The viral singer became a conservative darling but now his self-described “centrism” and praise for diversity has unleashed the extreme right’s apocalyptic fury.
What a strange journey it’s been for Oliver Anthony, the former factory worker who suddenly found himself atop the Billboard Hot 100 after his breakout “Rich Men North of Richmond” was boosted online by right-wing media and prominent conservatives.conjuring up Reagan-era imagery of “welfare queens,” and launching an entire news cycle around the song’s overnight success, Anthony now finds himself in the crosshairs of the extreme right.
In a way, Anthony’s rise to fame has yet again exposed the dark underbelly of the right-wing movement for all to see.in recent months, saw meteoric success after conservatives embraced the tune’s populist lyrics about economic frustration and the feeling that there are two Americas.
Unlike country superstars Jason Aldean and Morgan Wallen, two other singers who saw their latest songsafter the political right rallied around their “cancellations,” Anthony was an absolute unknown before releasing the song on Aug. 8. In a matter of days, with the backing of conservative celebrities and Republican politicians, the song went viral and soon raced up the iTunes and Billboard charts.
The immediate success, however, led to skepticism about Anthony as an organic success, with some suggesting he was the product of “astroturfing,” aka a coordinated PR campaign, rather than a grassroots movement. Right-wing marketing guru Jason Howerton was an early champion of Anthony’s, which was soon followed by conservative media figures singing the unknown artist’s praises, leading to
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