Chris Stapleton Co-Wrote The Title Track To BigXthaPlug’s Country-Inspired Project, & I Bet You Never Thought You’d Hear Him Pen Something Like This…

Today, rapper BigXthaPlug released his country-inspired album I Hope You’re Happy, which features many country artists like Ella Langley, Jelly Roll, Shaboozey, Bailey Zimmerman and Luke Combs. BigX has already had some success with the pre-released singles, as the song with Bailey Zimmerman on “All The Way” topped the country airplay charts, and cracked the Top 5 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it a crossover hit there.

As a Dallas native, X grew up hearing country music being in Texas, and it was actually being imprisoned in solitary confinement during a jail stint that led him to becoming a rapper. He had violated a probation, and at 20-years-old, was in jail on his son’s 1st birthday. He said in an interview with Billboard that took a toll on him, obviously, and he used writing and poetry at first to help him cope.

Eventually, that turned into a music career:

“It took a toll on me, and made me very emotional. So they [jail officials] had to confine me by myself. And in that confinement, I felt like I was losing myself mentally.”

In terms of his motivations for doing an entire country-inspired album with so many country artists involved, BigX previously explained that he believes that a true “artist” doesn’t want to be boxed into one genre… adding that “they can’t hate it if it sounds good.” At it’s core, it’s still a rap album, it just features guest vocals from country singers.

“I mean, it’s the difference between somebody that doesn’t like… hip-hop, a rapper and an artist. So I’m saying, people like Beyoncé, me and a bunch of people that have been able to do it are artists. You can’t just hold them in one lane. It’s like telling a painter you can only paint red apples. No, he’s an artist, he’s gonna play a lot of different things. So I feel like you can’t really, I mean of course there’s gonna be some hate about it, but they can’t hate it if it sounds good.”

It’s no secret that country music is the hot genre right now, and everyone wants in… but like some of the other artists outside of country who have tried similar projects over the last several years, I really wasn’t expecting to be blown away by this project, but I was open to hearing how he would combine rap with country, and some of the songs are decent if you take it all for what it is on the surface.

I actually really enjoyed his collab with Luke on “Pray Hard,” but I was pretty surprised to find that Chris Stapleton co-wrote the title track “I Hope You’re Happy,” which features guest vocals from Darius Rucker. Other writers include Xavier Landum, Krishon Gaines, Tony Coles Anderson, Charles Nelson Forsberg and Anderson East, and it’s a lot, but it’s pretty common for genres outside of country to have a laundry list of writers on any given song.

Darius’ part has a much more country and even blues feel to it, but BigX brings the full rap stylings he’s famous for. Now I’m sure Stapleton didn’t write any of the rap verses and was probably responsible for the parts Darius sang, but hey, you never know… just as he can pretty much sing anything, I think he could pretty much write anything too if he really felt called to do so.

But still, it’s pretty wild to see his name, and even Anderson East’s name (who is also a Nashville songwriter/artist and Miranda Lambert’s ex), on this song.

I bet you never thought you’d hear Chris Stapleton help write something like this…

“I Hope You’re Happy”

I Hope You’re Happy Tracklist:

1. “I Hope You’re Happy (feat. Darius Rucker)” (Xavier Landum, Krishon Gaines, Tony Coles Anderson, Charles Nelson Forsberg, Chris Stapleton, Anderson East)

2. “Gone (interlude)”

3. “Box Me Up (feat. Jelly Roll)” (Jordan K. Johnson, Stefan Johnson, Gregory “Aldae” Hein, James Gutch, Stavros Tsarouhas, Xavier Landum, Jason DeFord)

4. “All The Way (feat. Bailey Zimmerman)” (Xavier Landum, Charles Nelson Forsberg, Krishon Gaines, Ben Johnson, KK Johnson, Jenna Johnson)

5. “Hell At Night (feat. Ella Langley)” (Xavier Landum, Ryan Vojtesak, Krishon Gaines, Yuval Haim Chain, Rocky Block, Joybeth Taylor, Ella Langley, Ro’Darrion Harrison)

6. “Gift & a Curse (interlude)”

7. “Pray Hard (feat. Luke Combs)” (Xavier Landum, Luke Combs, Nick Monson, Jon Robert Hall, Mark Nilan Jr., Dave Cohen, Krishon Gaines)

8. “Home (feat. Shaboozey)” (Xavier Landum, Collins Obinna Chibueze, Bryant Taylorr, Scoot Teasley, Krishon Gaines, Tony Esterly, Sean Cook, Dave Cohen, Charles Nelson Forsberg)

9. “24/7 (feat. Ink)” (Xavier Landum, JT Daly, Nick Gale, Krishon Gaines, Hank Compton, Emily Weisband, Ro’Darrion Harrison, Atia Boggs)

10. “About You (feat. Tucker Wetmore)” (Written by: Xavier Landum, Jon Hume, Krishon Gaines, Dave Cohen, Laura Veltz, Jackson Nance, David Ray Stevens)

11. “Long Nights (feat. Thomas Rhett)” (Xavier Landum, Krishon Gaines, Ryan Vojtesak, Bryant Taylorr, Mike Ewing, Jenna Andrews, Stephen Kirk)The post Chris Stapleton Co-Wrote The Title Track To BigXthaPlug’s Country-Inspired Project, & I Bet You Never Thought You’d Hear Him Pen Something Like This… first appeared on Whiskey Riff.