Each month, we will speak to an athlete, celebrity, designer, or non-Hip Hop entertainer about what Hip Hop means to them. This feature is intended to showcase how far-reaching the influence of Hip Hop culture has grown in the past 50 years and how much the culture means to so many.
This month, we spoke with multi-platinum Country artist BRELAND.
Known for fusing Country, Hip Hop, R&B, and Pop, BRELAND has carved out a lane entirely his own. BRELAND’s 2019 breakout single, “My Truck,” became a global phenomenon, surpassing 1.2 billion streams worldwide.
Since then, he has collaborated with acclaimed artists including Shaboozey, Teddy Swims, K. Michelle, Tay Keith, Pink Sweats, Macklemore, Jojo, Pharrell Williams, John Legend, and more.
BRELAND recently released his new single “In My Truck”, which flips 50 Cent’s “In Da Club.”
SO BRELAND, WHAT DOES HIP HOP MEAN TO YOU?
“Hip Hop, to me, is the cultural blueprint. You go to any sports locker room, any pre-show playlist before a concert, anywhere from country artists to rock bands to international acts – they’re all playing Hip Hop.
Whether it’s fashion, hairstyles, or which luxury and designer brands are relevant, Hip Hop plays a massive part in all of it.
When I was younger, all I wanted to do was rap. I would sit and write bars all through high school and college, despite being a lifelong singer. I always felt like people would hear me better if I were rapping than singing. It was more direct, more personal. Artists like Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, and J. Cole all showed me that it was possible to have positive messages in the music and that I didn’t have to compromise my faith or beliefs to participate in Hip Hop.
When I was in college, my first-ever session in a professional recording studio was with DJ Khaled. Some of my first cuts as a songwriter were with young Hip Hop artists like YK Osiris and Yung Bleu, and I learned that my ear for melody and vocal ability actually made me even more valuable in the genre as it was becoming increasingly dependent on melodic flows.
Even now, as a Country music artist, I’m constantly inspired by the unique flows, cadences, and wordplay in Hip Hop, and I always aim to add those elements into my genre. Hip Hop is the culture.”
Follow BRELAND on Instagram.
