Jason Isbell announces he will donate streaming revenue of Morgan Wallen cover to NAACP

After a video surfaced of Morgan Wallen using a racial slur surfaced in early February 2021, the country music industry was swift to act to condemn his behaviour. Not only was he suspended by his label, dropped from radio airplay and prominent streaming playlists and barred from award show eligibility, he was also condemned by a number of his peers and contemporaries including Mickey Guyton, Jason Isbell and Maren Morris.

However, in amongst the backlash, fans of Wallen's were quick to purchase his music, with reports of sales skyrocketing. His album has hit the number 1 spot on the Billboard all genre chart in the US for a fourth week, proving fans are still supporting the artist.

In light of this news, Jason Isbell announced that he will donate all songwriting royalties from his track “Cover Me Up” -which appears on the very same album Wallen's fans are buying- to the Nashville branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (the NAACP).

Replying to a tweet from AP Entertainment, Isbell wrote, "So… A portion of this money goes to me, since I wrote ‘Cover Me Up.’ I’ve decided to donate everything I’ve made so far from this album to the Nashville chapter of the @NAACP.

"Thanks for helping out a good cause, folks."

Morgan Wallen issued an apology quickly after the video was first published by TMZ. He said, "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."

So... A portion of this money goes to me, since I wrote ‘Cover Me Up.’ I’ve decided to donate everything I’ve made so far from this album to the Nashville chapter of the @NAACP. Thanks for helping out a good cause, folks. https://t.co/Ch3FlDBmJf

— Jason Isbell (@JasonIsbell) February 10, 2021