By David Hookstead

Copyright outkick

Riley Green isn’t trying to pretend to be someone he’s not. Green is one of the coolest guys in the country music industry. The man makes music for all different kinds of settings, he’s a huge outdoorsman and hunter, and by all accounts, seems like a hell of a dude to drink some beers with. He’s been on a wild ride over the past couple years, and his authenticity is a huge reason why. Riley Green admits he’s not a real cowboy. Unfortunately, there’s an epidemic in country music of frauds who couldn’t work a day on a ranch if their lives depended on it. There’s nothing wrong with that. Most people can’t, but acting like you’re a hardened cowboy when you fly on private jets is a bit comical. Green, who does rock a cowboy hat often, has no interest in pretending he’s actually about that life. Instead, his music is meant to honor those who came before him. “I love the sentiment of that song [‘Cowboy As It Gets’], and it’s kind of a little bit of an anthemic theme to people that grew up similar to me,” he says. “We didn’t have a lot of real cowboying going on where I was at. It was just people that I thought were tough or worked with their hands. Those qualities kind of was what made someone a cowboy to me when I was a kid. That was before I wrote the song about my dad, so that’s a pretty good sentiment for a tour name,” Green said in an interview with Billboard when talking about the now-popular song. For those of you who haven’t heard the song the “Jesus Saves” singer is talking about, you can listen to it below. It’s a very solid track. This is really cool to hear from Green. The man knows who he is, and he’s not out here cosplaying as a “Yellowstone” character. Again, the amount of frauds in the entertainment industry and even sports is comical. Nothing is worse than the fake tough guy. Think about all the athletes who act hard and tough, and we all know they’d scream if a bullet flew in their direction (looking at you, Ja Morant). While the frauds in country music aren’t that bad, it’s still dumb and should stop. People want authenticity. It doesn’t matter what the authenticity is. It just has to be real. That’s why a group like The Castellows has become so popular. It’s clear it’s not an act. Similar story when it comes to an actor like Matthew McConaughey or a football coach like Nick Saban. People know exactly what they’re getting, and that’s what consumers want. Green could easily pretend to be someone else for more money and fame, but he clearly has no interest. That’s refreshing as hell. Let me know at David.Hookstead@outkick.com if you agree.