Rap and Country: More similar than different

Obviously rap and country and very different from each other. Their general fan bases are as far apart as can be, their sound is on opposite ends of the spectrum and the lifestyles of the artists are very different, or so they appear to us in their advertising. I'm sure there are many people out there that listen to both rap and country. But there are many fans of both that have a great divide. Some diehard country fans would never listen to rap, and a lot of rap fans completely reject country. This could be because of the difference in sound. Country and rap both have unique musical styles. Country is normally more of a slow and subtle musical style. You can understand what they are saying in their songs and any normal person could relate to it. Their songs are more about the lyrics and the story. Rap seems a little more exaggerated. Many rap songs are so fast you can't understand what they're saying and even if you can hear the words you may not know what they mean. They're more about the beat than lyrics. Rap artists portray themselves and being flashy with their expensive brand names and jewelry. Country musicians seem to try and keep themselves low key. You often see them in just jeans and a button up shirt and a cowboy hat on.
But with all these obvious differences, there are many not so obvious similarities between the two that makes them more similar to each other than any other genre of music. First off, country and rap are both "southern". They originated in the south and when you think of the mainstream artists from both genres they're from the southern states. This gives them a similar background with similar influences. Another similarity is their ability to exaggerate. Though country sounds "tame" and "innocent" it really isn't. A lot of rap songs talk about shooting people, doing drugs and having sex with loads of women and they get criticized for being so crude. But, country songs also often talk about shooting people, drinking a lot and having sex with women and it isn't seen as so bad. Yet another similarity is that both genres of music are very unpopular with certain people. Many people have an EXTREME hatred for either one or both rap and country. Both are extremely popular, but equally hated at the same time. And a last large similarity between the two is that they both have a stereotype for their fans. People are often surprised when they find out someone who doesn't fit that stereotype listens to that kind of music. To listen to country you need to be black and dress a certain way. To listen to country you have to be a hick living in the middle of nowhere. But that isn't really the case at all, people just try to ignore the reality of it and deny they listen to it as Klosterman said.