If it seems like an unlikely pairing, think again: Country and rap have always had more in common than meets the eye. Both genres come from a tradition of being proud of where you come from, and both feature a strong emphasis on imaginative, vivid lyrical storytelling.

In recent years, the country rap format has exploded, with innovative newcomers like Lil Nas X and Jelly Roll delivering new ideas about what a blend of the two genres might sound like. Before that, some of mainstream country's biggest hitmakers — Blake Shelton and Jason Aldean, for two — took cues from the hip hop world to bring rap into their songs, and went to the top of the country charts with the results.

But country rap is far from a new phenomenon. You could make an argument that some of the more talk-singing material from Roger Miller and Johnny Cash count as early forays in the country rap format, but this list excludes those songs — and still the earliest true country rap songs started showing up in the 1980s.

Read on as Taste of Country counts down the Top 30 Country Rap Songs of All Time.

The 30 Best Country Rap Songs of All Time, Ranked

"Old Town Road" is just the tip of the iceberg. Here are a list of the 30 best or more memorable country rap songs of all time.

More From 101.9 The Bull