It may be a surprise to see a rapper on a song titled “Country As Shit,” but that’s exactly what happened when Tyler Farr invited Jelly Roll to sing with him on “Country As Shit.” The two met during a golf tournament in benefit of Folds of Honor in 2021. The country star had little knowledge of the rapper when they met, but quickly took a liking to him.
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“Neither of us have good filters, so that’s probably why we hit it off,” Farr tells American Songwriter about meeting the “sweet human being.” “I started listening to his stuff and I was like, ‘This is good shit.” When Farr got into the studio to work on his new EP, Rednecks Like Me, “Country As Shit” took on a new life when a member of his team pitched the idea of having Jelly Roll as a featured artist.
“Someone told me, ‘Jelly Roll would kill that ‘Country As Shit’ song,’ and I’m like, ‘That is a great idea,'” Farr recalls. “I called him up and asked him, ‘I got this song if you don’t like it, you don’t have to do it, but if you’re into it, I’d love to have you on it.’ And he said, ‘Hell yeah, I’m in.’” Jelly Roll is also a credited writer on the track that features such lyrics as, ‘Round here our trucks stay muddy/Out here our cooler’s loaded down/Ain’t scared to knuckle up buddy/You better think twice ‘fore you run that mouth.
Farr notes that Jason Aldean, who signed Farr to his label Night Train Records and co-produced the EP with Kurt Allison and Tully Kennedy, also hadn’t heard of Jelly Roll before the collaboration. But like Farr, he was immediately impressed after hearing the track. “I remember when Jason came to the studio that day and he was like, ‘Holy crap, this guy is the real deal,’ and he is,” Farr raves. “He’s a super talented guy, but I like his heart and I’ve always thought he’s just a good dude. He’s a likable person and he’s genuine and sincere. Just a good-hearted person.”
Since Farr and Jelly Roll met, the latter has successfully crossed over into country music with his debut country hit, “Son of a Sinner.” Jelly Roll released his first country album, Whitsitt Chapel, in June 2023.
Photos by: Jeff Johson/BBR Music Group/Taylor Hill/Getty Images
