| Country rap | |
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| Other names |
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| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | Late 1990s, United States (South,South Central) |
| Other topics | |
Country rap (also calledcountry hip-hop and sometimeshick-hop) is a fusion genre ofpopular music, blendingcountry music withhip-hop–stylesinging orrapping.[1][2]
Early influences on the emergence of country rap as a distinct genre includetalking blues like "Big Bad John" (1961) byJimmy Dean, "A Boy Named Sue" (1969) byJohnny Cash, the 1971 cover of "Hot Rod Lincoln" byCommander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, "Convoy" (1975) byC.W. McCall and "Uneasy Rider" (1975) and "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" (1979), both byCharlie Daniels. Black artists' works that may have been influential in the genre's development include Jamaicanska artistPrince Buster's "Texas Hold-Up" (1964), "Lil Ole Country Boy" (1970) byParliament, and "Black Grass" (1972) byBad Bascomb.[3] Music journalistChuck Eddy traces the genre's roots back toWoody Guthrie.[4]
Blowfly's single "Blowfly's Rapp" (1980) drew on the influence of earliercountry musicians like Charlie Daniels and C. W. McCall;NPR said the song is a "Deliverance-style encounter withKu Klux Klan-accredited truck drivers to light funkbacking".[5]Spin Magazine said Trickeration's "Western Gangster Town" (1980) (released four years beforeSchoolly D's "Gangster Boogie") is "cowboy rap'sRosetta stone, and probably the first 'gangster' rap".[3] Other early examples of country rap areSir Mix-a-Lot's "Square Dance Rap" (1985) where he raps in the voice of a "white country boy". The lyric "From L.A. to Carolina / Drop them suckers inAunt Jemima" in Sir Mix-a-Lot's "Buttermilk Biscuits" (1988) is a reference to what many consider a racial stereotype, trademarked afterChris L. Rutt heard a performance of theminstrel song "Old Aunt Jemima" (1876).[3]
The song "Rappin' Duke" (1985) is a parody of western film starJohn Wayne: "Two hundred punks, well, what you gonna do? / I got two six-shooters that'll see me through". The song also contains a reference to "Old Folks at Home" (1851).[3] The genre-blending was not limited only to hip-hop artists;country duoBellamy Brothers released "Country Rap" (1987) with lyrics aboutsoul food, church, turnip greens and black-eyed peas.[6]
UGK became pioneers of the hardcoreSouthern rap style that emerged after the success of theGeto Boys, which they started to call "country rap". At the end of "Let Me See It",Pimp C raps: "This ain't no muthafuckin' hip-hop records, these country rap tunes", originally a response to Northern hip-hop artists who had criticized Southern rap for not being "real hip-hop".[7] The name of the song "Hay" (1996) byCrucial Conflict is a reference tomarijuana.[8]
Kid Rock's "Cowboy", released in 1999, reflects a cross-section of Kid Rock'scountry music,Southern rock andhip-hop influences,[9] even quoting a piano riff fromthe Doors song "L.A. Woman".[3][10] Kid Rock has described the song as a cross betweenRun DMC andLynyrd Skynyrd.[11] Kid Rock's former DJ,Uncle Kracker, was another pioneer of country rap in his solo career.[12]
In the early 2000s, producer Shannon "Fat Shan" Houchins andBubba Sparxxx released Sparxxx's 2001 debut albumDark Days, Bright Nights as an independent release. The blend of country andtrap caught the attention of producerJimmy Iovine who re-released the album onInterscope.[13][14] Houchins soon after createdAverage Joes Entertainment withColt Ford.[15] With songs like "No Trash in My Trailer" (2008) and "Drivin' Around Song" (2013), Ford has sold over one million albums.[16][17][18]
In 2003, UK artist Eminemmylou coined the term "hip hopry" and produced a "hip hopry" version ofEminem's "The Way I Am" and50 Cent's "P.I.M.P." (subtitled "Limp Version"), adding banjo and country instrumentation to the rap hits as well as writing her own songs such as "When Gram Met Eminem" about "creating a brand new sound" on her country rap albumMuthabanjo.[19][20] A sole proponent of country rap in the UK at the time, Eminemmylou performed at the International Country Hip Hop Festival in New York in March 2006 alongside Rench and other US country rap bands at the venue Southpaw, Brooklyn.[21][22]
