Kane Brown has some thoughts when it comes to country music’s Mount Rushmore — and narrowing it down wasn’t easy.
The country star recently shared which artists he believes deserve a spot on the genre’s ultimate monument, mixing legendary icons with one very current superstar.
And while Brown has become one of country music’s biggest names himself, he’s also been open about the setbacks and challenges he faced on the way up.
Kane’s Country Music Mount Rushmore
When asked to name his all-time country music Mount Rushmore, Brown immediately started with one of the genre’s most legendary names: George Strait.
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“Definitely got to put George Strait up there,” he said, admitting the rest of the list was much harder to figure out because of how strong country music is right now.
“I feel like you got to put Morgan (Wallen) up there, man. Morgan’s got to go,” he told Hard Rock Bet.
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Brown also included Shania Twain, while noting that newer artists like Ella Langley are already making a strong case for themselves: “See, I would put Ella up there right now because she’s killing it, but it’s too early.”
Getting ‘Screwed’ Early in His Career
Long before becoming a chart-topping star, Brown says he was dealing with major setbacks behind the scenes after signing what he later claimed was a fraudulent record deal tied to producer Polow da Don and his label in 2015.
Years later, Brown revealed just how much the situation allegedly cost him financially during an appearance on the BobbyCast podcast.
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“I don’t have what a lot of people think that I have,” Brown admitted before revealing he lost an estimated $10 million because of the deal.
“I asked my business manager. I got screwed out of that,” the “Woman” singer said.
Despite the setback, Brown eventually broke through in a major way, with every album he’s released since 2016 landing in the Top 5 in the United States.
Racism in Country Music
Brown has also spoken openly about facing racism during his rise in country music, including experiences with songwriters in Nashville who allegedly refused to work with him because he’s Black.
Speaking on Jake Paul’s Impaulsive podcast, Brown recalled confronting one writer after learning they had turned down a session with him.
“I remember — I ain’t gonna say a name because I don’t want to throw him under the bus — but there was one writer that said he wouldn’t write with me because I’m Black.”
Brown said the writer later apologized, though he claimed another major songwriter with dozens of No. 1 hits had made similar comments before eventually trying to reconnect after Brown’s career exploded.
“He apologized whenever we blew up and was trying to write with me and I said no,” he added.
20 Kane Brown Songs Every Fan Has Memorized
Kane Brown has built himself quite the career: He’s come a long way since 2015, when he released his first single, “Used to Love You Sober.” Prior to that, Brown was covering other country stars’ songs for social media. Now, he is a star, with nine No. 1 hits under his belt, including a special duet with his wife Katelyn. There’s no ceiling to this Tennessee boy’s success!
