Billy Ray Cyrus released a country cover of an LL Cool J rap song “Mama Said Knock You Out;” a strange decision that yields surprisingly decent results.
Before I listened to the song, I had a hard time envisioning how a fast-paced, enjoyable rap song would translate into country, which is typically slower than rap (with some exceptions) and is more acoustic. Cyrus surprised me by slowing down the pace of the song and adding unique vocal effects on both the background vocals and chorus.
So yes, the rap song was able to mostly translate well into a different genre, mostly because Cyrus was able to handle the transition better by changing what wouldn’t work in the process and replacing it with his cover’s own unique characteristics that makes the cover his own.
If you’re a country fan, I highly recommend this song. If you’re a rap fan and you’re curious about how a rap song can be made into a different genre, I would recommend this song as well (maybe along with Five Finger Death Punch’s cover as well), I think you would be pleasantly surprised.