Moonshine Bandits

The Moonshine Bandits, a Central California duo of rappers Tex and Bird, brought an old-school perspective to the hick-hop genre that recalled Johnny Cash meeting the Beastie Boys. At the time of their 2003 debut album Soggy Crackerz, only Bubba Sparxxx, Haystak, and a small number of other acts were merging country, rap, and rock. Prohibition arrived in 2006 with guest contributions from Bubba Sparxxx and Danny Boone of Rehab, while E-40, the Bay Area's slang king, appeared on 2009's Divebars and Truckstops. The pair joined the Suburban Noize roster in 2011 and delivered Whiskey and Women, then issued Calicountry three years later featuring a returning Danny Boone alongside new collaborator Colt Ford. Calicountry reached number 22 on Billboard's Country Albums chart, and its 2015 follow-up Blacked Out climbed to number 13. March 2017 brought the Moonshine Bandits' seventh album, Baptized in Bourbon, with Gold Rush appearing the subsequent year.