A fusion of Hip-Hop and Country Music. Sometimes called Hick Hop; artists in the genre are divided on that name.
This fusion has been traced back to before Hip Hop was even invented, as a lot of blues and country artists displayed vocal styles which were similar to rapping; in turn, various R&B and soul artists were influenced by country. One journalist traced the origins of Country Rap to Woody Guthrie. Some spoken-word songs by the Sons of the Pioneers also have rap-like elements, while Joe Tex (a soul artist who took some influence from country) is believed to have actually coined the term "rap" to describe his vocal style in the 1960s. Talking blues was another predecessor, as it involved half-spoken, half-sung vocal performances performed in rhyming couplets with a defined rhythm and a typically freeform and un-rhymed fifth line at the end of each bar over a minimalist but insistent backing track. The term "country rap" itself is believed to have been coined by UGK to refer to their highly regional style of hip-hop that contained prominent gospel and blues elements and saw both of them rapping in a pronounced Texas drawl, though they ironically didn't have much actual country influence.
Hip Hop and Country music have been fused in different variations since the 1980s - one of the more notable early efforts is Beastie Boys sampling from the Deliverance soundtrack on their 1989 album Paul's Boutique, and De La Soul using a sample from Parliament's "Little Ole Country Boy" for the chorus of "Potholes in My Lawn", in the same year. Some modern Country artists have incorporated Hip Hop influences into their music, and collaborated with popular rappers, and there are also artists devoted primarily or solely to Country Rap fusions.
For readers interested in a more in-depth look at the formation of the Country Rap scene, Rolling Stone wrote a worthy article on it that can be read here
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Examples
- Beyoncé - The Cowboy Carter album is a Country album and melds Country with several other genres, including Country Rap.
- 2024 - Cowboy Carter
- Blanco Brown
- BRELAND
- Boondox — also Horrorcore and Rap Rock
- Bubba Sparxxx -His first album, particularly his hit single "Ugly", is considered one of the major inspirations of the modern Country Rap scene. He would try to distance himself by going full Hip-Hop, but then would later still produce Country Rap music.
- Colt Ford
- Cowboy Troy
- Lil Nas X - Is primarily Pop Rap, but his first hit single "Old Town Road" is Country Rap and was a major hit record which saw several remixes including with Billy Ray Cyrus. He would release a couple of more Country Rap singles before going Pop Rap.
- Shaboozey
- Stitch Mouth
- Uncle Kracker
- Yelawolf — also Hip Hop and Rap Rock
