Darius Rucker. Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock
Darius Rucker has received a Grammy and scored 10 No. 1 hits since going solo — however not earlier than he was repeatedly instructed he’d be unable to beat racism in nation music.
“To be sincere with you, I didn’t suppose I’d have a lot success. And once I began doing the radio stations and stuff, I had individuals say to me, to my face, ‘My viewers would by no means settle for a Black nation singer,’” he instructed ET Canada in an interview revealed on Thursday, August 10. “That’s one thing that I used to be like, ‘Okay, simply play the document, let’s see?’ After which they did.”
Rucker, who was frontman of the band Hootie and the Blowfish till his departure in 2008, shortly proved his naysayers incorrect. His first single, “Don’t Suppose I Don’t Suppose About It,” debuted at No. 1 later that yr, making him the primary Black artist to succeed in primary on the Scorching Nation Songs charts for the reason that legendary Charley Pleasure did so in 1983.
“I wasn’t apprehensive about it ’trigger I simply wish to make data, you understand?” he mentioned. “I imply, I wasn’t sitting round going, ‘Oh my God, you understand, I’m going to be the Black man in nation.’”
Whereas there was “no person that seemed like” Rucker in nation music on the time, the singer confessed he “didn’t count on to be the one to interrupt down the wall” — however he’s comfortable to have impressed change.
“Right here we’re. And I like seeing Kane [Brown] and all these guys over there [who are having] all this nice success,” he mentioned. “That’s nice to see and I’m proud that I used to be a part of that.”
Different songs amongst Rucker’s No. 1 hits embody “It Received’t Be Like This for Lengthy,” “Alright,” “Come Again Music,” “This,” “If I Informed You,” and “For the First Time” and he has received a Grammy, an ACM and a CMA award for his solo music. (Rucker additionally received two Grammys in 1996 with Hootie and the Blowfish.)
Rucker instructed ET on Thursday that younger artists ought to take solace in understanding that the attitude of document labels has modified. “You see all of the labels now actively trying to find African-American artists or Hispanic artists, artists of colour,” he defined.
Regardless of the progress made inside the music trade, Rucker has nonetheless continued to face racism all through his profession. After he lined Bob Dylan’s “Wagon Wheel” on the Grand Ole Opry in Could 2013, he responded to a tweet that instructed him to “Depart nation to the white folks.”
Darius Rucker. Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock
Rucker, for his half, responded: “WOW. Is that this 2013 or 1913? I’ll take my grand ole Opry membership and go away your racism. Wow.”
Followers shortly tweeted in help of Rucker, who then assured made it clear that racism wouldn’t forestall him from persevering with to place out data.
“Gotta go to mattress this has been hilarious tonight,” he wrote. “If any hater thinks I care what u suppose. I don’t make music for u. So don’t pay attention.”
In 2020, Rucker was outspoken about his help of the Black Lives Matter motion — “Racism is just not a born factor; it’s a taught factor,” he wrote by way of Instagram on the time. When discussing the subject throughout an look on the At this time present later that month, the musician defined that there’s a danger concerned with being candid about delicate points in nation music.
“Confirmed. Take a look at the Dixie Chicks, the most important factor within the enterprise, they are saying one sentence, each station stops enjoying their music. That’s the dumbest factor I ever heard in my life. , it wasn’t about their politics, it was about their music,” he mentioned. “You grow to be a wealthy Black man and also you suppose racism goes away. It doesn’t. There’s those who hate you extra since you’re wealthy.”
