From the moment that he announced it on Theo Von’s podcast, This Past Weekend, there was no doubt that “Miami” was going to be the most controversial track on Morgan Wallen’s record-breaking album, I’m The Problem. In case you forgot, the “Last Night” singer first pitched the song on the podcast as a rap-inspired “flip” on Keith Whitley’s iconic 1985 track, “Miami, My Amy.”
He’d also told Von that a remix would come out eventually, “It seemed like it could use rapper on there, but I didn’t end up using a feature. We ended up just making a second verse, but it’s one of those songs that it wouldn’t be surprising if we got a remix and did that once it’s out.”
As expected, “Miami” was undoubtedly the most controversial song on an already controversial album that continued Wallen’s experimentation between both country, pop and rap. Though there were plenty of people calling the track a bastardization of Whitley’s track, it seemed as if there were an equal amount of people, primarily on TikTok, touting the song as a certified summertime banger.
Just when you thought that “Miami” couldn’t get more controversial, Wallen fulfilled his promise of a remix last weekend during his first concert in Glendale, Arizona. During a night filled with fights, objects being thrown and Wallen himself getting grabbed by a drunken fan, the 32-year-old singer/songwriter officially announced that none other than Lil Wayne and Rick Ross were being featured on a remix releasing on July 25th.
Flashfoward to today, it’s finally here… and the internet is divided to say the least.
Given how passionate and, well, obsessive Wallen’s fans can be, many were through the roof with the remix. Seemingly ready for even more experimentation into rap, plenty were ready for an extended version of “Interlude,” a 44-second song from I’m The Problem that he teased getting an extended re-release sometime in the future. Taking to his replies on X, fans expressed their support for it with one going as far as to compare Wallen to Justin Bieber, “Okay this fire… you approaching Bieber like territory.”
On the other hand, there were plenty of people who were not too pleased with Wallen’s further push towards rap. Between Facebook users calling it “pure garbage,” “rage bait” and a disrespectful to both Whitley and “Miami, My Amy,” there were a few X users in Wallen’s replies that weren’t happy as well. Notably, prominent X user and National Association for Gun Rights member, Taylor D. Rhodes, said, “This might be the worst thing to ever be released in the history of mankind. I get artist wanting to try new things, but this is a little much.”
So, is “Miami” better with Ross and Wayne on it? I’d have to say yes. There’s little to no debate that the track is simply not a country song in the first place, missing nearly all the key elements of one. Bringing in the likes of Ross and Wayne, leaning further into rap elements and letting the song exist on its own certainly does it favors. Though I still have questions on why the first version was even included on I’m The Problem in the first place, letting this version of “Miami” be its own thing outside of the constraints of an album labeled under country was undoubtedly the best route to take.
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