Rap and Country music are vastly different genres, but with songs such as Old Town Road soaring in popularity, let’s take a look back at five times when the two categories changed the game.
5. 4×4 by Miley Cyrus ft. Nelly
This song is featured on Miley’s fourth studio album, Bangerz, which debuted back in 2013. The song was written and produced by Pharrell Williams with the help of Nelly and Cyrus. It has a rodeo like feel to it, and talks about having fun through a metaphoric 4×4 truck. Despite not being released as a single, the song peaked at No. 41 on the U.S. Billboard Pop Digital Song charts.
4. Dirt Road Anthem Remix by Jason Aldean ft. Ludacris
Aldean performed this remix with Ludacris at the 2011 CMT Music Awards. When asked how he came to the decision to collaborate with Ludacris, Aldean said “He absolutely killed his verse of the song. And we’re both Georgia boys, so even though our music is totally different, our roots are the same. We both know about hot Georgia summers and cooling off with a six pack of two. It wasn’t that much of a stretch,” according to Aldean’s website. The song is the exact same as the original, with Luda’s additional verse.
3. Cruise Remix by Florida Georgia Line ft. Nelly
The original song was featured on the band’s 2012 album Here’s To The Good Times. It is the best-selling country digital song of all time in the United States as of January 2014, according to Billboard’s website. Nelly later hoped on the song, which caused Cruise to jump into the top 10 and peak at No. 4 on the Hot 100 chart in its 34th week, making it one of the slowest climbs to top five in the chart’s history. Additionally, the song spent 24 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs list.
2. Over And Over by Nelly ft. Tim McGraw
Nelly is clearly no stranger to country collaborations, with this 2004 hit that is featured on his fourth album, Suit. The song peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and has been a classic ever since. In an interview with MTV back in 2004, McGraw said “I get in there (the studio) and say, ‘It ain’t nothin’ country about this song, but it was fun to get in there and sing with him. People are really liking the song, so we’ll see what happens.'”
1. Old Town Road Remix by Lil Nas X ft. Billy Ray Cyrus
Lil Nas X originally released this song in December 2018, and it later went on to reach No. 19 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs. However, after many complaints from country fans, the song was removed from the charts causing an outrage among many. Lil Nas X later went on to add country star Billy Ray Cyrus into the mix, and the song has skyrocketed ever since. If the song remains at No. 1 for two more weeks, it will be the longest running No. 1 song in history, according to XXL magazine.
