Country Pop Rap
tagStarted 2004Peak 2019-2023Last big hit still active
Twangy country instrumentation, acoustic guitar, banjo, fiddle, slide, fused to rap cadence, 808s and trap hi-hats with sung country-pop hooks. Drawls and rapped verses over rural imagery; production splits the difference between a hoedown and a trap beat, built for both country radio and viral crossover singalong choruses.
History
Bubbling through 2000s 'hick-hop' acts like Bubba Sparxxx and Cowboy Troy, the lane detonated when Lil Nas X's 'Old Town Road' (2019), with a Billy Ray Cyrus remix, broke the all-time Hot 100 longevity record and ignited a genre-boundary debate. Blanco Brown's 'The Git Up' followed, cementing country-trap as a viral crossover force. Cross-listed with Country Pop.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_rap
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Town_Road
- https://www.billboard.com/charts/hot-100/