Sam Hunt marks a generational shift in country music, both in music and business. Hunt slips hip-hop phrasing and modern R&B rhythms into country-pop, signaling a progression from the boisterous bro-country that had previously defined the 2010s. “Leave the Night On” introduced this blend in 2014 and it became a smash, the first of his many number one singles on the country chart. This success paled in comparison to 2017’s “Body Like a Back Road,” which spent months at number one and broke the record for most weeks in the top spot. As much as his music, it’s this savviness that has marked Sam Hunt as the start of a new generation. A smash upon its February 2017 release, “Body Like a Back Road” stayed on the top of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart for 34 weeks, crashing the previous record held by Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise,” which topped out at 24 weeks. It also spent three weeks at the top of the Country Airplay chart. “Body Like a Back Road” was such a hit that Hunt decided to take his time delivering a follow-up album, or even a second single from the second album. “Downtown’s Dead” finally appeared in May 2018, winding up peaking at 15 on the Country Airplay chart. Hunt’s sophomore album, Southside, arrived in April 2020 and included “Downtown’s Dead,” as well as the tracks “Kinfolks,” “Hard to Forget,” and “Body Like a Back Road.”