Let's talk about HARDY

HARDY that has become an undeniable force in mainstream country music in the past two years, and some people love him, and some people hate him. This video is my attempt to understand the "Rednecker" hitmaker, and it also includes a review of his album 'Hixtape Vol. 1'. Enjoy it!
(And FYI: This vid was shot at my parents' house. Visiting them this week.)
Find Grady:
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Patreon: / gradywsmith
Subreddit: / countrymusicstuff
Twitter: / gradywsmith
Instagram: / gradywsmith
Facebook: / gradysmithwriter
Spotify: open.spotify.com/playlist/5SB...

[@GradySmith]

FYI: If you use the song title that starts with "Red" and ends with "necker" in the comments, KZbin is auto-deleting those because I guess the bots think it is derogatory... so figure out a creative way to talk about it! (And also, if you just wanna see the Hixtape review, go to 8:00.)

[@t1748ya]

Just use neckerred

[@trashpanda1999]

KZbin mad racist 😂

[@dezb8510]

Wow crimson nape is derogatory??! Isn’t there a song where the woman says I am a crimson nape woman I ain’t no high class broad?

[@dragonkfg]

Noted.

[@kodymoyer4633]

I’m surprised you didn’t mention anything on “turn you down” I was interested to hear your thoughts on that one. Also I fan girled just the littlest bit when I saw my comment lol

[@Pastorlogangrant]

“Country Post Malone” As a HUGE fan of Hardy, I’ll ride with that

[@tycarter7325]

I’d rather listen to Hardy’s clever word play than to listen to a song singing about seducing a girl while having a snaptrack in the background

[@bcjdwbiernfjherwfbowfib]

ninja penguin-10 same

[@rylanmonaghan7694]

Or you can do both and listen to I don’t know about you

[@brandonkatona3256]

“ I feel like Hardy hacked bro country”- Grady Smith

[@piggwardd]

Amen

[@daytona_200]

And he has a video on that now

[@blakesterling139]

Hardy is actually the smartest song writer in Nashville...change my mind

[@LANGI902]

Cant do it 😅

[@mmmmm-tl6tl]

Nobody’s gonna be able to change your mind, bro. Hardy is fantastic, and I personally love that he rolls with FGL and Morgan Wallen. Kinda gives the same vibe of the Migos rolling with Yachty and crap in the rap industry, but instead it’s a group of country dudes. It’s pretty cool.

[@Ryank2150]

Taylor Swift

[@brianschram6537]

Hardy is a co-writer. He writes with other people. We shouldn't forget those other writers

[@zacheadrick721]

GodKing47 she’s not in Nashville and left the country scene years ago

[@JOE40341]

I like him honestly. He's more country than a lot of the "country" artists out there.

[@Treestandtroubadour]

JOE40341 facts! I see all these crazy comments about him but I guess it’s whatever. I hunt I fish and I play guitar and write music. I’m not one of these guys that just listens to music and try’s to complain about anything they can and or claim to be a country music expert like the many people that comment on these videos. All my friends like this guy and it’s because he’s different if people don’t think he is they’ve obviously not done research

[@dylbob6520]

But he’s not country

[@jeremymccurley779]

he actually IS country. I'm about as hardcore country as it gets - and he's one of the few newer artists (along with Luke Combs, Jon Pardi, Riley Green) that I can stomach. Hardy just presents his country in a little different style than a lot of people, and it's not quite as traditional. But his songwriting is amazing and he actually uses real instruments.

[@lsufan4138]

@@jeremymccurley779 Check out Frank Foster.

[@Treestandtroubadour]

Tyler 123 i like frank foster too my favorite is the beer drinking buddies

[@savannah8243]

He also wrote over half of Morgan Wallen's If I Know Me album

[@mirandaluiza]

Savannah best album ever

[@propgro547]

I died at the reviewing his pictures part - 😂

[@CollinDudley113]

I really like his song “what backroads are for” with Tracy Lawrence and Jake Owen, it’s really cool to hear Tracy Lawrence again.

[@tonyschmitz1997]

My Account Tracy Lawrence has a new album out and it’s great!

[@christianrich8929]

This guy is from my home town. And the song he went to Jared is a real thing. He was dating this girl for years and she left him for some frat boy that went to ole miss. Like a lot of his songs, I'm sure he makes his songs off of real experiences.

