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Akon Transforms Rap Hits Into Country Music
Akon, renowned in the hip-hop scene, is making waves by branching out into the realm of country music.
During a recent autograph-signing event in New York City, Akon shared his reflections with TMZ about the growing trend of hip-hop artists collaborating with their country counterparts. He disclosed his innovative project of reworking his extensive music catalog into a country format, collaborating with country artists.
“I’m actually redoing my whole catalog in country,” Akon stated. “I’m not even joking… This has been an idea for years like forever. The project has been in motion for the last five years. But starting next month, y’all gonna start seeing all the releases,” he elaborated.
He mentioned that prominent tracks such as “Locked Up” would be part of the collection, with the featured country artists taking the lead in performance while he assumes a guest artist role. “They’re country artists featuring me. They’re the ones performing them.”
The fusion of country and hip-hop is not a novel concept. Notably, the collaboration between Nelly and Tim McGraw on the hit “Over and Over” in 2004 marked a significant moment in music history, reaching No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remaining on the chart for six months. Recently, BigXthaPlug collaborated with country artist Bailey Zimmerman on the track “All the Way,” which has achieved great success, propelling it to No. 4 on the Hot 100, marking a milestone for the Texas rapper. Furthermore, Snoop Dogg’s latest release “Gettin’ Gone,” featuring Nashville star ERNEST, is another testament to this genre-blending trend.
With Akon’s creative direction, fans might soon experience a country rendition of the beloved hit “Smack That.”
Source
www.billboard.com