How Shaboozey’s Country Song Turned a 20-Year-Old Rap Song into the Biggest Hit of the Year: “A Bar Song (Tipsy)”

In a divided America, there’s still one thing people can agree on: Shaboozey’s “A Bar Song (Tipsy).” The country flavor of an old J Kwon hit from Virginia blared from bars, grills and car stereos all summer long, sending it to the top of the charts. At the time of this article’s publication, “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” had spent 19 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100.

Bringing unity and happiness to the masses is a Herculean feat, which Shaboozey attributes to the song’s patriotic, far-reaching appeal. “It has an American feel, the feeling you get when you think of apple pie,” he says during a tour stop in icy Nebraska. “There are construction workers, firefighters, teachers, everyone just holding up their drinks, arms around each other’s shoulders, having a hell of a time. This is America.”

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To conjure up a modern national anthem, Shaboozey – who it is along with Benson Boone diversityHitmakers Newcomer of the Year just had to combine hip-hop and country in a ridiculously catchy way that appealed to very different demographics. Turns out he had been toying with the concept for years. “One of my ex-girlfriends says she feels like I have a disorder where I just start making songs without music,” he laughs, recounting stories of breaking into songs on sidewalks and in grocery stores .

An idea kept floating around in his head. “I wanted to revisit my formative years when you found out who your favorite artists were,” he says. While spontaneous hip-hop reworks would come his way from time to time, it wasn’t until last year that he brought it up in the studio when he was putting the finishing touches on a song called “Anabelle.” His associates Sean Cook and Nevin Sastry suggested an “ear burst,” and Shaboozey casually brought up the concept.

After playing a series of songs from his early childhood days, they happened upon J-Kwon’s 2004 debut “Tipsy,” which came out when Shaboozey was 9 years old – the age at which he became involved in Southern hip- Hop fell in love. Inspired, he began to sing. “My two producers picked up the guitar, played the chords and then we started writing.” The lyrics came effortlessly. “I sang, ‘You know me and Jack Daniels has a story,’ and everyone was like, ‘Shit.’

This is an appropriate response to the laying down of a life-changing song. “It was definitely a lightning-fast thing,” Shaboozey says. His managers and label Empire knew they were on to a big song, as did J-Kwon. “Out of nowhere I got a direct message from J-Kwon with fire emojis,” he says. When it came to clearing up the rehearsal, Shaboozey went straight to the veteran rapper, who helped smooth things over.

Shaboozey got lucky when an A&R scout for Beyoncé attended a showcase in January. Soon he was in the studio lending his vocals to “Spaghettii,” one of two features he recorded for “Cowboy Carter.” In it, he resurrects the character he played on his second album, Cowboys Live Forever, Outlaws Never Die, which follows the adventures of a “black outlaw in the 19th century Wild West.”

“It felt like a real feature,” says Shaboozey. “She saw what I was doing and knew it was authentic.” The fact that “Spaghettii,” which also features country legend Linda Martell, received a Grammy nomination — in addition to the five Grammy nominations that he alone received – is the icing on the cake. “That’s my show opener at every show, night after night,” he says. “And now it’s nominated for a Grammy. It’s beautiful.”

As Shaboozey still grapples with the immense critical and commercial success of “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” the question arises: “How do you congratulate someone who has made history?” He ponders as he leaves after the record-breaking 19th . week of the song at number 1 – he doesn’t let it intimidate him. “Hopefully this prepares me for life and gives me the freedom to have fun in the studio,” he says. “But there are more No. 1s and hits on the way.”

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