Bro-Country Pop
tagStarted 2012Peak 2013-2016Last big hit 2017
Party-anthem country built on hip-hop-tinged drum loops, crunchy rock guitars and shout-along hooks: trucks, tailgates, cold beer, dirt roads and girls in cutoffs. Vocals are swaggering and rhythmic, sometimes half-rapped, the production big and radio-glossy, fusing arena-rock muscle and pop hooks onto small-town imagery.
History
Named by critic Jody Rosen in 2013, the style erupted when Florida Georgia Line's Nelly-remixed 'Cruise' became the best-selling country single of its era. Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean drove it to chart dominance mid-decade before 'boyfriend country' and a roots backlash cooled the tailgate formula by 2017.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bro-country
- https://savingcountrymusic.com/move-over-bro-country-boyfriend-country-is-here/
- https://www.npr.org/2019/07/01/737499385/country-music-gets-a-hip-hop-infusion-with-old-town-road-and-the-git-up