Beloved 90’s country music hit-making machine Travis Tritt recently went on Twitter to rant about country rap. In his tweet, the country music star states that you get crap if you mix country with rap. Falling more towards the country-purist side of things, Tritt has been quite vocal about disliking modern-day artists’ direction for country music.
Always remember that when you mix country with rap, you get crap!
— Travis Tritt (@Travistritt) November 22, 2022
Since it’s Twitter, Travis Tritt’s country rap Twitter rant immediately caught people’s attention and drew a wide range of responses. Tritt received plenty of “AMENs” from fellow traditionalists and purists. However, there were also country fans identifying with the progressive side of the fence who believed that the tweet was distasteful for someone like Tritt.
Regardless if Travis Tritt meant his tweet or was only joking around, the question remains; is country rap, well, crap?
Wait, Hold on, Country Rap Exists?
It’s funny to know that many people out there are surprised about the existence of country rap songs. We can’t blame them because, for the most part, many people see country music and hip hop as extreme and opposing ends of a pole. One is traditional, religious, and conservative, while the other is aggressive and often vulgar.
That said, country rap exists. It’s a music style that melds the harmonic language and song structure prominent in country music with the head-bopping vocals of hip-hop.
There’s no denying that country rap and its followers are growing daily. The genre is flourishing in the modern era and has produced chart-topping songs such as Lil Nas X‘s “Old Town Road.” It’s even brought about collaborations between many famed rappers and country stars.
Why Do Traditionalists Dislike Country Rap?
When country rap started getting traction and attention, many traditionalists or purists like Tritt expressed disdain for it. They feel it’s disrespectful, something that mocks country music and hip-hop.
Is it an unreasonable response? Maybe. However, it might have been a natural reaction for people that have dedicated their lives to preserve what they believe to be the essence of the genre they love.
Some traditionalists even say that it’s not about hating the other genre. Instead, it’s about respecting both of them. Whatever the case, country traditionalists and purists want to preserve what they consider the “ideal” form of country music, and they dislike country rap because it doesn’t conform to that.
Is Country Rap That Bad in the First Place?
If you read the Travis Tritt country rap rant on Twitter, you might think that it is, but the truth is, it’s tough to tell. Sure, there are crappy songs from mediocre artists that are only in it to ride the bandwagon while it’s running.
However, there are also passionate artists that pour their soul into their craft and produce amazing country rap music. That passion is the one that helps the genre thrive and create amazing artists like the Moonshine Bandits, Lenny Cooper, Big Smo, and many others.
At the End of the Day, It’s All About Preference
Ultimately, music, being an art, is subjective. So, Country rap will stay as long as people continue to love listening to it. Only time will tell if it will grow into something bigger than it is today.
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Travis Tritt