Ah yes, the Aussie's and Ravemaster J. and Western man are ALL in DA HOUSE!!!! yo. yo, wat up!!!!" (Is that STREET ENOUGH FOR YOU GUYS?" lol!)
Yes, Justin is correct that I could do without the "R" word. (Rap for those of you just tuning in. and when you mix it with Country, you get....well you figure that one out). The problem that I have is two fold. One is CULTURAL. I don't like what it's influence have done to society. I grew up in Birmingham Alabama and started seeing those results in the 80's. It is worldwide now. Not that it is responsible for the fall of humanity, but let's just say it has hastened it's demise. I don't like Racism in any form, even when it is reversed, which of course if you were able to make it through last nights "White People self Flagilation Awards" you saw on full display.
The second is purely musical. To have as many rhymes as are needed in Rap and Hip hop, you have to resort to sophomoric, nonsensical "Dr. Seuss" Rhymes that sound like a third grader would write. All the beats are exactly the same (EXACTLY THE SAME CRITIQUES ALL OF COUNTRY HAS BEEN GETTING FOR THREE YEARS) and the artists are interchable. Talking about all the broke street stuff while living in enormous mansions,laying on piles of cash. Gets pretty insulting. And the treatment of women, and the rest of society is pretty deplorable.
Enough of my message. Take it or leave it.
Justin, do you know why there IS a Chris Stapleton in the first place? Because the previous "Chris Stapleton, Jamie Johnson, has turned into pretty much a flake. He stays stoned most of the time, doesn't show up for shows or interviews, and is kind of in the nebulous world of "WHATEVER."
He dropped out and Nashville always has to have a "token REBEL." He grows the long hair, says things (that I agree with actually) and is a throw back to "going your own way." Image is as carefully crafted as any of the polished images out there.
Nashville and country has always had em'. Willie, Waylon, David Allen Coe, Hank Jr. Travis Tritt, you name it, there always is one. And the rebel image is put together just like all the other images are. He'll be around for his three year run until the next one comes along, who will be pretty much the same thing.
This is like sports now. What do you see? Athletes come up playing football, basketball, baseball, build press through high school, make all the sports shows in college, get drafted by the pros, have about a three year career and then are hurt or replaced by the next person coming along with a similar image. So enjoy it while you can.
Sooner or later, (after the Grammy glow wears off) he will start saying things that ruffle feathers. He will make some disparaging comment that offends people. Or have his picture taken by some dead animal on a hunt he went on. If you really listen to the comment it won't be that offensive, but the 24 hour talk show cycle, the constant TMZ of the press, the continuous drum for MORE quotes, will start taking a life of it's own. The people he offends will start screaming for boycotts of his shows. There will be supporters and detractors on all the News talk shows screaming at each other and THEY will become part of the story. Someone WITHIN the industry will get on THEIR soapbox and start screaming about how "ALL of the MUSIC BUSINESS IS INSANE TO SUPPORT THIS GUY." They will start wearing the "F**K Christ Stapelton t-shirts. He will be pilloried in the press, FACEBOOK will explode, and all your friends, or those you thought were your friends, will be saying HORRIBLE things about him and his family all over Twitter and Facebook.
Then, they will start hating ANYONE who supports him and YOU will be portrayed as a RASCIST/SEXIST/ANIMAL HATER/BABY HATER/NAZI/CRIMINAL/KKK MEMBER/ (whatever you can think of) and YOU and YOUR FAMILY SHOULD BE DESTROYED and the cycle of hate will continue.
THE CIRCLE....IT'S THE CIRCLE OF HAAAAAAATTTTTTTTEEEEEEE!!!!"
There'll be the "Hate Chris the HATER" parties, burning his CD's, the cover bands refusing to do his material.
He'll ride the publicity for a while, then retreat from it all going through a near mental break down. And wind up on a farm somewhere smoking weed with Jamey Johnson, burned out.
If it was rock or pop, they would find him dead in a bathroom in a seedy side of town, with a needle in his arm. With country, they just tend to dissapear, have loyal fans, play from time to time, but mostly keep a low profile.
So that's what I think the future holds for our buddy Chris. Don't you love the music business?
MAB
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