Friday was already set to be a big day for Texas rapper BigXthaPlug with a new crossover country album releasing, titled I Hope You're Happy. However, the attention around BigX was amplified and shifted when he was pulled over hours before the album was set to come out.
After being hit with drug and firearm charges, he was released, though not before a couple of parties celebrating his album drop had to be canceled. With this new development, fans of BigXthaPlug are certainly all hoping for him to get beyond his legal issues so that he's able to focus more on the music.
It's a shame that BigX's new album got overshadowed by extracurriculars because, in a number of ways, it's a particularly interesting offering from one of the hottest rappers today. I Hope You're Happy is novel territory for him both narratively and stylistically.
BigXthaPlug's album release should have been the biggest news of the day
As mentioned, I Hope You're Happy is BigXthaPlug's first big foray into the modern country world. It follows in the footsteps of other hip hop artists who have recently shifted into the space, such as Jelly Roll and Post Malone.
However, instead of being an absolute embrace of country sounds, I Hope You're Happy is more like Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter in that it represents somewhat of a compromise. It goes country while still maintaining familiar sonic hallmarks from BigX's previous work.
There's a certain formula that's followed on basically every track for the duration of this record. It consists of country hooks, delivered by a guest over standard country production, and typical rap verses from BigXthaPlug that see the instrumental add trap percs to the mix. The instrumentals are a true balance between country and trap.
To execute this formula, BigX teams up with a plethora of country artists. Every song, aside from a couple of interludes, has a unique guest for the chorus, including Darius Rucker, Jelly Roll, Bailey Zimmerman, and Shaboozey, just to name a few. It's a real who's who of relevant country artists.
There's also a consistent topical focus displayed across the 26-minute project. As alluded to by the album title, I Hope You're Happy delves into love and relationship dynamics, often from a place of complication. The narrative stability around love is refreshing from BigXthaPlug and a welcome decision.
Ultimately, when it comes down to it, I Hope You're Happy proved to be an inconsistent affair. Its novelty and intrigue didn't necessarily equate to quality. The blueprint that BigX stuck to delivered mixed results, with much of that coming down to the instrumental and/or featured artist on each individual track.
BigXthaPlug himself was the most consistently solid element of this record. He showed that he's not an artist who can tackle a country album on his own, really sticking to his guns in terms of his own performances, but he also put a lot of the pieces around him to pull off a more country sound as best as he reasonably could.
It is yet to be determined what the future will hold for BigXthaPlug, both in and out of the music industry. What seems most likely, though, is the fact that he will be in the limelight for the foreseeable future.