Playing Chicken With the Train: Cowboy Troy's Hick-Hop and the Transracial Country West

Brad Paisley-a different kind of cowboy before “Accidental Racist”?

“…In both Haggard's song and “Back to the Future” the narrators and the black figures, even though they differ in race, are united in the same class. The inclusion of black and white country performers in the same class is also found in the lyrics to “I Play Chicken With the Train” (Cowboy Troy, 2005) by black hick‐hop artist Cowboy Troy, where Adam Gussow claims that the line “and I make the train jump the track like that” challenges “the racially restrictive ‘train’ that is Nashville” (Gussow, ). While that line may challenge the Nashville organization, artists Big and Rich are featured on the song, and the lyrics reference Cowboy Troy's appearance on the CMA's [Country Music Awards], state that Tim McGraw “likes the way my hick‐hop sounds,” and indicates his Texas upbringing.…”

“…I am not addressing the use of rap or the shift in performance style between the two artists. The use of rap in country music was fairly common at the time this song was released and the relationships between rap and country have been addressed elsewhere, see Gussow .…”

Deflective Whiteness: Co-Opting Black and Latinx Identity Politics

“…"Old Town Road" and "Playing Chicken with the Train" embolden audiences to embody a cowboy persona of a boastful swagger laced with defiance of authority. Adam Gussow (2010) notes that what he calls "a multi-sourced, all-American tradition of vernacular self-aggrandizement" is a trope seen throughout American literature, noting the work of Mark Twain, folklore about Davy Crockett, as well as popular music including rap, traditional country music, and hip-hop. 73 What makes Lil Nas X different from Cowboy Troy is not only the less political content of his lyrics, but also his apt use of social media (which did not exist in the same way fourteen years earlier) and his sexuality.…”