Granger Smith released today a powerful collaboration of his current single “That’s Why I Love Dirt Roads” featuring Christian Rapper Lathan Warlick. Smith’s wife, Amber, introduced him to Lathan Warlick’s Instagram a couple months ago and instantly was drawn to his rebranding of different songs that portray his own testimonies of life battles and subsequent renewal.
In a May 27 Instagram post (click here to see) Smith shared Warlick’s clip with a note, ”A few months ago, Amber found @lathanwarlick and showed me his insta page. He was taking popular tunes, adding his own lyrics and completely rebranding the songs with his own stories of life, struggle, rebirth and testimony. I loved it instantly.”
He continued, “I reached out via DM and we hit it off right away. (And one day we’ll take our boys fishin) This dude, through his own path, has pulled the layers back on life and sees things in a new way…with truth, integrity and God first. I only hope that one day I can see as clearly as he does.”
“That’s Why I Love Dirt Roads” elevates the dirt road to a place of sanctuary and honor and becomes more than an ode to growing up off the grid. Although still nostalgic, the lyrics are much deeper than just good times on backroads. And that feeling is elevated by Warlick’s powerful lyrical additions.
Warlick raps over the track:
“You never know what to expect or what’s coming next when riding them dirt roads,
the gravel and dust might throw you off if I’m ready or not only God knows.
It’s hard trynna hold it together when I lost a couple of people along the ride,
wish I could roll back the hands on a clock just to tell ’em, “I love you” just one more time.”
The collaboration is released fresh on the heels of the announce of Smith’s new twice-weekly “Live at the Yee Yee Farm: Shop Set.” Last Monday, Smith premiered his “Live at the Yee Yee Farm: Shop Set” on YouTube where he and his band come together at the Yee Yee Shop at his farm and host around a 30-minute set in a relaxing atmosphere at 6:30pm CT on Mondays and Thursdays. Tune in to watch tonight on Smith’s YouTube and Facebook.
On June 12th, Smith’s outdoor lifestyle brand YeeYee Apparel is hosting one of its biggest launches to date. What does “Yee Yee” mean? It is simply defined as “Live it!” Smith has released many past examples of “Yee Yee,” from his first No. 1 single “Backroad Song” to “Happens Like That,” his newest single, which is the original version of the collaboration with Lathan Warlick, “That’s Why I Love Dirt Roads” is another angle of Smith’s perspective of living the “Yee Yee” life.
Smith is also known for his alter-ego Earl Dibbles Jr. Together Smith and Dibbles Jr. have created a massive online presence. From Smith’s YouTube series, “The Smiths” to Dibbles Jr.’s satirical, gut-busting music videos such as “Country Boy Love,” “they” have generated over one billion online video views and gained over seven and a half million social media followers and counting. They are the proud leaders of Yee Yee Nation, which has essentially become a community of its own where people share a passion of the outdoors and living life to the fullest.