Good Songs From Bad Men: Seven Similarities Between Hip Hop And Country

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The recent shock over Hank Williams Jr. and his anti-presidential outburst reminded us a whole bunch of that exciting moment back in 2005, where- well, you remember it, surely.

 

 

But the similarity between hip hop and country doesn't end with two guys who can't keep their mouths shut. A quick skim through the jukebox should make it clear that rednecks and gangstas both share common ground, even if they'd never admit it. After the jump, we're going to take a quick look at seven classic country songs, and then their seven modern counterparts. And we'll start with Bocephus and Kanye. See you inside?

Before we start we want to warn you: the language of today is more NSFW than the language of yesteryear. For your protection, we're only embedding the FCC-friendly country songs, and we're linking to the corresponding hip hop tracks. We like 'em both just fine, but please be aware that all non-embedded links may be not safe for work, and maybe use headphones if some rapper's potty mouth would get you in trouble with your boss. Now, as we were saying before...

Hank Williams Jr. - O.D.'d In Denver

 

 

 

A man who's sinned too much in love with a woman that can't be his. Surely a theme that's been revisited in country songs across the ages. But it's also a common theme in hip hop, and Kanye West's Addiction is a great example. Go on, before you hit play, try and guess which song has the line She's got the same thing about me, but more about us, she's coming over so I guess that means I'm on drugs and which song has the line Doc said, Son you can't do anymore of that cocaine, but she made me higher than all of those expensive things. These two public figures have more in common than not knowing when to shut up.

George Jones - I've Got Five Dollars And It's Saturday Night

 

 

Go on and boast, youngsters. Talk up what you did at the bar. You're still not in the big leagues yet. Because only a handful of people in all of recorded history could outdrink a man named George Jones. This is a man who did too much of everything, to the point that he eventually created an alternate personality who was a duck, and still was able to perform. So when the normally serious George starts singing a poppy cover about a fun Saturday night, you know his club-of-choice is gonna be hot. Well, I've been working hard the whole week and now I'm'a gonna have some wine, women and song. Who can't identify with that feeling? Kinda like the club in J-Kwon's Tipsy where the dance floor is full and the chorus is too easy to forget. Everybody in the club gettin' tipsy repeated eight times? Even the drunkest college freshman in the world can figure out how to sing along with that.

Townes Van Zandt - Waiting Around To Die

 

 

Listen to that story. A young boy with a bad childhood, tries to escape, gets dragged into crime and prison and falls into drugs, all while killing time between his birth and his death. How is it possible to pick just one rap song to pair with that story? Even still we're going with the very NSFW Notorious B.I.G.'S Suicidal Thoughts. Biggy's reflecting on a wasted life just like Van Zandt did, and coming to the same conclusion: he might be too far gone to save. It's not true, of course (it never is) but the weight of the past can sometimes break a man's heart, and that's a feeling that easily crosses genres.

Johnny Cash - Folsom Prison Blues

 

 

I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die. It doesn't get simpler than that, right? Cash isn't a killer, but his character is, and the Man in Black carries the darkness of the prisoner who can't tell the story himself. It's the natural twin of Ice T's Colors, managing to be both theatrical and informative. Neither man was an angel, of course, but Cash had his own variety hour, and Ice is on SVU. Despite the hype, neither of them were as bad as the people in their songs.

Jeannie C. Riley - Cotton Patch

 

 

As long as we're talking hip hop, can you believe nobody's sampled this crazy loop? Jeannie C. Riley's Cotton Patch isn't the same level of empowerment as her Harper Valley PTA, but it is an upbeat story of a small town girl learning how hard the big city can be. Compare that to the much sadder but still NSFW Keep Living from Jean Grae. To us, it sounds a bit like the same girl a year or so later, if she didn't get that ticket home and the city kept tearing her down.

Loretta Lynn - Don't Come Home A'Drinkin'

 

 

Ah, the diss song. Simple, elegant, and crosses gender lines. Loretta Lynn's ode to being cut off is rare in early country music, but she still found a social acceptable way to assert herself to some jerk. Compare this to this clean edit of Roxanne's Revenge, Roxanne Shante's response to UTFO. This answer song opened up one of the weirdest and most complex rap feuds which you can read a little about here. Maybe Roxanne's contribution is referenced more today, but for 1967 country music, Loretta's diss was just as powerful.

Hank Williams - I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive

 

 

Wrote the song, then he died. A list of tragedies, and recollections, and sins, and heartbreak. He knew it was coming, some say, and he left before he finished what he could have done. This one's easy. Ol' Hank gets paired with 2Pac. I Ain't Mad At Cha is the kind of video that still makes some people say 2Pac knew what was coming, but it also makes for a very nice goodbye song from a real talent who died too young. And to be honest, both men have been eerily prolific since they died. Think Hank might be a silent partner in the Don Killuminati?

Did we miss one? Did we make a bad choice? Do you hate that we paired Townes Van Zandt with a song featuring Puff Daddy? Holla in the comments, and please let us know if you can think of any more songs that might prove hip hop and country have the same shared heart. We want to know!



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