee, on Jan. 31. The singer is heard saying, “Take care of this “p****-a** m**********r” to his friends before adding: “Take care of this p****-ass n*****.”
Following the video, condemnation was swift. His label, Big Loud, suspended him, and he was also removed from Apple Music and Spotify streaming playlists.
Wallen released an apology, issuing a statement that read, “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. I want to sincerely apologize for using the word. I promise to do better.”
With an eye toward overhauling his image, Wallen’s team reached out to the NAACP to arrange a meeting to inform the singer of the history behind the offensive term.
Sheryl Guinn, Nashville NAACP president, had expressed a desire to have a discussion with Wallen about the significance of using the racial slur, reported Ok Magazine.
“Even when you look at the other words that were spoken, that one has a certain venom to it that the words just don’t have,” Guinn said. “Because he was such a prominent celebrity and an artist here in Nashville — I mean he’s living here — we would love for him to have that conversation with us.”
Despite the possibility of promising dialogue between the two parties, according to TMZ, Wallen never went through with the meeting. Wallen’s team went apparently “silent” after an early phone call, and the 28-year-old has made no motion to assemble the encounter and given no reason as to why.
According to Guinn, “the NAACP chapter never pressured the singer to meet with them” and they “had hoped he could become an advocate for racial equality.”
However, Wallen had one appearance he was willing to make, as he recently made a surprise showing at Kid Rock’s Big Honky Tonk & Steakhouse in Nashville on May 19.
Wallen told the audience that he was a “little rusty” before performing two of his hit songs in front of a packed house. He also explained that he had taken a couple of months off from music and “really worked on myself.”
