Back when hip-hop was seeping out of New York City and becoming the soundtrack of urban American, red states preferred the rootsy melodies of country music. In those years, the idea of combining the ...

Editor’s Note: A version of this story first appeared in The Good, the Bad, and the Elegy, a newsletter from the Daily Yonder focused on the best, and worst, in rural media, entertainment, and culture ...

A few familiar names top this first Top 40 Country Songs of 2025 list, but more than a few newcomers who are seeking their first country hit help make up the Top 10. Morgan Wallen's "Love Somebody" ...