Country rap (or country hip hop and sometimes hick hop) is a fusion genre of

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fun ...

, blending

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

with hip hop–style

singing Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

rapping Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

History

Prototypes

Early influences on the emergence of country rap as a distinct genre include

talking blues Talking blues is a form of folk music and country music. It is characterized by rhythmic speech or near-speech where the melody is free, but the rhythm is strict. Christopher Allen Bouchillon, billed as "The Talking Comedian of the South", is cr ...

like "

Big Bad John "Big Bad John" is a country song originally performed by Jimmy Dean, who wrote and composed it. It was released in September 1961 and by the beginning of November it had gone to number 1 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. It won Dean the 1962 Gra ...

" (1961) by

Jimmy Dean Jimmy Ray Dean (August 10, 1928 – June 13, 2010) was an American country music singer, television host, actor and businessman. He was the creator of the Jimmy Dean sausage brand as well as the spokesman for its TV commercials. He became ...

, "

A Boy Named Sue "A Boy Named Sue" is a song written by humorist, children's author, and poet Shel Silverstein and made popular by Johnny Cash. Cash recorded the song live in concert on February 24, 1969, at California's San Quentin State Prison for his ''At ...

" (1969) by

Johnny Cash John R. Cash (born J. R. Cash; February 26, 1932 – September 12, 2003) was an American country singer-songwriter. Much of Cash's music contained themes of sorrow, moral tribulation, and redemption, especially in the later stages of his ca ...

, "

Convoy A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be used ...

" (1975) by

C.W. McCall William Dale Fries Jr. (November 15, 1928 – April 1, 2022) was an American advertising executive and spoken word artist who won several Clio Awards for his advertising campaigns. He is best known for his character C. W. McCall, a truck-drivi ...

and "

Uneasy Rider "Uneasy Rider" is a 1973 song written and performed by American singer and multi-instrumentalist Charlie Daniels.Later releases from Charlie Daniels are credited to "the Charlie Daniels Band" including compilations featuring "Uneasy Rider" but ...

" (1975) and "

The Devil Went Down to Georgia "The Devil Went Down to Georgia" is a song written and performed by the Charlie Daniels, Charlie Daniels Band and released on their 1979 album ''Million Mile Reflections''. The song is written in the key of D minor. Vassar Clements originally wr ...

" (1979), both by

Charlie Daniels Charles Edward Daniels (October 28, 1936 – July 6, 2020) was an American singer, musician, and songwriter. His music fused rock, country, blues and jazz, pioneering Southern rock. He was best known for his number-one country hit "The Dev ...

. Black artists’ works that may have been influential in the genre's development include Jamaican

ska Ska (; ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. It combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues. Ska is characterized by a walki ...

artist

Prince Buster Cecil Bustamente Campbell (24 May 1938 – 8 September 2016), known professionally as Prince Buster, was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and producer. The records he released in the 1960s influenced and shaped the course of Jamaican contemporary ...

's "Texas Hold-Up" (1964), "Lil Ole Country Boy" (1970) by

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

, and "Black Grass" (1972) by

Bad Bascomb Wilbur D. Bascomb Jr. is an American bass guitarist. He is the son of jazz trumpeter Wilbur "Dud" Bascomb, who played with Erskine Hawkins and Duke Ellington. Career In the 1970s, Bascomb worked with James Brown(1974), Music journalist

Chuck Eddy Chuck Eddy (born November 26, 1960) is an American music journalist. Life and career Chuck Eddy was born in Detroit, Michigan. After starting his journalism career with ''The Village Voice'' and ''Creem'', where he published one of the first nati ...

traces the genre's roots back to

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired ...

. Blowfly's single "Blowfly's Rapp" (1980) drew on the influence of earlier

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while the ...

musicians like Charlie Daniels and C. W. McCall;

NPR National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other ...

said the song is a "''

Deliverance ''Deliverance'' is a 1972 American survival thriller film produced and directed by John Boorman, and starring Jon Voight, Burt Reynolds, Ned Beatty, and Ronny Cox, with the latter two making their feature film debuts. The screenplay was adapted ...

