A new generation of Black country artists are breaking their way into the genre—with TikTok’s help. 

A new generation of Black country artists are breaking their way into the genre—with TikTok’s help. Black country musicians have historically been shut out of the industry, even as White artists have increasingly “borrowed liberally from hip-hop production motifs.” But young country hopefuls are savvily using TikTok to build their fan base and achieve mainstream success. Tanner Adell, who regularly posts videos of her songs with captions including “Black girl magic” has almost 6M views across all her video content and her viral hits have landed her on Spotify billboards. Meanwhile, artist Clint Rashad Johnson who goes by RVSHD caught fame on the app first with country covers of rap tracks, strategically changing up his content to appeal to the algorithm, and releasing his own music after establishing an audience. True diversity in the genre is still far from reality, but these stories are creating seeds of hope. (UPROXX)