Album Review: I Hope You’re Happy by BigXthaPlug
BigXthaPlug’s first country-trap outing proves he can orchestrate a crossover and still retain the core of what makes him compelling. Not every experiment lands perfectly, but it’s engaging.
BigXthaPlug didn’t plan a country album—he blurted “I got a country project on the way” in a Billboard interview and then had to build one in real time. He then doubled down and poured real-life pain into the music. The emotional catalyst was a bad breakup, and BigX has said I Hope You’re Happy traces “every step of a breakup” he experienced while making it. In fact, the title track was the first song he wrote post-heartbreak, essentially a letter to his ex. True to country tradition, these 11 tracks teem with heartache, regret, and whiskey-soaked reflections (BigX asked country folks what defines the genre, and “they all told me ‘heartbreak and whiskey’,” he laughed). With this blueprint, BigX structured the album almost like a concept record, following the arc of a failed romance from bitter end to hard-won acceptance. Where career survival and personal bruises share the same ledger; placed against last year’s Take Care, a confident Southern-rap set built on soul-sample muscle and victory laps, this is a riskier, narrower lens—less flex, more sting—that tests whether his rap cadence can carry country’s plainspoken hurt and whether Nashville’s big hooks can carry his confessions.
The album’s narrative spine is its breakup storyline, and BigX takes us through the messy cycle of feelings in roughly chronological fashion. It opens with the [aforementioned] soulful title track featuring Darius Rucker, which sets a tone of bittersweet well-wishing and wounded sarcasm. Over twangy guitars and Rucker’s warm vocals, BigX addresses his ex directly: “I hope you’re happy with somebody new… I hope it won’t break your heart… And I hope you’re happy with the way you broke mine.” That cutting line encapsulates the mixed emotions—genuine hope she’s doing well, paired with a reminder of the hurt she caused. Immediately after, a spoken-word Gone (Interlude) finds BigX venting frustration, noting how “every breakup… get worse,” and lamenting all the time and energy “wasted” on a love that’s now just gone.
From there, the album plunges into the darkest depths of heartbreak. “Box Me Up” is an early highlight that doubles as a gut-punch. Over a somber trap ballad, Jelly Roll’s gravelly chorus doesn’t mince words: “If I lose you tonight… box me up and bury me alive.” BigX’s verses that follow are some of his most vulnerable ever, confessing confusion and despair at being left despite “following all the rules” to keep her love. It’s a dramatic, almost morbid depiction of heartbreak that leans all the way in to country’s pain-is-love mentality (with Jelly Roll’s powerhouse vocals amplifying the agony). “All the Way” flips the script from pleading not to lose her into a stern request: if she’s gonna leave, do it clean. Powered by an earworm hook from Bailey Zimmerman, BigX and Bailey beg the ex for a decisive break—“Don’t let me down easy, baby go and leave me all the way… burn all the bridges.” It’s an unusually self-aware twist with both men admitting they’re still in love but know an on-and-off situation would only prolong the pain. The song’s emotional crescendo (with Bailey’s stormy croon and BigX’s fierce flow trading lines) makes it obvious why this duet went viral earlier in the year; it’s cathartic, catchy, and seamlessly blends country angst with trap percussion.
The tone shifts from sorrow to spite. “Hell at Night” is an ode to “taking the low road,” as BigX and Ella revel in a little revenge and pettiness. Ella Langley’s presence adds a fiery female perspective, and she pairs gorgeously with BigX as they channel scorn into a rowdy, rock-tinged anthem. It’s as if the exes from earlier tracks decide to hell with moping—let’s go out, raise some hell, and make our former lovers jealous. The chemistry here is electric and darkly fun, offering a breather from the heavier ballads. An interlude, “Gift & a Curse,” then reflects on the relationship’s dual nature, resetting the mood. In the home stretch, the album pivots to introspection and, eventually, acceptance. “Pray Hard” brings a gospel tinge as BigX seeks solace and resilience through faith. Combs’ hearty voice likely carries a soaring chorus (one can imagine the churchy swell of his delivery), and BigX sounds rejuvenated rapping about holding on through the storm. “Home” reunites BigX with a fellow country-trap hybrid star, Shaboozey, for a song that feels like two drinking buddies commiserating. There’s a strong sense of camaraderie and comfort—fittingly, this track was the lead single, and they even shut down a Dallas bridge at rush hour to shoot its video.