[@samoliver13]

That’s one of my favorites by him, didn’t know if it was based on a true story or not. Best one in my opinion is give heaven some hell

[@smackoholick]

One of the most talented writers in country music

[@brycedoiron1944]

Signed sober you is a beauty of a tune. Such good writing.

[@cjordan789]

HARDY has forced me to do some real soul searching on my views of country music for a while and I can’t tell you after listening to a lot of his stuff, and taking into account his songwriting hits I can’t help but love him. HIXTAPE I think goes to show how many people want to work with him

[@Arose4her]

I’m freakin in love with HARDY right now! One Beer is definitely my favorite song on this album. I really don’t think Hixtape was made to be anything more than a fun project to do with all of his friends. He honestly probably told people to pick a song and we’ll throw you on there.

[@mrhipsterman]

Hixtape is one step closer to us getting a Country Cypher and I’m all for it

[@EverydayGear]

Hardy is FGL for people that don't want to tell their friends they like FGL.

[@tierneylogan5943]

Hardy wrote the only FGL songs I’ll listen to, put it like that...

[@maggiewilson184]

Everyday Gear hahahahahahha

[@drealboy_]

Fgl is like the nickelback of country music

[@TheSpartan57975]

While "No Place Like Hometown" isn't my favourite track on the record, I do think it has one of the best lines in the intro: "But when I get to missing my roots Sitting somewhere west of wherever You can find me tapping these Redwing boots together" That's some really sick songwritting IMO.

[@collinreed1786]

I was surprised when I heard him say this was his least favorite, it's my favorite on the whole album, it's a straight up jam.

[@emmaella7163]

The "no place like hometown" lyric is what kills it for me.

[@collinreed1786]

Emma Ella I guess it hits everyone different. I live in a small town with four red lights so it's relatable

[@benb2696]

You said there were 2 women featured on his new album but you forgot about Thomas Rhett.

[@bcjdwbiernfjherwfbowfib]

BenB 😂😂😂😂😂😂

[@xLiviPoox]

Maybe that's just the fellow Mississippian in me but I love Hardy. Even if some of this songs could be considered repetitive, it doesn't make his songs any less fun to listen to. He's different and I like that about him.

[@JDHeller0909]

First. I LOVE Hardy. He's very talented. His songs are smart and catchy. One thing I was shocked by was how great he is in person. I saw him open for Morgan Wallen in Nashville about a year and a half ago and he blew me away. He had more stage presence and appeal than Wallen, and it rocked

[@JMunn55]

Morgan actually seems kinda awkward on stage at times. Seeing them together would be awesome

[@grantkingsley9131]

When you said “My Kinda Livin’” and “Redneck Tendencies” I got so hype because this are my favorites as well. I love HARDY and I think he’s one of the best song writers out there.

[@bwhity5547]

1:50 - my name is zak bagans. I never believed in ghost before I came face to face with one. So I set out on a quest to capture what I once saw onto video....

[@thebayoudiaries8389]

This made me lol. Good job.

[@comandermcgarrett7795]

I like hardys style alot. My favorite song from the album is nothin out here. I want this album and Midlands album.

[@jquinn4302]

One beer with Lauren Alaina is great. It's a really well thought out song in my opinion.

[@robertherbert1328]

I found HARDY through his song Signed, Sober You, and I instantly enjoyed his music. It's repetitive and monotonous, but it's easy to sing to because of that. Turn You Down is fun with the windows down on the highway, 4x4 is fun on a back road drive, I'll Quit Lovin You is calmer and toned down a little. I like HARDY because there's a lot of generalized lyrics that I can listen to and I can think about how I relate to them or I can not think about them at all. I like his word choices, rhyme schemes, alliteration, word play, references, and the like a lot, and that's one of the biggest reasons I like listening to him. But he has songs, like This Ole Boy, that have unique chord structures and different musicality. Again, a lot of his stuff touches on generalized and similar topics, but country music is about the country. Pop music sings about love and money, R&B sings about heartache and love, Techno/Edm focuses on strong bass, good percussion and female vocals a lot, Rap focuses on spreading messages and bragging or calling someone out. Song genres tend to stick to things they know. I think it's impressive that HARDY was able to partner with so many artists on Hixtape, as it's introduced me to other people that I never would have heard otherwise. I wish more collaborations would happen, but I understand the struggle sometimes. I just think it's cool to see someone put out an album that features a lot of people. It might seem overwhelming, but each person's voice lends a different color and tonality to the songs. The lyrics might be similar overall, but the instruments and vocals vary from song to song, making it, in my opinion, and engaging album.

