BigXthaPlug is one of the leaders of hip-hop’s new school, and he’s looking to prove he’s more than a rapper with his country-trap pivot.
Ever since the arrival of his slide guitar-tinged breakout hit “Texas” in 2022, country’s biggest stars began to tap in and show love to BigX, ranging from Morgan Wallen to Luke Combs and Post Malone.
“Post Malone, Luke Combs, all those guys,” BigX told Billboard at the top of 2025. “They claim I’m their favorite rapper.”
Fittingly enough, BigX credits a Billboard interview earlier this year with pushing him to actually put a country-themed project together, after speaking about having plans for the project, even though it didn’t exist at the time.
“I go and do a Billboard interview and I straight up say, ‘I got a country project on the way,’” he told the New York Times’ Popcast. “And I never had a country project on the way… I wasn’t thinking properly, they had just made me cry in the middle of the interview… We come back and I’m kinda trying to change the narrative, ‘I got a country project on the way.’ After I was like, ‘Damn.’
He continued: “I said that and my team was like, ‘You know you gotta do it now, right?’ Days later, You got Jelly Roll saying [he wants in on the album] and we getting demo after demo from all these other artists.”
Fast-forward about eight months, and it’s mission accomplished, as X returned with his I Hope You’re Happy album on Friday (Aug. 22).
Exploring all the emotions surrounding a relationship that crashed and burned, BigX invites Jelly Roll, Luke Combs, Shaboozey, Ink, Tucker Wetmore, Thomas Rhett, Ella Langley, Bailey Zimmerman and Darius Rucker on the journey to complete the project, which took him longer to finish than any of his previous work.
Throw on your cowboy hat and matching boots while delving into Billboard‘s ranking of all the tracks on I Hope You’re Happy (without the pair of interludes included).
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“24/7” (feat. Ink)
BigX slows the pace down and takes a softer approach with his rhymes. He’s lost without his lover around and makes a plea to win her back. However, X’s verse seems to come to an abrupt stop, leaving listeners feeling confused and as if there could’ve been meat on the bone to take “24/7” to another level.
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“About You” (feat. Tucker Wetmore)
We all know someone who makes things about them, even when it’s not the truth. BigX reflects on “Mrs. Right,” who thinks she does no wrong. One of the Dallas native’s strengths is his relatability factor, which allows fans to have a deeper connection to tracks like “About You” and belt along with BigX at his shows. Tucker Wetmore brings us across the finish line while hitting a bullseye when putting an ex’s flaws on blast.
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“I Hope You’re Happy” (feat. Darius Rucker)
Darius Rucker sets the table, leaning into the blues with his opening chorus, feeling scorned by a love interest moving on over Charley Cooks’ electric guitar. BigXthaPlug makes his grand entrance with an extended solo verse, which finds him ruminating about the pain of a fresh break-up, as the rage inside him pours out like lava following the split.
“You hurt my soul, I hope he heal yours/ You let me drown, I hope he swim for you/ I lost it all, you wasn’t here for me,” X raps in disgust about his ex.
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“Home” (feat. Shaboozey)
BigX has said that Shaboozey is one of his closest friends in the music industry, and their bond shows with every collaboration. “Home” is the perfect top-down nighttime tune to go on a solo cruise and completely clear your mind. X feels a spark and is willing to give love another shot to make things right, as he heads back to his ex’s city. It’s surprising “Home” wasn’t more of a hit on the charts following the success of “All the Way.”
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“All the Way” (feat. Bailey Zimmerman)
BigX set the bar extremely high out of the gate with “All the Way,” which earned a top-five debut on the Billboard Hot 100. A track that was originally supposed to feature Morgan Wallen instead of Bailey Zimmerman, which ended up a blessing in disguise, proving BigX’s star power, as he and Zimmerman uplifted one another with the perfect mix of country and trap.
It fits into the grand scheme of the album as well, providing a turning point with BigX showing he’s getting ready to move on from his ex and come out better for it.
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“Long Nights” (feat. Thomas Rhett)
BigX saves some of his best rapping for last on the project with the poignant closer. Taking a step back to appreciate his journey from inmate to millionaire, X gives God glory for leading him on the right path to stardom. “I thank God like every day cause s—t he helped me find my purpose/ I was hurt, s—t I went from hearing shots to hearing fans behind them curtains,” he raps. Rhett is a great complementary collaborator here, with his artistic repertoire injecting a potent blend of country, rap and rock into “Long Nights.”
The 27-year-old rapper leaves the woman who inspired much of this project with a simple message: Thank you. However, it’s the fans who should also thank her for being the muse behind I Hope You’re Happy.
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“Hell at Night” (feat. Ella Langley)
A petty break-up anthem. Ella Langley’s country twang sets a wrathful tone while BigX takes the baton and poetically spews all of the misfortunes he hopes his ex experiences in the future without him by her side. “I hope you leave your car runnin’ at the store and it get stolen,” he raps in vicious fashion. Damn, BigX!
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“Box Me Up” (feat. Jelly Roll)
BigX has often said that Jelly Roll is the “country version of himself,” and after finally meeting at Stagecoach following plenty of phone calls and texts, it was only right that they cut deep with their first collaboration, “Box Me Up.”
Jelly Roll helms a desolate chorus while crooning about how a relationship ending has him feeling dead inside. BigX matches Jelly’s darkness and desperation, wondering how things went so south to be left “high and dry” when he thought he was following the right steps for the relationship to continue to grow. A Jelly-BigX collab EP would be a welcome sight down the line.
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“Pray Hard” (feat. Luke Combs)
The crown jewel of BigX’s Nashville experiment. Luke Combs delivers a thunderous chorus, as the Dallas native pushes the pace to match his soulful bellow. X is never one to be shy about letting fans into his journey, and he gets candid about nearly falling victim to the streets and now dealing with “unwanteda— fame,” but finally feeling comfortable in his skin as a rap star, which has changed his life as well as the lives of those around him for the better.
→ Continue reading at Billboard
