There is no shortage of country artists in the music industry these days. In fact, new ones arise every day, just waiting to be discovered or write the next greatest song. Oliver Anthony has done both, as he has become an overnight sensation.

Oliver has been in the music industry since 2021 and released 16 singles in that time. Most of them have touched on some sensitive topics before, such as alcohol abuse and mental health issues, but none have blown up quite like “ Rich Men North of Richmond.” It was released on August 8 and almost instantaneously went viral.

 This specific song has caught the attention of many listeners because it criticizes extortionate politicians, welfare abuse, and outrageous taxation. It has already been discussed by some well known personalities in the media, such as Joe Rogan, John King, and Matt Walsh. Even Jason Miyares, the attorney general of Virginia, defined the performance as “unreal Virginia genius.”

The song is a skilled and sincere piece of work and is performed in the high melancholy style similar to bluegrass music. Sadly, it is also an ineffective attempt to deal with a challenging, if not impossible, circumstance. It describes the angst of working in blue collar jobs and being up against the rich people of the city, who do not quite understand what it means to be barely getting by. 

It also has a certain populist appeal, fighting against the wealthy and their desire to exert power over all things, their inability to earn a lot of money, and the desire that politicians would protect miners rather than stand by Jeffrey Epstein and the elected officials who pursued him.

In his rise to fame, Anthony was invited onto “The Joe Rogan Experience” podcast and there was a lot said about this song of his. He mentioned to Rogan that it actually was not the one he expected to be a big hit, that he just threw it together one day and it really was not his favorite. 

“I was a little reluctant to even record it because I’m not really an anthem-song kind of guy. A lot of my other songs are different than that,” Anthony stated. 

“Rich Men North of Richmond” has topped Billboard’s Hot 100 chart and has gained over 55 million views on Youtube in the past few weeks. Now, of course no one knows for sure if Oliver Anthony will continue to skyrocket, however, with all the traction from this one hit, it is believed that he will continue to be a new up and coming artist in the coming years.