[@miniraph9921]

His best song is by far "all she left was me"

[@nickbrincks]

I agree! I love the wordplay in that song. Melody is great too.

[@JMunn55]

great writing and melody, one of hus best, Some Things Never Change with Dallas Smith is up there too

[@daylenjohnson8123]

He reminds me of a ebay version of kid rock 😂

[@ryanogden5635]

Super underrated comment lmaoooo

[@daylenjohnson8123]

Thank you 😂😂

[@justsomehuman9847]

Here for it

[@tabeesle]

😂

[@jakedaddio8909]

I love how you reviews on topics remain well thought out and how you never really show clear biases.

[@danielbacon3740]

"Jingles for Pringles" at 2:24, I absolutely love it, Thank-you Grady

[@delaneyxhart]

"The epitome of White Claw culture" is an underrated quote

[@tone4dayz]

Just wanted to say that I’m not the biggest country fan ever but I love watching your vids and hearing your take on things😌😌

[@samboyd731]

He was the bass player for CJ Solar, with whom he wrote "Up Down" before writing on his own and putting out his solo stuff

[@stevensullivan4934]

I’m from Philadelphia I don’t live to far from where he used to live.. me and his hometown for sure support him

[@jakekohnmusic2334]

Woah, i love this video, but i just noticed that you hit 80k subs! Congrats dude! Your channel is the best. Well deserved

[@Shellinois]

Thank you. This video helped me understand Hardy. "I Don't Know About You" may not be a "country" song, but its lyrical wordplay is on point. Dude writes a sharp hook and strong lyrics.

[@morgankelly7157]

I actually like Hardy my favorite song of his although it's pretty poppy is all she left was me

[@Jackson42011]

Great song

[@michaelkennedy272]

Absolutely love love love " This Ole Boy "

[@realtalkkt]

My brother in law put me on to “A ROCK” and I was immediately hooked. Dudes writing is on a whole other level. And BOOTS cemented me in. Had some Four Year Strong riffs in there. Made me want to write some country/hXc crossover songs lol

[@grantgeppert6066]

I am big into traditional sounding country music, but I really enjoy this album! Great review!

[@laylamarie5127]

Yes, yes yes! Thank you so much for doing a video about HARDY! I really wanted you to do this video, thank you so much!

[@barbiemerson]

Hardy kinda grows on you. At 1st I thought he was a big goof ball. Morgan’s side kick/Drinking Buddy. When you peel back the layers- he’s amazing. He made sure his girl graduated college with a degree/career before he married her. Thoughtful, smart, caring. Morgan also loves words-a thoughtful friendship there. He reads his IG & often responds to a fans. He’s Incredible.

[@rachelstein255]

Nothin Out Here and Something a lil stronger are my personal favorites from Hixtape!

[@alisha.lainee]

One Beer is my favorite song of his

[@quinnthomas3464]

I am obsessed with this record. Definitely have my eye on Hardy.

[@justinnewman1997]

Have you ever talked about earl dribble jr or wheel Walker jr?

[@jacksongates1347]

11:15 is exactly how I feel, didn't think I'd like him and now I'm going to see him in November

[@brookelawton822]

The more you listen to hell right, the better it gets 😭I jam out to that song

[@dirtracer21d]

I hated when I first heard and hate it very slightly less now lol

[@brookelawton822]

Tony Davis same I was like umm I don’t know about this and now I play it every second in the car 😂!!

[@pompelmo904]

Love this review, I'm glad you gave it a chance. This dude is a songwriter genius.

[@Thunderchicken69]

You mentioned mountain music by Alabama and it instantly came on SXM Prime Country in the background in my truck, I’m sitting in a Home Depot parking lot watching this, by the way.

[@michaelhallett7721]

Out of the hixtapes my favorite one is “What they make backroads for” but I love “this ole boy” and “I’ll quit lovin’ you”.