By “24/7,” BigX addresses how the memories still haunt him around the clock. This is perhaps the one feature that lands a bit softly; Ink’s contribution is smooth, but the song itself is comparatively forgettable amid so many bigger moments. Luckily, BigX saves some of his sharpest writing for the final act. “About You” is a late-album standout that serves as BigX’s scathing goodbye letter. Over a rocking backdrop, he calls out his ex’s narcissism and lies—“Go ahead and make it about you… I don’t miss the crazy, I don’t miss the lies,” Tucker belts in the hook. BigX’s verses here are downright therapy, unloading betrayal after betrayal (she spread rumors, left when things got hard, even “spilled some of the tea” about him). The raw honesty, combined with Tucker Wetmore’s authentic country rasp, makes “About You” a fiery kiss-off that will have listeners cheering for BigX’s self-respect. The ride ends with “Long Nights,” a triumphant breath of fresh air. Thomas Rhett’s honeyed chorus celebrates how far BigX has come (“we done come a long way from them porch lights…”) and BigX’s verse details his real-life come-up from a dangerous Dallas youth to rap stardom. It’s a reflective victory lap that only lightly touches on the breakup. Notably, at the very end, BigX includes a spoken outro addressed to his ex: he says he’d thank her for the lessons and that “overall… I just, I hope she happy.” Coming full circle to the album’s title phrase, this ending lends a surprisingly gracious closure to the emotional rollercoaster.
The big question hanging over I Hope You’re Happy is whether BigXthaPlug’s rap delivery meshes with the album’s heavy dose of twangy guitars, fiddles, and country tropes. BigX always had a deep Texas drawl and even wore a cowboy hat in the video for his 2022 breakout “Texas,” so in a sense, he’s always been a little country. There’s a natural grit in his tone that complements a melancholy banjo or Telecaster lick; when BigX growls about heartache, he sounds like he could be from a honky-tonk or a trap house, take your pick. The beats do a fine job straddling both worlds—there are rattling hi-hats and booming 808s to satisfy hip-hop listeners, but also plenty of twang, slide guitar, and even the occasional fiddle to authenticate the Nashville vibe. The novelty of a “50/50 country/trap hybrid album” is undeniable, yet I Hope You’re Happy seldom feels like a gimmick. That said, there are a few bumps on the dirt road. A couple of tracks (notably “Pray Hard” and “Long Nights”) lean more toward straight hip-hop, which BigX himself admitted were originally intended to sound “different from the [rest of the] songs.” They’re solid tracks individually, but their modern trap style momentarily pulls you out of the country vibe the album builds.
As a collective, though, the project’s sonic cohesion is better than skeptics might expect. It helps that nearly every track centers on heartache, a theme that both country and rap know well. The consistent subject matter and BigX’s unwavering commitment to baring his soul act as glue holding the stylistic mashup together, even when the album zig-zags a bit. A project this ambitious is bound to have a few missteps. There are times the writing leans on familiar country clichés (drinking to numb pain, prayer, karma, etc.), but it doesn’t feel phoned in. Rather, it comes off as BigX learning the ropes of a new genre’s language. When he sings about whiskey and heartache, you believe he means it, even if those are well-trodden tropes. Producer Tony Coles (a holdover from BigX’s rap records) and others did an admirable job ensuring the album slaps in a car stereo and still twangs enough for a country bar. But the album is only 26 minutes long, so it never drags. In fact, one could argue that I Hope You’re Happy ends too quickly; a couple more songs exploring the later stages of healing could have been welcome. Still, brevity also keeps it replayable and focused.
Solid (★★★½☆)
Favorite Track(s): “Box Me Up,” “All the Way,” “Hell at Night”