Country rap is a subgenre of popular music blending country music with hip hop-style rapping, also known as hick-hop or rural rap. Country rap began to form as a genre when Bubba Sparxxx and producer Shannon "Fat Shan" Houchins created Sparxxx's 2001 debut album Dark Days, Bright Nights as an independent release which was later re-released on Interscope Records. The trend continued in 2005 when country artists Big & Rich introduced Cowboy Troy to the country world via 2005's Loco Motive released on Warner Brothers, which reached #2 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart. Coming off the success of Bubba Sparxxx's platinum album debut, Houchins soon after created Average Joes Entertainment with country rapper Colt Ford. This was the beginning of country rap taking its place as a real and se