Keith, whose voice has echoed through the heartland with anthems that resonate with the very soul of America, like "Should've Been a Cowboy" and "How Do You Like Me Now?!", has been unceremoniously shoved down the list. Meanwhile, Swift, who has steadily drifted away from her country roots into the pop stratosphere, is somehow deemed more significant.
This is Billboard's erosion of country music's core identity. Swift, with her calculated moves into pop and her highly publicized personal life, stands as a symbol of the genre's shift towards the marketable and away from the meaningful. Where Keith stands for the unadulterated spirit of country, Swift represents its dilution.
Country music fans, real country music fans, should be up in arms over this. Is this the legacy we want to leave? Where pop stars are celebrated over those who've lived, breathed, and died for country music?