[@lilg1508]

I love hardy and I enjoyed “hixtape a lot

[@danielmunson7051]

Thank you for doing this video! I know you have a more obscure taste in country, but I love it when you put out reviews of mainstream artists too. HARDY's got a great future ahead of him. Hope you can review Pardi's new album soon, too!

[@GradySmith]

Riley Green is going to post in an hour or so, and then I will get to Jon.

[@mohnjayer]

I respect the guy as a writer and artist but there’s no denying that he’s contributed a ton to the radio-ready pop music total garbage side of country and that’s unforgivable.

[@brookepage8653]

Love your channel and hope your dad is doing well! Hope to see another "hot takes", great video.

[@leeryan1051]

When I first heard of Hardy and saw what he looked like I remember saying to my friends "He looks like a guy who was huge into the indie hipster scene and then found country music"

[@LANGI902]

Dude has such a strong talent for songwriting 💯 Hixtape is great!

[@filthysock]

Definitely sounds like an album I wanna add to my collection.

[@chandlerkellogg8781]

Shoutout for showing the mass comm building at MTSU, where all of the recording industry classes are held!

[@melissak8892]

Hardy is a poet. Actually, I think his collaborations and obligations bring him down some. Watch his live acoustic songs on YT to really see it.

[@NoCoverCharge]

I’m about to drive 16 hours just to go see Hardy and I can’t wait

[@Hello-wn7er]

He is really going somewhere I believe. And I thank god there is someone on KZbin that has knowledge and guts to give your opinion on country music! So I thank you! FYI: You look like Dirks Bentley a lot..!

[@ashleyhill415]

After watching a lot of your videos.. i realized We literally have the same taste in music. Will keep watching 🙌🏼

[@punkdrum77]

Me, primarily a fan of punk and metal who is using this channel to explore more of the country world after dipping my toe in with Eric Church and The Zac Brown Band (on that note, thank you Grady), when the Hardy Hixtape Vol. 1 cover flashed on screen "Is that Zakk Wylde?!" (longtime guitarist for Ozzy Osbourne and frontman of Black Label Society). That is NOT the collaboration I was expecting.

[@yoshi_rod]

Listening on Spotify RIGHT NOW!

[@stephaniephelps1683]

Love HARDY~ Can't wait to see Highway Find Tour!

[@hypecity08]

1:59 in 2023 (almost 2024) u want to blame you, Grady, for the reason Posty is making country.

[@GrantH]

Bro country isn’t really dead, it’s just adapted

[@6oclocknewsat8]

I love Hardy and his multisyllabic rhymes like in Truck Bed "I woke up on the WRONG SIDE, of the truck bed this morning With a BONE DRY, bottle of Jack I was pouring" And Rednecker when he says "I have a little more kick in my drawl Y'all and a little more spit in my Chaw"

[@jalensexton8712]

What are your thoughts on Marty Robbins?

[@danielherrera3302]

Hardy it’s like if Old Row became a person

[@ThePete2432]

I met him in person a handful of times. He’s a legitimately solid guy. I’m not a big snap clap guy, but I love his solo stuff.

[@sunny_in_FL]

Didn’t know he was involved in so many songs. Great breakdown.

[@rockpaperscissors82]

"How many songs that essentially mean the same thing can we make." Yep, and that's why I don't take this guy seriously as an artist, no matter how clever on occasion. It's lifestyle branding, not dissimilar to what happened in hip-hop in the late 90's, basically ruining it as a mainstream format. He's playing the system, so, yes, he hacked bro country -- a great way of putting it, by the way.

[@Sassafras-]

That's because you're a jackass

[@sirbastian9243]

Krieger Time lmaooo

[@johnmarston6450]

Hardy’s mixtape vol. 1 should be album of the year hands down! He’s also badass as hell

[@ruttoutdoors4897]

Hardy is awesome! Signed sober you is such a good song because it’s so relatable. He went to Jared is a good one because it’s relatable to blue collar guys to my self.

[@JD-mv8tl]

Hardy is a hell of a singer and has song talent

[@MuzikkJunkiee]

Great Episode Grady but I was hoping you would spend sometime on his EPs! Those of us that were fans long before Hixtape loved on his EPs for a while they are amazing! Was hoping to get your thoughts! Loved your HARDY content anyways, keep it up!