''-style encounter with

Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...

-accredited truck drivers to light funkbacking". ''Spin Magazine'' said Trickeration's "Western Gangster Town" (1980) (released four years before

Schoolly D Jesse Bonds Weaver Jr. (born June 22, 1962), better known by the stage name Schoolly D (sometimes spelled Schooly D), is an American rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Career Schoolly D teamed up with DJ Code Money in the mid-1980s. His ...

's " Gangster Boogie") is "cowboy rap's

Rosetta stone The Rosetta Stone is a stele composed of granodiorite inscribed with three versions of a Rosetta Stone decree, decree issued in Memphis, Egypt, in 196 BC during the Ptolemaic dynasty on behalf of King Ptolemy V Epiphanes. The top and middle te ...

, and probably the first 'gangster' rap". Other early examples of country rap are

Sir Mix-A-Lot Anthony L. Ray (born August 12, 1963), better known by his stage name Sir Mix-a-Lot, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. He is best known for his 1992 hit song "Baby Got Back", which peaked at number one on the ''Billboard'' ...

's "

Square Dance Rap In Euclidean geometry, a square is a regular quadrilateral, which means that it has four equal sides and four equal angles (90- degree angles, π/2 radian angles, or right angles). It can also be defined as a rectangle with two equal-length a ...

" (1985) where he raps in the voice of a "white country boy". The lyric ''"From L.A. to Carolina / Drop them suckers in

Aunt Jemima Pearl Milling Company (formerly known as Aunt Jemima from 1889 to 2021) is an American breakfast brand for pancake mix, syrup, and other breakfast food products. The original version of the pancake mix for the brand was developed in 1888–188 ...

"'' in Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Buttermilk Biscuits" (1988) is a reference to what many consider a racial stereotype, trademarked after Chris L. Rutt heard a performance of the

minstrel A minstrel was an entertainer, initially in medieval Europe. It originally described any type of entertainer such as a musician, juggler, acrobat, singer or fool; later, from the sixteenth century, it came to mean a specialist entertainer who ...

song "

Old Aunt Jemima "Old Aunt Jemima" is an American folk song written by comedian, songwriter, and minstrel show performer Billy Kersands (circa 1842–1915). The song became the inspiration for the Aunt Jemima brand of pancakes, as well as several characters in ...

" (1876). The song "

Rappin' Duke "Rappin' Duke" is a 1984 hip-hop novelty song by Shawn Brown performing as the Rappin' Duke. It is the sixth track on Brown's 1985 album ''¿Que Pasa?''. The premise of the song is that actor, John Wayne, nicknamed The Duke, is rapping. Histor ...

" (1985) is a parody of western film star

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...

: "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 "Old Folks at Home" (also known as " Swanee River") is a minstrel song written by Stephen Foster in 1851. Since 1935, it has been the official state song of Florida, although in 2008 the original lyrics were revised. It is Roud Folk Song Inde ...

" (1851). The genre-blending wasn't limited only to hip hop artists;

duo

Bellamy Brothers The Bellamy Brothers are an American pop and country music duo consisting of brothers David Milton Bellamy (born September 16, 1950) and Homer Howard Bellamy (born February 2, 1946), from Dade City, Florida. The duo had considerable musical succ ...

released "

Country Rap Country rap (or country hip hop and sometimes hick hop) is a fusion genre of popular music, blending country music with hip hop–style singing or rapping. History Prototypes Early influences on the emergence of country rap as a distinct genre ...

" (1987) with lyrics about

soul food Soul food is an ethnic cuisine traditionally prepared and eaten by African Americans, originating in the Southern United States.Soul Food originated with the foods that were given to enslaved Black people by their white owners on Souther ...

, church, turnip greens and black-eyed peas.

