Country hip hop
| Country rap | |
|---|---|
| Stylistic origins | |
| Cultural origins | 1990s, United States (South, West Coast, Southwest and Midwest) |
| Typical instruments | |
| Other topics | |
Country rap is a subgenre of popular music blending country music with hip hop-style rapping, also known as hick-hop or rural rap.
Country rap began to form as a genre when Bubba Sparxxx and producer Shannon "Fat Shan" Houchins created Sparxxx's 2001 debut album Dark Days, Bright Nights as an independent release which was later re-released on Interscope Records. The trend continued in 2005 when country artists Big & Rich introduced Cowboy Troy to the country world via 2005's Loco Motive released on Warner Brothers, which reached #2 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart.
Coming off the success of Bubba Sparxxx's platinum album debut, Houchins soon after created Average Joes Entertainment with country rapper Colt Ford. This was the beginning of country rap taking its place as a real and separate genre while at the same time influencing mainstream country. Colt Ford has sold over 1.5 million albums including 4 that have landed in the top 10 of Billboard's Country Music chart. Ford's 2012 Declaration of Independence debuted at #1 on Billboard's Country Chart and his 2014 album Thanks For Listening debuted at #1 on the Billboard Rap Chart making him the only artist in history to have #1 albums on both Billboard Country and Rap Charts, proving that country rap is a true genre and spawning a slew of new artists. The Lacs and Lenny Cooper have both sold well. The Lacs' third and fourth albums Keep It Redneck and Outlaw In Me both debuted #3 on Billboard's Country Chart in August 2013 proving further country rap's popularity as a new genre.
Other artists of this genre include Boondox, Lenny Cooper, Moonshine Bandits, Big Smo, Yelawolf, Jawga Boyz, Upchurch, and Redneck Souljers. Country traditionalists Toby Keith, Trace Adkins and Blake Shelton have since adapted elements of country rap into their music in recent years.
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