“It's a Star-Studded Tape”: BigXthaPlug Confirms He's Finished His New Country EP, Featuring Post Malone, Jelly Roll, Shaboozey and More

While in Nashville accepting the Innovator of the Year Award at the 2025 Billboard Power Players ceremony, BigXthaPlug offered fans an update on his long-teased country EP.

While talking to Billboard's Jessica Nicholson, BigX revealed the project has been completed, with blockbuster features locked in with Post Malone, Jelly Roll and Shaboozey.

When asked about the status of his country record, the ‘Texas’ rapper explained, “I actually just finished with it, so we're getting the last couple of mixes and masters on that. I mean, it's a star-studded tape. You got Post Malone, you got Jelly Roll, you got Bailey Zimmerman, you got Shaboozey. Man...for those guys to accept me and what I had going, and just to help me...It was a blessing. I love those guys, I appreciate those guys. It's gonna be one for the books for sure”.

BigX has emerged on-stage with both Jelly Roll and Post Malone in recent weeks, with the genre-blending artist teasing collaborations with both. More recently, the ‘All the Way’ hitmaker shared a snippet of a new joint track with Shaboozey, seemingly titled ‘Highway Highway’, which we're hoping will be dropping soon.

The lead single from BigXthaPlug's country EP is his smash hit, ’All the Way’ with Bailey Zimmerman, which has already racked up over 60 million streams since dropping in April.

After speaking with Nicholson, BigXthaPlug was presented with the coveted Billboard Innovator of the Year Award by Shaboozey, who paid homage to his friend's impact on music.

Shaboozey warmly toasted his friend and ‘Drink Don't Need No Mix’ collaborator, “X is someone who didn't just break the mould, he melted it down and made his own. X's distinct tone, punchy delivery, raw storytelling ability and larger-than-life stage presence have helped him become one of rap's most recognisable newcomers. And now he's taking that energy to country, as he ushers in a new chapter, in his already-hall-of-fame career. But what really makes X an innovator is not just his unique sound, and his trademark ad-lib, it's the way he moves”.

He went on, “His independent mindset, his culture-first decision-making, empowering his team, his city and his people. It's way bigger than just music. He's building a legacy, a blueprint and a franchise. So from Dallas to the world, from studio sessions to stadium stages, we see you, BigX! We salute your growth, your grind and your genius. With that said, here's to the Billboard Innovator of the Year, make some noise for the biggest, the largest, the one and only BigXthaPlug!”

During his chat with Nicholson, BigXthaPlug endearingly reciprocated Shaboozey's love, “Man, Shaboozey is, like, that's my brother. That's the guy I can call. It could be a Sunday night, I could call him and he's going to answer. Yeah, man, he's just, since day one, he's just been a brother of mine. He looks at me like one of the greatest in my genre, I look at him the same way. So every time we see each other it's like, ‘Man, you did this!’, and he's like, ‘Well, you did this!’...That's my brother, man, he's doing a lot of great things and I'm proud to see him doing them”.

In Shaboozey's 2025 Holler interview, he emphasised his respect for BigX, “He's amazing, that's my guy. He's just a humble guy, a loving man and a great guy. Everyone around him loves him, he takes care of his people, his family, he's just a really stand-up guy. I think he's one of the most polarising people in music right now”.

When BigXthaPlug walked on-stage at the event, he heartwarmingly brought his baby with him, with a sweet video later surfacing of Ella Langley holding BigX's daughter while Shaboozey plays with her. It seems it might be too late for Langley to get a feature on BigX's country project, but we're hoping they'll join forces in the future.

Despite not officially on the CMA Fest 2025 line-up, with BigXthaPlug in Music City this week and Bailey Zimmerman teasing two surprise guests for his Nissan Stadium set on Sunday, it looks like we'll be seeing more of BigX in the next few days.

As well as seemingly coming out with Zimmerman, BigX is rumoured to be the mystery performer at 12:30am tonight (Thursday, June 5) at Spotify House, with Spotify's Hot Country Instagram page hinting at an appearance by putting two ‘X’s next to the slot.

Either way, excitingly, it looks like the rollout for BigXthaPlug's highly anticipated EP is picking up pace, with ‘Highway Highway’ expected to drop in the coming weeks.

Previously, BigX cited Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs as two featured artists on the project, but given the fact that he didn't mention either artist in his new Billboard interview, it seems we might have to wait a little longer before getting these two link-ups. When chatting to Theo Von for his This Past Weekend podcast in March, Wallen outlined that BigXthaPlug was supposed to appear on his I'm the Problem stand-out, ‘Miami’, but the Texas native didn't get his verse finished in time.

Regardless, BigXthaPlug's EP is already shaping up to be one of the biggest - and ‘The Largest’ - country releases of the summer. If he does appear during CMA Fest, it'll be a seismic event akin to last year's unexpected performances from Post Malone.

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