Jon Caramanica

A bar song simply puts together two great tastes that, in fact, taste great together. It is perhaps not a coincidence that the song that Shaboosie tied for longest run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 is Lil Nas X's Old Town Road. Another hip-hop country hybrid. What this tells me is, number one, these are both two very effective pop songs.

A bar song simply puts together two great tastes that, in fact, taste great together. It is perhaps not a coincidence that the song that Shaboosie tied for longest run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 is Lil Nas X's Old Town Road. Another hip-hop country hybrid. What this tells me is, number one, these are both two very effective pop songs.

Also, the Shaboosie song is based on an interpolation of Jaquan's Tipsy, which is an incredible song from the early to mid-2000s. Maybe the hardest beat of that year. And a great catchphrase structure that Shaboosie then took and put into this, so it has familiarity. There are millions and millions of people who do not think it's strange to listen to hip-hop and listen to country.

Also, the Shaboosie song is based on an interpolation of Jaquan's Tipsy, which is an incredible song from the early to mid-2000s. Maybe the hardest beat of that year. And a great catchphrase structure that Shaboosie then took and put into this, so it has familiarity. There are millions and millions of people who do not think it's strange to listen to hip-hop and listen to country.

And those people maybe are not represented in mainstream media, but they exist. They're real. And the success of these songs indicates to me that we are in a maturing of generation that accepts that pop music is not simply pop. And you do not have to say, I listen to everything but country. I listen to everything but hip-hop.

And those people maybe are not represented in mainstream media, but they exist. They're real. And the success of these songs indicates to me that we are in a maturing of generation that accepts that pop music is not simply pop. And you do not have to say, I listen to everything but country. I listen to everything but hip-hop.

It's that all of these things are part of the larger popular music discourse. And it is not unusual to have hip-hop and country not simply sit next to each other, but sit on top of each other. That's what the success of these two songs tells me.

It's that all of these things are part of the larger popular music discourse. And it is not unusual to have hip-hop and country not simply sit next to each other, but sit on top of each other. That's what the success of these two songs tells me.

Thank you.

Thank you.

My only note on the Post Malone album is Post Malone made a rap album. It's just a country album. But like structurally, it's a rap album. It's packed with guests. It's packed with the hit-making producers and songwriters of the day, except everything on it is country.

My only note on the Post Malone album is Post Malone made a rap album. It's just a country album. But like structurally, it's a rap album. It's packed with guests. It's packed with the hit-making producers and songwriters of the day, except everything on it is country.

I think there's a couple reasons. One, those lines between genres that I think, especially in the 80s and 90s, we were so preoccupied with. If I'm for indie rock, I must be against hip-hop. If I'm for country, I must be against rock. That doesn't matter. No person under 30 genuinely thinks that or genuinely feels that. That's like a generational problem that people older should work through.

I think there's a couple reasons. One, those lines between genres that I think, especially in the 80s and 90s, we were so preoccupied with. If I'm for indie rock, I must be against hip-hop. If I'm for country, I must be against rock. That doesn't matter. No person under 30 genuinely thinks that or genuinely feels that. That's like a generational problem that people older should work through.

So there's that. I also think... Country music is big business. Country music is very popular. That is a huge audience. And it is an audience that maybe is a little bit, if any audience is cloistered, maybe the country music audience is cloistered.

So there's that. I also think... Country music is big business. Country music is very popular. That is a huge audience. And it is an audience that maybe is a little bit, if any audience is cloistered, maybe the country music audience is cloistered.

So Post Malone didn't say, unlike Beyonce, he didn't say, I want to make a concept art piece about what it means for me, an interloper, to make a country album. He just said, he picked up the phone and said, who can make hits? I want some country hits.

So Post Malone didn't say, unlike Beyonce, he didn't say, I want to make a concept art piece about what it means for me, an interloper, to make a country album. He just said, he picked up the phone and said, who can make hits? I want some country hits.