Shaboozey on Country and Rap’s Surprising ‘Parallels' and His 'Dream' Life

Mickey Guyton, Shaboozey, Brittney Spencer split — From left: Mickey Guyton, Shaboozey and Brittney Spencer. Photo:
Joseph Llanes ; Daniel Prakopcyk; Jimmy Fontaine

From Charley Pride, Linda Martell and Ray Charles to Darius Rucker and Beyoncé, Black artists have been leaving an imprint on country music for decades. Here are some of the leading young talents making history today.

01 of 07

Shaboozey

How you know him

The Virginia native (real name: Collins Obinna Chibueze), 29, topped Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart and spent 19 weeks at No. 1 on the Hot 100 with his 2024 country hip-hop smash “A Bar Song (Tipsy),” tying the Hot 100 record set by Lil Nas X’s 2018 country hip-hop smash “Old Town Road.”

Country heroes

Shaboozey grew up listening to legends like Kenny Rogers, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash and Marty Robbins. “Johnny Cash was something that resonated with me very early on," he tells PEOPLE. "Marty Robbins too. I loved Marty Robbins. His voice was just so sweet and distinct. Just seeing the parallels between country music, [with] the storytelling, and hip-hop, I was like, ‘Oh man, they’re kind of talking about the same things.’ ”

Don’t wake him up!

“It feels like a dream,” Shaboozey told PEOPLE last year about his whirlwind of success. “It feels like I’m definitely going to wake up at some point and be like, ‘Damn, that s--- was a dream?’ ”

02 of 07

Mickey Guyton

How you know her

Guyton, 41, was the first Black female country artist to be Grammy-nominated for best country solo performance (for her 2020 single “Black Like Me”) and the first Black woman to host the Academy of Country Music Awards (in 2021). Her second album, House on Fire, came out in September.

Proudest moment

The star was expecting son Grayson, now 4, when she performed “What Are You Gonna Tell Her?” with Keith Urban at the 2020 ACM Awards. “All my success happened when I was pregnant, and we’ve been taught as women that pregnancy stifles careers,” says Guyton, who married Grant Savoy in 2017. “That was really empowering. I’m up on the stage succeeding in spite of what you may think of what a woman should do as a career woman.”

Living her music

Guyton is at work on album No. 3. “I’ve gone through a lot in my life,” the Texas native says. “I want to write story songs of things I’ve seen.”

03 of 07

Reyna Roberts

How you know her

The 27-year-old from Alaska, who released her debut album, Bad Girl Bible: Vol. 1, in September 2023 and has toured with Reba McEntire and Orville Peck, nabbed a guest spot on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter song “BLACKBIIRD.” She also performed on America’s Got Talent in May.

Always in the cards

Roberts spent years manifesting a Beyoncé collaboration — and performing with her at her Christmas Day halftime show in Houston was the cherry on top. “She’s always been my No. 1 favorite artist in the world,” she says. “I always knew that would happen one day. I just didn’t know when.”

Challenging the norm

“People have a certain standard of what country music should look like,” Roberts says. “I’m not trying to fit anybody’s criteria but my own and just be who I am.”

04 of 07

Chapel Hart

How you know them

The trio — sisters Danica and Devynn Hart and their cousin Trea Swindle—became stars after earning the second-ever group golden buzzer on America’s Got Talent in 2022, finishing in fifth place. “That day, 4,000 people demanded the golden buzzer,” says Danica, 34. “You can’t fake that kind of joy.”

Dolly Parton did what?!

After they performed “You Can Have Him Jolene,” their twist on Dolly Parton’s 1973 classic “Jolene,” on AGT, the legend herself gave them a shout-out on social media. “We screamed so loud, we got a noise complaint and almost got kicked out of the hotel,” says Devynn, 27, laughing.

Born to sing

Named for the small, rural Mississippi community where they were raised, the New Orleans-based group is all about family. “Our grandparents had 17 kids, and now there’s 108 of us,” says Trea, 34. “We were taught to sing before we could talk.”

05 of 07

Brittney Spencer

How you know her

Spencer, 36, was one of four women featured on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter track “BLACKBIIRD” in 2024. She’s toured with Willie Nelson and Jason Isbell, and she released her debut album, My Stupid Life, in January 2024.

Clearing hurdles

“I didn’t know if I would be able to find a home in country music,” says the Baltimore-born Spencer, who calls her journey “beautiful,” adding, “I take in the highs as deeply as I can because there are also a lot of challenges that I face because I’m a Black woman in the genre that sometimes fights change.”

Artist at work

These days Spencer is laser-focused on writing new music. “My phone’s been on Do Not Disturb for over two months,” she says. “After the year I’ve had, the thing I feel most right now is confident.”

06 of 07

Blanco Brown

How you know him

Grammy-nominated artist Brown, 39, took the world by storm with his hit “The Git Up” in 2019. The song topped Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart for 12 weeks, making him one of that year’s top new country artists.

New lease on life

In 2020 Brown was hit on his motorcycle by a drunk driver in his hometown of Atlanta, and he says the “journey” inspired songs on his upcoming album Dear Nashville. “I’m talking about my accident, overcoming and learning how to walk again,” says Brown, who broke both of his arms, wrists and legs as well as his pelvis. “I’m blessed to even be here.”

“Trailer trap” king

Brown has put his own spin on country music with a sound he calls “trailer trap.” Says Brown: “Trailer park music meets trap music. I bridged the gap. It’s been amazing overcoming all the stigma and the naysayers.”

07 of 07

Breland

How you know him

The New Jersey native, born Daniel Gerard Breland, 29, hit No. 1 on Spotify’s Global Viral chart with his 2019 debut single, “My Truck,” which also reached the Top 40 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. He’s since collaborated with country stars Dierks Bentley, Sam Hunt, Keith Urban and Shania Twain.

Church roots

“My parents are gospel singers who met in the Howard Gospel Choir in the ’80s,” says Breland. “I grew up singing in church and sitting in on choir rehearsals, so the vocal runs I do, the harmonies, the arrangements — it’s all very gospel-coded.”

On the road

Breland, who released his debut album, Cross Country, in 2022, is planning a trip overseas. “I’m gearing up for a U.K./European tour,” says the singer-songwriter, who performed five U.K. shows in 2023. “Country music is going global.”