Country music is bigger than it's ever been.
And I think for most people, that's a great thing to see. I mean, there are country music stars basking in the limelight left, right and center! Whether they're breaking coveted records that have been held for decades, or are redefining what it means to be a musician, one thing is true - they're making country a household name for the masses.
But some think that in doing so, they've lost their way. And one of those people is none other than outlaw country icon Cody Jinks. He thinks that country music has lost some of the charm that people love it for - and has opened up on why that's such a bad thing.
He took to social media to plead his case, in a sternly-worded videp. It's captioned "Where are all the a** kickers in the industry?" - so you can guess what he goes on to say.
The outlaw country star begins the video by proclaiming, "You know, where I come from, chicken wire ain't a joke man. We didn't f*** around with that, you had to get behind it. That's where I come from, and there ain't no a**-kickers no more."
And then he name drops two of the biggest names in outlaw country. "Let me ask you this - where's George Jones? Where's our modern... Johnny Paycheck?"
For the uninitiated, of course, these are two of the most iconic outlaw country musicians to ever exist. They paved their way to success without Nashville - for better or for worse.
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He Says Country Music Has Lost its Way
"You're not gonna have problem children signed by the record companies anymore," he continued. After all, George Jones' longtime history with addiction led to his nickname "No Show Jones" because of just how much he didn't show up at shows.
"But you know," he continued, "just kind of where I'm at is, it's like dude, we got a bunch of people singing songs they didn't write about s*** they didn't do. And you're sh****** on my craft. That pisses me off!"
What do you think about what he says - do you think modern country music is better than the older stuff? Let us know!
