Hosier

Hosier, a country rapper who blends hip-hop energy with rock & roll drive while painting vivid portraits of small-town existence through a street-smart urban lens, was born Chris Hosier on December 1, 1988, in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Listeners should not mistake him for the Irish singer-songwriter Hozier. He endured a challenging upbringing in nearby Anderson, Indiana, roughly eighty miles from his birthplace, and developed fierce self-reliance early on. His cousin and closest friend, both deeply immersed in hip-hop and active in Anderson’s underground rap circuit, shaped his musical outlook. At eighteen Chris began crafting his own rhymes and beats with ambitions of carving out a distinct identity. In 2011, under the moniker Young Chris, he issued his debut singles “Crooked City Champion” and “Make the Hood Jump,” quickly establishing himself among the Midwest’s foremost “hick hop” acts. By 2012 he had adopted the stage name Hosier, and steady touring over the following years steadily broadened his audience. Momentum built in 2016 when tracks such as “Long Bumpy Road,” “Redneck Rave Anthem,” “Country Side Living,” and “Jamming Sweet Home Alabama” gained traction via streaming platforms. His debut full-length project, Paving My Way, arrived in April 2017 on his self-founded Redneckin imprint.