Lil Durk and Morgan Wallen gave the live debut of their collaborative track, “Broadway Girls.”
On Saturday (Jan. 15), Wallen surprised the capacity crowd at MLK Freedom Fest, a multi-artist rap festival, at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. The performance comes just days ahead of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which will be celebrated on Monday (Jan. 17).
The Chicago rapper introduced Wallen as to the stage, calling him “genuine at heart,” before adding, “Can’t nobody cancel shit without me saying it, you know what I’m saying?”
“What’s up, Nashville?” Wallen said before launching into the song with Lil Durk, as the crowd illuminated the room with their cell phone lights.
Watch the live debut of “Broadway Girls” below.
#LilDurk brings out #MorganWallen in Nashville 🎤 https://t.co/QoEKewho7V pic.twitter.com/7xA5bw6lKl
— WGCI (@WGCI) January 16, 2022
“Nashville we here,” Lil Durk shared earlier in the day via his Instagram stories. “@morganwallen wya bro.”
Along with Lil Durk and Wallen, Moneybagg Yo, Rod Wave and Latto also appeared during the concert event.
Durk and Wallen released their collaborative track, “Broadway Girls,” on December 17, 2021.
Sonically, the song is different from anything we’ve ever heard from Wallen. While maintaining his signature deep southern twang, the superstar pushed his musical boundaries further than ever before by incorporating hip-hop elements for a fresh new sound.
The collaboration did not come as a surprise to fans, as Lil Durk gave Wallen his stamp of approval by commenting on the chart-topping hitmaker’s teaser clip, released in early October. When the teaser of “Broadway Girls” appeared on social media, the anthemic tune instantly took the internet by storm as fans begged for its release.
The song debuted at No. 1 on five Billboard charts, including the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, Hot Rap Songs, Rap Digital Song Sales, R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Song Sales, as well as the Digital Sales chart, where it sat in the No. 1 spot for two consecutive weeks.
“Broadway Girls” is also climbing the Billboard Hot 100 chart, and currently sits at No. 27 on the chart.
The pair recently shut down Lower Broadway and Jason Aldean’s Kitchen + Rooftop Bar to film the music video for their chart-topping collaboration, which was released on Monday, December 20, 2021.
The video, directed by Jerry Productions and Justin Clough, finds Lil Durk and Wallen partying in Aldean’s bar and singing along to the track on the vacant street in Nashville, TN.
Watch the “Broadway Girls” music video above.
On Wednesday (Jan. 4), Lil Durk came to his Wallen’s defense when he was asked if he is a racist and also encouraged rappers to work with the country hitmaker.
In a video, shared by TMZ, the award-winning rapper defended the East Tennessee native and encouraged rappers to work with the “Sand In My Boots” singer while sitting in the backseat of a car in Beverly Hills, California after being stopped by the outlet.
“Everyone is talking about your collab with Morgan Wallen, it went No. 1, it was huge. How was it working with him as you know he had the whole n-word controversy, he was in hot water. He’s not a racist is he?” the TMZ reporter asked Durk, referencing Wallen’s use of the n-word in February 2020.
“My boy,” Durk said. “He ain’t no racist. That’s my boy. We had a long talk. He had his public situation… I vouch for him and he good.”
“He ain’t cancelled, I talked to him,” Durk added, when the reporter asked if he should be uncanceled. “When I say you ain’t cancelled, you ain’t cancelled.”
The TMZ reporter also asked Durk if he thinks he should work with some fellow rappers, who Wallen said he’d like to collaborate with in a recent conversation on Clubhouse with comedian Druski. During the discussion with Druski, Wallen revealed that he’d like to work with Kendrick Lamar.
When Durk was asked if Lamar should work with Wallen or not, he immediately replied, “Fa sho.”
Earlier this month, Wallen made a surprise appearance in Nashville at the Grand Ole Opry to sing “Flower Shop” alongside his longtime friend and collaborator ERNEST during his Opry Debut.
