On Tuesday’s (June 29) episode of America’s Got Talent, host Terry Crews called the music of bluegrass/rap quintet Gangstagrass “hee-haw hip-hop.”
And that blending of musical genres and personalities is exactly what the band’s founder, Rench, was going for when he assembled the group more than a decade ago. “I wanted to create a band like this to play for America and bring a message that Americans can find common ground and get over some of the divisions that we’ve been experiencing and come together,” Rench told the AGT panel. “I had to go out and find the perfect people to make it into a reality.”
The group’s performance of original song “Bound to Ride” started out with just a country vibe, thanks to some powerful banjo (Dan Whitener) and fiddle (Brian Farrow) playing, as well as tight bluegrass harmonies, before the two Gangstagrass MCs — R-SON the Voice of Reason and Dolio the Sleuth — traded bars to bring that “hee-haw hip-hop” Terry promised.
“These are my brothers up here,” R-SON said while introducing the band, driving home the message of unity Rench was after. “This is my family.”
Watch the Gangstagrass performance below. America’s Got Talent airs Tuesday nights on NBC at 8 p.m. ET.
