SADDLE UP SHAWTY! SADDLE UP!!!

over the last few days there have been some comments on a facebook group that I am a part of for the local country radio station ….the comment was that they didn’t like saddle up by mikel knight and were protesting to having it played on country radio when it has more of a rap/hi-hop feel to it, I of course responded being a country fan
“I can't even believe what I’m hearing .... I love that song !!! however me and my boyfriend got in a disagreement over it because he believe that’s it doesn’t need to be played on the bull so I said just because it isn’t Johnny Cash or Alan Jackson doesn’t mean that it isn’t country while yes it dose have a rap element to it doesn’t mean that it’s bad I mean look what everyone said about Big and Rich and Cowboy Troy when they first came on country radio there was this big uproar cause it wasn’t “country” …. Well define “country”?PS= if you are bitching about this song then why not call into question all summer long by kid rock cause we all know despite his attempts to get country he isn't as country as some people may think....”
Now a few people did agree with me including an on-air personality from that particular raido station
“Just like any other genre, country evolves. That doesn't mean that in 5 years George Strait will be rapping, but it means that country is becoming the new "IT" genre. The one that everyone wants to be a part of. This is becoming the trend lately. Nelly and Tim Mcgraw, Tim Mcgraw and Def Leppard (see a pattern here?). Chad Kroeger from Nickleback has a country album coming out, as well as Jessica Simpson.I'll be honest, I played that song as a joke when it came out, I was as shocked as most people when my phones lit up asking "where do I get that song?!?!" "that was awesome!!". There were a few calls of people who hated it, but for every negative call, there were about 20 positive calls.Big and Rich DID pave the way for this, but country has been experiencing situations like this for YEARS.Remember...half a decade ago, country purests thought that Johnny Cash was not really country.Evolution...it's unavoidable.”
Being very proud that my comments and my views reached someone and they had something to say in response, I commented again
“I love the fact that you agree with me and speaking of Big and Rich (who I agree has paved the way for the “new country”) take a look at their song "Rollin' (The Ballad Of Big & Rich)" it says all they went through and how music specifically country music is evolving….in keeping the Big and Rich theme and going along the lines of Johnny Cash there is even a line in their song that states “Rock and roll use to be about Johnny Cash” Talk to any die hard country fan (who was a fan before country was cool) and they will tell you that Johnny Cash is the king of country just like Elvis is the king of rock n’ roll I think I’m getting a little off track here but I think the basic point is there cause whether you accept it or not country music as a genre is changing…
roll with the times people.”
So then the hatters came back to depend themselves in their view to it not being played on country raido, I’m not going to post their arguments cause it’s my blog and I don’t care what the hatters think anyway this is what I posted in response to them….
“if you don't like it don't listen there are plenty of people who will continue to make that song one of the ones on the top six at 6...I for one hate rap but love this song....mikel knight saw the market for country music is getting younger and younger and is now capitalizing on that notion….listen to nine lives with def leppard and tim mcgraw where except for the first few lines I can’t recognize tim at all in that song…it may be a fade that will pass in time but it could be here to stay and you want a pettion to get saddle up off the air well you might as well start one for nine lives and all summer long too because what I’m getting from you if it’s not classic country it’s not country…”
The first comment was posted by a guy named craig and after my last post he commented again, defending his point of view and saying that I twisted his words and blah blah blah so my reponse was…
“All I have to say to you is that "it's a little bit of country with a hip hop twist" and how the hell do you see nine lives having a country tone to it??? Where in that song do you hear the steel guitars or even an ounce of twang at least in saddle up the chorus has a good country feel to it nine live has none of that !!!!”
Here is the point another on-air personality stepped in and offered his two cents....
“I love it that people care this much. We all should! Not everyone will like every song, but you cannot say that Saddle Up isn't country. Just because its rap, doesn't mean it isn't country. Back in the day, The Eagles were the greatest rock band ever and Def Leoppard was considered heavy metal. Now The Eagles barely register as soft rock, and Def Leppard are dabbling in country.”
Now I think that he hit on the basic point that most of us are trying to get across and some have already touched on and that is that the country of yesterday, today and tomorrow are going to vastly different that what we are used to….

So now I send this out to you ….what do you think of the comments and the views expressed?? Do you believe that we should evolve and change as music and times change?

What do you think?