The Ryman Auditorium is one of the most historic venues in country music, but artists and fans outside of the genre don’t always know about the building’s significance. One of those artists was BigXThaPlug, who performed at the Ryman Auditorium for Apple Music Live in October.
In an interview with Ebro Darden for Apple Music Live, Darden asked the rapper how it felt to be at the “legendary” venue. “It’s a blessing,” BigXThaPlug replied. “It’s a blessing to even be picked to come do this type of stuff.”
The Texas native admitted that he didn’t know just how much of a blessing the invitation was until the night prior, when he spent some time with rising country star Shaboozey. Shaboozey had performed his own show at The Pinnacle in Nashville and was impressed to hear that BigXThaPlug was playing at the Ryman.
“Shaboozey had a show last night. I went to it and after the show we was talking, and he was like, ‘Man, you performing at the Ryman, man. That’s crazy,’” the rapper recalled. “I’m like, ‘You didn’t just see what you just performed here? THIS was crazy.’ He like, ‘Nah, bro. It’s like, it’s historical. Do you know the history behind it?’ I’m like, ‘Nah.’ He like, ‘Man, it’s this old church…’ He just gave me the whole rundown.”
“And by the end of it I was like, ‘Man, I’m doing something that you can tell the greats do,’ you know what I’m saying? The fact that, like I said, I was chosen to step on a stage that greats have been on and a place that’s not my home, but that’s accepting me. You know what I’m saying? So, it’s just crazy.”
As many country music fans know, the Ryman Auditorium was the original location of the Grand Ole Opry shows, serving as the home of the Grand Ole Opry from 1943 to 1974. The Opry now has its own building, but the Ryman is still a revered and hallowed institution when it comes to country music and continues to host shows by artists and entertainers across genres and disciplines.
BigXThaPlug recently moved into the country space when he released his hip-hop/country album, I Hope You’re Happy, which features collaborations with Luke Combs, Jelly Roll, Ella Langley, Bailey Zimmerman and more country stars.
Shaboozey, BigXThaPlug; Photo Courtesy of “Home” Single Art
“Once everybody found out what I was trying to do, everybody was just sending demos in,” BigXThaPlug revealed of finding his collaborators for the album. “When I said I was doing a country project, we had like 30 demos from all different types of people, big names, small names, everybody.”
“At this point in time, I’m country’s favorite hip-hop artist,” he continued. “A lot of people liked the fact that I tell a story, and they wanted to tell a story with me. And it just so happened that my story, everybody that got put on a song, their story was kind of similar to my story. From Jelly Roll to Luke Combs to even Ella Langley, when we did [“Hell At Night“], we didn’t even know that we were going through the same thing. It was a connection.”
BigXthaPlug, Bailey Zimmerman; Photo Courtesy of @respectivecollective
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