UGK UGK (short for Underground Kingz) was an American hip hop duo from Port Arthur, Texas, formed in 1987, by Chad "Pimp C" Butler and Bernard "Bun B" Freeman. They released their first major-label album, ''Too Hard to Swallow'', in 1992, followe ...

became pioneer of the hardcore

Southern rap Southern hip hop, also known as Southern rap, South Coast hip hop, or dirty south, is a blanket term for a regional genre of American hip hop music that emerged in the Southern United States, especially in Atlanta, New Orleans, Houston, Memphi ...

style that emerged after the success of the

Geto Boys Geto Boys (originally spelled Ghetto Boys) was an American hip-hop group originally formed in Houston, Texas. The Geto Boys enjoyed success in the 1990s with the group's classic lineup consisting of Bushwick Bill, Scarface and Willie D, earning ...

, which they started to call "country rap". At the end of "Let Me See It",

Pimp C Chad Lamont Butler (December 29, 1973 – December 4, 2007), better known by his stage name Pimp C, was an American rapper and record producer. He was best known for his work with Bun B as one half of the hip-hop duo Underground Kingz (UGK). ...

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". The name of the song ''Hay'' (1996) by

Crucial Conflict Crucial Conflict is an American hip hop group from Chicago, composed of Wondosas "Kilo" Martin, Ralph "Wildstyle" Leverston, Corey "Coldhard" Johnson and Marrico "Never" King, best known for their marijuana-themed 1996 hit single " Hay". The gr ...

is a reference to

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

1998–present: Emergence

Kid Rock Robert James Ritchie (born January 17, 1971), known professionally as Kid Rock (also known as Bobby Shazam), is an American singer, songwriter and rapper. His style alternates between rock, hip hop, country, and metal. A self-taught musician, ...

's "

Cowboy A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the '' vaquer ...

" reflects a cross-section of Kid Rock's

Southern rock Southern rock is a subgenre of rock music and a genre of Americana. It developed in the Southern United States from rock and roll, country music, and blues and is focused generally on electric guitars and vocals. Author Scott B. Bomar speculat ...

and hip hop influences, even quoting a piano riff from

the Doors The Doors were an American Rock music, rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, guitarist Robby Krieger, and drummer John Densmore. They were among the most controversial and influential ro ...

song "

L.A. Woman ''L.A. Woman'' is the sixth studio album by the American rock band the Doors, released on April 19, 1971, by Elektra Records. It is the last to feature lead singer Jim Morrison during his lifetime due to his death three months after the albu ...

". Kid Rock has described the song as a cross between

Run DMC Run-DMC (also spelled Run-D.M.C.) was an American hip hop group from Hollis, Queens, New York City, founded in 1983 by Joseph Simmons, Darryl McDaniels, and Jason Mizell. Run-DMC is regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of ...

and

Lynyrd Skynyrd Lynyrd Skynyrd ( ) is an American rock music, rock band formed in Jacksonville, Florida. The group originally formed as My Backyard in 1964 and comprised Ronnie Van Zant (lead vocalist), Gary Rossington (guitar), Allen Collins (guitar), Larry Ju ...

. Kid Rock's former DJ,

Uncle Kracker Matthew Shafer (born June 6, 1974), also known by his stage name Uncle Kracker, is an American singer and musician. He was previously a turntablist for Kid Rock's backing group Twisted Brown Trucker and since 1999 has recorded as a solo artist. ...

, was another pioneer of country rap in his solo career. In the early 2000s, producer Shannon "Fat Shan" Houchins and

Bubba Sparxxx Warren Anderson Mathis (born March 6, 1977), better known by his stage name Bubba Sparxxx, is an American rapper from Georgia. His singles include "Deliverance", " Ugly" (both featuring Timbaland), and "Ms. New Booty" (featuring Ying Yang Twins a ...

released Sparxxx's 2001 debut album ''

Dark Days, Bright Nights ''Dark Days, Bright Nights'' is the debut studio album by American hip hop recording artist Bubba Sparxxx from Georgia. It was released on October 9, 2001 via Interscope Records. Recording sessions took place at Westlake Recording Studios in Los ...