The trend continued in 2005 when country music starsBig & Rich introducedCowboy Troy and his albumLoco Motive. Troy has said he uses "country instrumentation" that includes a banjo, fiddle, and acoustic guitar blended with "shredding rock guitar riffs and a rap delivery".[23]Hal Crowther has written that "I Play Chicken with the Train" (2006) by Cowboy Troy was "scandalousnot because it mixes 'black' rap with 'white' country, but because, through the sheer force of unlikely-but-seamless juxtaposition, it forces us to acknowledge that those two musical styles, at least when they whoop it up, are brothers under the skin".[24]
In the late 2010s, country rap returned to prominence as part of the "Yee Haw" movement, a trend characterized by hip-hop producers incorporating country music into their own recordings.Young Thug's 2017 song "Family Don't Matter" is credited with popularizing the movement. Artists within "Yee Haw" includeLil Tracy andDaBaby.[25] Other country rap artists includeRyan Upchurch,Jawga Boyz, Bottleneck,Moonshine Bandits andBig Smo.[26] Cowboy Troy,Lenny Cooper andThe Lacs were three of the top country rap artists of 2013 each with an album onBillboard's Country Chart.[16] Also in the 2010s, hip-hop influences were widely noted in mainstream country songs especially in thebro-country genre.
In 2020,Niko Moon's "Good Time" peaked at number 20 on the Hot 100[27] – with the track being a hip-hop song with country influence, or vice versa.[28] The same year, country singerBilly Ray Cyrus released a heavily rap-inspired country song from hisMama Kush project titled “Ballad of Jed,” while also world-premiering ananimated music video, which debuted onWeedmaps in celebration of4/20.[29]
In 2019, rapperLil Nas X's "countrytrap" single "Old Town Road" achieved mainstream international success.[30] Assisted by several subsequent versions, including a remix featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, the song broke multiple U.S. streaming records and charted at number one on theBillboard Hot 100 for a record nineteen weeks.[31][32] In June 2019,Blanco Brown's "The Git Up", also described byUSA Today as a "trap-country" song, also achieved viral success.[33] Other notable country trap songs include "Rodeo" by Lil Nas X andCardi B and "Rascal" byRMR.
TheMo Thugs Family single "Ghetto Cowboy" (1998) is noted for featuring a harmonica.[34]Rolling Stone said of "Cruise (Remix)" (2012) byFlorida Georgia Line featuringNelly, that the track "ushered in the wave of escapist fantasies set tosyncopated drum loops that became known as 'bro country'.[35][34] Florida Georgia Line has said that Nelly's part "just connected", helping to make the "Cruise" remix which was produced and conceptualized by veteran producer,Jason Nevins,[36] reach the No. 1 and No. 4 positions on theBillboard Hot Country Songs and Hot 100 charts respectively; it also became the first country single to ever gain aRIAA diamondcertification.[37]
B.o.B and pop singerTaylor Swift collaborated on "Both of Us" (2012). The track features Swift's country vocals and a blend of hip-hop with banjos. It became a top 10 hit in Australia and New Zealand and a top 20 hit in the US.[38]
Country singerBrad Paisley and rapperLL Cool J recorded the controversial song "Accidental Racist" for Paisley's 2013 albumWheelhouse.[39]
Other collaborations include "Po' Folks" (2002) byNappy Roots withAnthony Hamilton, "Country Folks" (2012) by Bubba Sparxxx featuring Colt Ford & Danny Boone, "Dirt Road Anthem" (remix) byJason Aldean andLudacris, and "Try Harder Than That" byMeghan Linsey with Bubba Sparxxx (2014).[34][38]
Physical sales of country rap albums are higher in more rural areas where country rap fans do not have the Internet services required to stream or download music.[40] There are numerous country rap festivals where artists gather to play their music for upwards of 7,000 fans.[40]
The term "hick-hop" is often criticized by some southern artists, with Struggle Jennings saying, "I love the country, I love the South, I've been fishing and hunting, but I'm not a hick. I'm not hick-hop".[40] The political ideology of country rap artists is perceived as beingright-wing orconservative, due to some right-leaning politics expressed by artists like Upchurch andForgiato Blow;[40] however the political ideology of country rap artists ranges the full spectrum of political beliefs.[40]
