Country music legend Billy Ray Cyrus has thrown his support behind a young rapper who sparked debate when his hit song was controversially stripped from Billboard's hit country music chart.
Old Town Road by Lil Nas X, which mixes elements of hip-hop and country music, had reached number 19 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs when it was pulled from the influential chart last month.
In a statement to Rolling Stone, Billboard said it was taken down because it did not "embrace enough elements of today's country music".
That sparked fierce backlash from the rapper's fans on social media, who said it was a clear example of discrimination.
'What's not country about it?'
Lil Nas X said he was "extremely disappointed" to be dropped from the country chart, even though Old Town Road still appeared in the R&B/Hip-Hop list.
He later told Time Magazine the song was "country trap" and should be included in both genres.
But Billboard said it changed its mind after re-evaluating the song's composition.
"When determining genres, a few factors are examined, but first and foremost is musical composition," the representative told Rolling Stone.
"Upon further review, it was determined that Old Town Road by Lil Nas X does not currently merit inclusion on Billboard's country charts."
The debate ramped up when Billy Ray Cyrus, best known for his 90s country earworm Achy Breaky Heart, said there was no doubt the song was country and western.
"It was so obvious to me after hearing the song just one time," he said.
"I was thinking, what's not country about it? What's the rudimentary element of a country and western song? Then I thought, it's honest, humble, and has an infectious hook, and a banjo. What the hell more do ya need?"
Cyrus has since released a remix of the song with Lil Nas X in an apparent bid to boost the song's country credibility.
