''Kuntry Livin'' is the debut major label studio album from the American
country rapper
Big Smo. It was released on June 3, 2014 by both
Elektra Nashville and
Warner Bros. Records. The album was produced by Jon Conner and Orig. This album charted at No. 31 on the
''Billboard'' 200.
Background
Big Smo previously released two albums through Yayoda Records, and self-released three other studio albums.
He then signed to
Warner Bros.'s
Elektra Nashville label, and released two
extended plays, ''Grass Roots EP'' in 2012 and 2013's ''Backwoods Whiskey''.
''Kuntry Livin'' marks Big Smo's the major-label debut, and was produced by Jon Conner and Orig.
Music and lyrics
According to Matt Bjorke of Roughstock, Big Smo is one of the foremost artists in a style known as rural rap or hick-hop, "which blends rural, Country themes and melodies with some rap elements (production and vocal delivery)".
The music on ''Kuntry Livin has been described as spinning "rap rhymes about working-class values over hard-rock riffs."
Critical reception
''Kuntry Livin'' met with a moderate reception from music critics. At ''
USA Today'',
Brian Mansfield
Brian Mansfield (born September 24, 1963) is an American writer and journalist.
Early life and education
Mansfield grew up in Nashville, Tennessee. He graduated from David Lipscomb High School.
In 1984, Mansfield received a bachelor's degre ...
rated the album two-and-a-half stars out of four, remarking how Big Smo's "cadences sound too similar, but the best connect like a hammer."
David Jeffries of
AllMusic rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, proclaiming that while "the corporate cornpone formula will pay off splendidly", the release "can't be written off so easily."
At ''
Newsday
''Newsday'' is an American daily newspaper that primarily serves Nassau and Suffolk counties on Long Island, although it is also sold throughout the New York metropolitan area. The slogan of the newspaper is "Newsday, Your Eye on LI", and f ...
'', Verne Gay graded the album a C+, cautioning in his bottom line that "This (almost) music-free opener makes you wonder what the fuss is about."
Matt Bjorke of Roughstock rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of five, highlighting how "Those that open their ears may just find themselves tapping their toes or nodding their head along to the rhythmic Rural Rap".
Commercial performance
For the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' charting week of June 21, 2014, ''Kuntry Livin'' charted as the No. 31 most sold album according to the
''Billboard'' 200. It charted as the No. 9 in the
Top Country Albums market with 9,000 copies sold, and it sold enough to chart at No. 3 on the
Rap Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated Jan ...
chart. As of July 2015, the album has sold 151,400 copies in the US.
[ Sales figure give]
here
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Track listing
Chart performance
Weekly charts
Year-end charts
References
{{Authority control
2014 albums
Big Smo albums
Elektra Records albums
Warner Records albums