Big Loud Records has suspended Morgan Wallen’s recording contract indefinitely after TMZ posted a video Tuesday night (Feb. 2) of the country star using the N-word.
In an unattributed statement posted to its Twitter and Instagram accounts, Big Loud wrote, “In the wake of recent events, Big Loud Records has made the decision to suspend Morgan Wallen’s recording contract indefinitely. Republic Records fully supports Big Loud’s decision and agrees such behavior will not be tolerated.”
— Big Loud (@BigLoud) February 3, 2021
The move comes as Wallen’s sophomore album for the label, Dangerous: The Double Album, sits at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 for the third consecutive week and Big Loud and Republic were positioning Wallen as a potential global superstar. The 30-track album, released by Big Loud Records in partnership with Republic Records, logged the largest streaming week ever for a country album following its Jan. 8 release. Wallen has scored four consecutive No. 1s on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart, with current single, “7 Summers,” sitting at No. 15.
Radio outlets have also rushed to pull Wallen from playlists, with iHeart and Entercom both removing him from their more than 150 combined country stations. CMT has also taken his videos off of all its platforms.
“In light of Morgan Wallen’s recent actions involving the use of a racial slur, we have made the decision to remove his music and content from our stations effective immediately,” an iHeart spokesperson told Billboard.
Big Loud and Republic formed a partnership last summer to work Wallen together, including plans to promote him globally.
Representatives for Wallen, Big Loud and Republic did respond to requests for comment or for requests for an explanation as to what the suspension entailed and how long it was expected to last. Though not familiar with the specifics of Wallen’s contract with Big Loud, a legal source told Billboard that there was likely no morals clause in his contract.