Coming at the hick-hop genre from an old-school angle, like Johnny Cash-meets-the Beastie Boys, Central California’s Moonshine Bandits feature rappers Tex and Bird. Only Bubba Sparxxx, Haystak, and a handful of other artists were mixing country, rap, and rock when the group made its debut in 2003 with the album Soggy Crackerz. Sparxxx made a guest appearance on their 2006 effort Prohibition, as did Danny Boone from the group Rehab, while the Bay Area’s slang king, E-40, lent his skills to 2009’s Divebars and Truckstops. In 2011, they signed with the Suburban Noize label and released Whiskey and Women, while 2014 saw Calicountry land with guest shots from a returning Danny Boone along with new friend Colt Ford. The Bandits’ success continued to grow with Calicountry reaching number 22 on Billboard’s Country Albums chart and its follow-up, 2015’s Blacked Out, reaching number 13. In March of 2017, the Moonshine Bandits returned with their seventh album, Baptized in Bourbon; Gold Rush arrived the following year. ~ David Jeffries, Rovi