the tennessee native rose to the top of the charts in 2018 with hits like "whiskey glasses" and songsummers," a celebration of small-town living, good friends, good times. ♪ that was seven summers ago ♪ >> reporter: at 28, wallen is one of the biggest stars in the industry. but earlier this year, all that was called into question when this video, obtained by tmz, became public. it showed wallen and a group of his friends coming home after a night out on the town in nashville. >> take care of this [ bleep ], [ bleep ]. hey, take care of this [ bleep ], [ bleep ]. >> reporter: a neighbor was recording when wallen said a racial slur. when did you realize what you had done was a big deal? >> my manager called me probably two hours before the video came out. he's like, are you sitting town? no one's ever called me and said that. i realized quickly how much my words matter. the weight and influence that i have now. >> reporter: the fallout was swift. wallen suspended from his label, top radio chains pulled his songs, the academy of country music announced he would no longer be eligible for