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The Country Music Awards took place on Wednesday, November 19th. And one of the most highly-touted appearances came from none other than rap star BigXthePlug.
BigXthaPlug & Luke Combs Perform ‘Pray Hard’ at CMA Awards
The rap star hit the stage with country music star Luke Combs to perform their hit single ‘Pray Hard.’ And the performance electrified the audience.
Check it out below:
However, fans on social media were not as enthused as the audience.
“Whoever thought this was a good idea should be fired. Look at the CMA awards shows from the ’70s & ’80s to see what Country music should sound like,” one fan said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
“Not me. Wasn’t country and had to be bleeped multiple times. What a waste of time,” another user added.
“Sorry, but this wasn’t it imo. The show, for the most part, was really good, but when you have to bleep out whole sentences of a song … that just doesn’t cut it,” a third user said.
Despite the negative reaction to their performance, the record has seen massive success. It debuted at number 5 on the Rap Digital Song Sales chart and number 15 on the Hot Rap Songs chart. It also reached No. 30 on the Hot Country Songs chart and No. 1 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100. The song was also historic for Combs. Because sales made him the highest-selling RIAA-certified country artist in history with 168 million units sold.
BigXthaPlug has gained notoriety from his raw emotion and detailed storytelling through music. Songs like “Texas” and “The Biggest” Have helped him skyrocket to superstardom.
When speaking with the New York Times, the rap star attributed his talent for raw storytelling to his upbringing.
“That’s where I come from — riding around with my mama, and we’re listening to UGK, who’s talking straight storytelling, solid storytelling,” he said. “I believe in substance and there actually being something in the music. And so I feel like that’s what I tried to bring back.”