[@Sweshification]

I don't know how anyone doesn't like Hardy....He is super talented, his bromance with Morgan Wallen is adorable and he just seems like the nicest guy.

[@TheAlexLamberty]

You were spot on about his cleverness in the love of repetitive consonants like “bigger buck and bass”. He’s very talented regardless if you like his type of music or not.

[@treyrathman1750]

Love your content man! I would love to hear you talk about Tenille Townes I love her voice and her almost radio hit “somebody’s daughter” but I think you need to check out “jersey on the wall- I’m just asking” by her. That was the first time in a long time that a song just made me feel a way I’ve never felt before. I feel like you’d like that song but hey I could be wrong haha. Keep up the good work!

[@GradySmith]

Love Tenille! Actually talked about her in my Most Underrated video a couple weeks ago!!

[@emmaella7163]

I read -necker as a truthful parody, if that makes sense. Like "I am all these things" but with a sense of humour about it. I heard He Went To Jared as a pre-release for Hixtape and it's one of my favs on the whole album. I think it's fun - and funny. Especially how Hardy and Wallen have gone on a 2 verse rant about this girl choosing another guy and then the line about not liking her anyway. Like that's pretty much how that would go down in a bar. One Beer is another one of my favs. It feels real. It's a story I've heard before but you don't hear it as much as it happens and I feel like someone, somewhere is gonna feel that little bit better because of it and I like that.

[@deangulberry1876]

I heard about this guy from All-Pro lineman Quentom Nelson wearing his hat “ Run the Damn Ball” for my beloved Colts team

[@austincosman6026]

The Post Malone of country music is pretty accurate

[@drowebot]

You nailed my exact feelings on Hixtape and Hardy. Like I kinda want to hate it, but, I secretly listen to it while drinking beer a lot 🤷‍♂️

[@Jackson42011]

And I do like the "music coalitions" between Hardy and other artists. People are drawn to the camaraderie of groups like the Rat Pack and the Brat Pack and now this with FGL, Wallen, Hardy.

[@caitiebabe87]

You are really smart when it comes To musical analytics

[@caseyspeer]

lmaooooo theatre goth who huffs glue

[@05yamahayfz]

Seen him in concert twice in the last 9 months both with Morgan Wallen and hands down one of the better concerts I've been to. He's definitely found his niche in country music.

[@lauraafullertonn1774]

Such a good video!!

[@cobyfutrell6223]

Clicked so fast, l ove love love Hardy

[@gum761]

i think The Cadillac Three also did something along the sames lines with "The south" With this Country colab thing. Its a interesting new era for country.

[@allycharpentier979]

Honestly I love him! I’m seeing him next month in New York

[@alexandrajensen8464]

One beer is such a guilty pleasure song 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@preflightdrip8672]

He went to jared and one beer are the best in my opinion. Also he is country, stop saying hes not if you dont agree feel free to argue your point.

[@jordanreisinger3587]

I was so set on hating this album when he was teasing it on his Instagram and then when it came out it kind of surprised me! I think it’s a cool project, a kind of merger between the modern “bro country” scene and hints of classics sounds, especially from vocals, with people like Trace Adkins, Joe Diffie and Tracy Lawrence. Then you have up and coming artists like Lauren Alaina and Jon Langston who have such amazing voices being brought on to this runaway train of success HARDY is riding right now. I’ll be honest, I’ve been playing this album on repeat.

[@GradySmith]

I'm basically in the exact same boat as you.

[@KLee27533]

Mad respect for HARDY I usually hate new male country artists bit there's something unique about him and I think he's awesome

[@aidanw9378]

Watching this now as a new HARDY fan, I really see the point about wordplay while listening to A Rock. Now that's a well written song

[@Milewski23]

Haha, when you were describing him, as I was looking at the pictures I literally said “he reminds me of Post Malone” RIGHT before you said “He’s like a country Post Malone,” Very nice comparison

[@ladywunderkind9390]

Also feeling neutral about him. He does have good wordplay but I feel like he's working with the wrong people. I used to be a really big FGL fan.

[@elijahrobbins7846]

Anybody else catch that here comes the bride is in the background of he went to Jared?