'' as an independent release. The blend of country and

trap A trap is a mechanical device used to capture or restrain an animal for purposes such as hunting, pest control, or ecological research. Trap or TRAP may also refer to: Art and entertainment Films and television * ''Trap'' (2015 film), Fil ...

caught the attention of producer

Jimmy Iovine James Iovine ( ; ; born March 11, 1953) is an American entrepreneur, record executive, and media proprietor best known as the co-founder of Interscope Records. In 2006, Iovine and rapper-producer Dr. Dre founded Beats Electronics, which produces ...

who re-released the album on

Interscope Interscope Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M imprint. Founded in late 1990 by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field as a $20 million joint venture with Atlantic Records of Warner Musi ...

. Houchins soon after created

Average Joes Entertainment Average Joes Entertainment Group is an American record label specializing in alternative country, country rap and country music. The label was founded in 2008 by country rap artist Jason "Colt Ford" Brown and producer Shannon Houchins. Ford has r ...

with

Colt Ford Jason Farris Brown (born August 27, 1969) known professionally as Colt Ford, is an American singer, rapper, songwriter, entrepreneur, and former professional golfer best known for his music fusing the country and rap genres. He has released seven ...

. With songs like "No Trash in My Trailer" (2008) and "

Drivin' Around Song "Drivin' Around Song" is a song recorded by American country rap singer Colt Ford and country music singer Jason Aldean. It is the third single from his fourth studio album, ''Declaration of Independence''. The song was written by Chris Tompkins an ...

" (2013), Ford has sold over one million albums. The trend continued in 2005 when country music stars

Big & Rich Big & Rich is an American country music duo composed of Big Kenny and John Rich, both of whom are songwriters, vocalists, and guitarists. Before the duo's foundation, Rich was bass guitarist in the country band Lonestar, while Kenny was a solo ...

introduced

Cowboy Troy Troy Lee Coleman III (born December 18, 1970), better known by his stage name Cowboy Troy, is an American rapper and singer. He is best known as a representative of the country rap genre. He has released seven studio albums and one EP, including t ...

and his album ''Loco 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."

Hal Crowther Hal Crowther (born 1945) is an American journalist and essayist. Biography His essays have been published in many anthologies, including ''Novello: Ten Years of Great American Writing'' (2000). "Dealer's Choice," Crowther's column on southern let ...

has written that "I Play Chicken with the Train" (2006) by Cowboy Troy was "scandalous ''not'' 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". 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 Jeffery Lamar Williams (born August 16, 1991), known professionally as Young Thug, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He is considered to be an influential figure of his generation, with his music impacting the modern sound of hip ...

's 2017 song "Family Don't Matter" is credited with popularizing the movement. Artists within "Yee Haw" include

Lil Tracy Jazz Ishmael Butler (born October 3, 1995), professionally known as Lil Tracy, is an American rapper and singer. He was also known under the name Yung Bruh during the beginning of his career. Tracy is best known for his collaborations with the l ...

and

DaBaby Jonathan Lyndale Kirk (born December 22, 1991), known professionally as DaBaby (formerly known as Baby Jesus), is an American rapper. After releasing several mixtapes between 2014 and 2018, he rose to mainstream prominence with his debut albu ...

. Other country rap artists include

Ryan Upchurch Ryan Edward Upchurch (born May 24, 1991), known professionally as Upchurch, Ryan Upchurch and formerly known as Upchurch The Redneck, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and comedian from Cheatham County, Tennessee, on the outskirts of Na ...

Jawga Boyz Jawga Boyz is an American country rap group formed in Athens, Georgia in 2003. The current lineup is D Thrash, BoonDock, Cornbread, Dez, Chris Hood, Sloppy Jones, and Dreadneck. They have released four studio albums including 2014's ''Tailgate M ...

, Bottleneck,

Moonshine Bandits Moonshine Bandits is an American country rap group composed of Dusty "Tex" Dahlgren and Brett "Bird" Brooks. The duo formed in California in 2003 and has released a number of albums, the most recent being ''The Whiskey Never Dries'' released in A ...

and

Big Smo John Lee Smith (born February 14, 1976), known by his stage name Big Smo, is an American country rap musician, singer, songwriter, producer, and film director. After several independent and minor label releases, Smo's major label debut studio a ...

