On his new album Thanks for Listening, which debuted in the Top 10 on Billboard's all-genre Top 200 Albums chart, country-rap pioneer Colt Ford recruited artists like Keith Urban, Justin Moore and Jerrod Niemann to lend their talents. But it's Ford who finds himself in the role of guest vocalist on a remix of Brad Paisley's latest single, "River Bank."


Released this week, the update features Ford free-styling about Sea-Doos and making the "liver quiver" in the song's bridge: "Beers, floats, trucks, girls, welcome to our world," he raps.

Ford says the idea to remix "River Bank" came after a writing session with Paisley, who wanted to work with the rapper after hearing some of the songs on Thanks for Listening.

"Brad and I had never met before, but I love the way he writes, the double entendre stuff he writes. He just gave me a call and said he wanted to get together," Ford tells Rolling Stone Country.

The two ended up writing late into the night with frequent Paisley collaborator Kelley Lovelace and hatched two songs: one that Ford says may appear on his next album, the other for Paisley.

Afterward, Paisley reached out to Ford with the "River Bank Rip Rap" idea. "He sent it over to me, I did my thing and he dug it," says Ford, who was happy to see Paisley keep his remix, while peppered with hip-hop beats, rooted in the country community. "A lot of guys are doing remixes and they go way outside the genre [to recruit guest artists], which is cool, but I think it's cool that Brad asked me, to keep it a for-sure country thing."

While Ford doesn't know if his version of "River Bank" will appear on Moonshine in the Trunk, Paisley's new album set for an August 26th release, he predicts he'll be collaborating with the Rising Star judge down the road.

"I'm looking for us to do more together. It's a good vibe there. The stuff we've been writing has been a lot of fun. He's somebody I'd love to go on the road with and play with. He likes to have fun. He hates golf, but that's ok…cause he does like fishing" quips Ford, a onetime golf pro who is gearing up for his Colt Ford & Friends Third Annual Celebrity Golf Classic.

And as for a recent Paisley joke tweet that requested Ford appear in a "River Bank Rip Rap" video in a wet T-shirt? The super-sized rapper is game.

"I told him I look fabulous in a bathing suit," he says. "I'm ready, just let me know."




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fy-t6ec5XEw