‘A Shared Language': Inside Country Music's Rap Revival
It's no coincidence that the two songs tied for most weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 toe the line between country and rap. Lil Nas X set the record with his Billy Ray Cyrus-featuring 'Old Town Road' in 2019, and late last year, Shaboozey tied the record when 'A Bar Song (Tipsy)' hit the same 19-week mark.
'Country and rap might come from different worlds, but they thrive on the same foundation — raw storytelling and authenticity,' UnitedMasters director of A&R Aaron Hunter says.
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Hybrids of country and hip-hop have a long history in popular music, dating back to the 1980s including hits like Sir-Mix-A-Lot's 'Square Dance Rap,' Kool Moe Dee's 'Wild Wild West' and Shawn Brown's 'Rappin' Duke' (which The Notorious B.I.G. sampled in 'Juicy' a decade later).
This year has brought an even bigger boom of successful crossovers between the genres. Post Malone's Big Ass Stadium Tour with Jelly Roll — two artists with roots in hip-hop now making country music — has so far featured special guests including Eminem and Quavo. Dallas rapper BigXthaPlug teamed with Bailey Zimmerman for 'All the Way,' a top five hit on the Hot 100, while ERNEST and Snoop Dogg released their country collaboration, 'Gettin' Gone.'
On the festival front, the country-heavy Stagecoach was more rap-inclusive in 2025, with Nelly and T-Pain playing to major audiences. Meanwhile, Morgan Wallen's Sand in My Boots Festival had Wiz Khalifa, 2 Chainz and Three 6 Mafia onstage.
'Both genres share the same theme of heartbreak, life stories and struggle, whether it's rural life or urban hustle, and that grit creates a natural connection,' Hunter says. He also points to the rising use of trap drums and 808s in country and rap, which has 'blurred lines, making collaborations feel less forced and more like a shared language.'
BigXthaPlug will follow the success of 'All the Way' with a country-trap project this summer that will include guest appearances from Jelly Roll, Post Malone and Shaboozey. Even though the Dallas native never listened to country music growing up, he has felt a warm welcome from the Nashville community. 'My fan base is the country world's fan base,' he says. 'They was messing with me, [but] now it's a full acceptance.'
This story appears in the May 31, 2025, issue of Billboard.
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