. Cowboy Troy,

Lenny Cooper Lenny Cooper (born 1988 in Jacksonville, North Carolina) is an American country rap singer-songwriter. Cooper is signed to Colt Ford's record label, Average Joes Entertainment, and released his debut album, ''Diesel Fuel'', in 2012. Cooper's sec ...

and

The Lacs The Lacs is an American country rap duo that consists of Clay "Uncle Snap" Sharpe and Brian "Rooster" King. At first, the group also featured Brandon Herndon on the three self-released albums on Side Ya Mouth Records. The Lacs have recorded six ...

were three of the top country rap artists of 2013 each with an album on ''Billboard'' Country Chart. In 2020,

Niko Moon Niko Moon (born Nicholas Cowan; September 20, 1982) is an American country pop singer and songwriter signed to RCA Nashville. He has written songs for Dierks Bentley, Zac Brown Band, Rascal Flatts, and Morgan Wallen. He was also a member of the ...

's " Good Time" peaked at number 20 on the Hot 100 – with the track being a hip hop song with country influence, or vice versa.

Country trap

In 2019, 20-year-old rapper

Lil Nas X Montero Lamar Hill (born April 9, 1999), known by his stage name Lil Nas X ( ), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his country rap single " Old Town Road", which first achieved viral popula ...

's "country

" single "

Old Town Road "Old Town Road" is the debut single of American rapper Lil Nas X, first released independently in December 2018. After gaining popularity, the single was re-released by Columbia Records in March 2019. Lil Nas X also recorded a remix with America ...

" achieved mainstream international success. Assisted by several subsequent versions, including a remix featuring country singer

Billy Ray Cyrus Billy Ray Cyrus (born August 25, 1961) is an American country singer and actor. He has released 16 studio albums and 53 singles since 1992, and is known for his hit single "Achy Breaky Heart", which topped the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart and ...

, the song broke multiple U.S. streaming records and charted at number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 for a record nineteen weeks. In June 2019,

Blanco Brown Bennie Amey III (born March 24, 1985), known professionally as Blanco Brown, is an American country music artist, singer, songwriter, record producer, and rapper who has produced for Chris Brown and Pitbull. Brown's debut single "The Git Up" was ...

's "

The Git Up "The Git Up" is a song by American artist Blanco Brown, released as his debut single on May 3, 2019. It has been described as the "sequel" to Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road" and the "next viral country rap song". Brown filmed himself performing a line ...

", also described by ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (stylized in all uppercase) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth on September 15, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headquarters in Tysons, Virgini ...

'' as a "trap-country" song, also achieved viral success. Other notable country trap songs include "

Rodeo Rodeo () is a competitive equestrian sport that arose out of the working practices of cattle herding in Spain and Mexico, expanding throughout the Americas and to other nations. It was originally based on the skills required of the working va ...

" by Lil Nas X and

Cardi B Belcalis Marlenis Almánzar Cephus (, ; born October 11, 1992), known professionally as Cardi B, is an American rapper and songwriter. She first gained popularity as an influencer on Vine and Instagram. From 2015 to early 2017, she appeared as ...

and " Rascal" by RMR.

Collaborations

The

Mo Thugs Family Mo Thugs was an American hip hop collective formed and led by Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. Together, the Mo Thugs collective released four studio albums from 1995 to 2003. Their logo, a pyramid with a fist above it, is symbolic of their achievements; ...

single "

Ghetto Cowboy "Ghetto Cowboy" is the lead single by American hip hop collective Mo Thugs taken from their second studio album '' Chapter II: Family Reunion'', released in 1998 via Mo Thugs/Relativity Records. It features contributions from Layzie Bone, Krayz ...

" (1998) is noted for featuring a harmonica. ''Rolling Stone'' said of " Cruise (Remix)" (2012) by

Florida Georgia Line Florida Georgia Line is an American country music duo founded in 2010 by Tyler Hubbard of Georgia and Brian Kelley of Florida, both of whom are vocalists and songwriters. Their 2012 debut single " Cruise" broke two major sales records: it was ...

featuring

Nelly Cornell Iral Haynes Jr. (born November 2, 1974), better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, actor and entrepreneur. He embarked on his music career with the hip hop group St. Lunatics in 1993 and signed to Universal ...

, that the track "ushered in the wave of escapist fantasies set to

syncopated In music, syncopation is a variety of rhythms played together to make a piece of music, making part or all of a tune or piece of music off-beat. More simply, syncopation is "a disturbance or interruption of the regular flow of rhythm": a "place ...

drum loops that became known as '

bro country Bro-country is a form of country pop originating in the 2010s, and is influenced by 21st-century hip hop, hard rock and electronica. Bro-country songs are often musically upbeat with lyrics about attractive young girls, the consumption of alcoho ...

'. Florida Georgia Line has said that Nelly's part "just connected", helping to make the "Cruise" remix reach the No. 1 and No. 4 positions on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Songs and Hot 100 charts respectively; it also became the first country single to ever gain a

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

diamond

certification Certification is the provision by an independent body of written assurance (a certificate) that the product, service or system in question meets specific requirements. It is the formal attestation or confirmation of certain characteristics of a ...

B.o.B Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. (born November 15, 1988), known professionally as B.o.B, is an American rapper and record producer. Raised in Decatur, Georgia, Simmons was signed to Jim Jonsin's Rebel Rock Entertainment imprint in 2006. Two years late ...

and country singer

Taylor Swift Taylor Alison Swift (born December 13, 1989) is an American singer-songwriter. Her discography spans multiple genres, and her vivid songwriting—often inspired by her personal life—has received critical praise and wide media coverage. Bor ...

collaborated on "

Both of Us "Both of Us" is a song by American rapper B.o.B, released on May 22, 2012, as the third single from his second studio album, '' Strange Clouds'' (2012). The song features vocals from American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift. The artists co-wrot ...

" (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. Country singer

Brad Paisley Bradley Douglas Paisley (born October 28, 1972) is an American country music singer and songwriter. Starting with his 1999 debut album ''Who Needs Pictures'', he has released eleven studio albums and a Christmas compilation on the Arista Nashvil ...

and rapper

LL Cool J James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, along ...

recorded the controversial song "

Accidental Racist "Accidental Racist" is a song performed by American country artist Brad Paisley from his ninth studio album '' Wheelhouse'' (2013). It features rapper LL Cool J and was written by Paisley, LL Cool J, and Lee Thomas Miller. Background and com ...

" for Paisley's 2013 album '' Wheelhouse''. Other collaborations include "Po' Folks" (2002) by

Nappy Roots Nappy Roots is an American alternative Southern rap group. The group met in Bowling Green, Kentucky in 1995 while attending Western Kentucky University. They are best known for their hit singles " Po' Folks", "Awnaw", " Roun' The Globe" and "Go ...

with Anthony Hamilton, "Country Folks" (2012) by Bubba Sparxxx featuring Colt Ford & Danny Boone, "

Dirt Road Anthem "Dirt Road Anthem" is a country rap song written and sung by American singers Colt Ford and Brantley Gilbert first (who also wrote Aldean's hit "My Kinda Party"), each of whom recorded his own version of the song. Jason Aldean covered the song fo ...

" (remix) by

Jason Aldean Jason Aldean (born Jason Aldine Williams; February 28, 1977) is an American country music singer. Since 2005, he has been signed to BBR Music Group, Broken Bow Records, a record label for which he has released ten albums and 40 singles. His 2010 ...

and

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...

, and "Try Harder Than That" by

Meghan Linsey Meghan Linsey (born December 10, 1985) is an American singer-songwriter. A Ponchatoula, Louisiana native, Linsey started her musical career by forming Steel Magnolia with her boyfriend of three years, Joshua Scott Jones. Before trying out for ...

with Bubba Sparxxx (2014).

Popularity

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. There are numerous country rap festivals where artists gather to play their music for upwards of 7,000 fans.

Politics

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". The political ideology of country rap artists is perceived as being

right-wing Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authorit ...

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization i ...

, due to some right-leaning politics expressed by artists like Upchurch and Forgiato Blow; however the political ideology of country rap artists ranges the full spectrum of political beliefs.

References

{{Country music Country music genres American hip hop genres Fusion music genres