Today’s Sound Check is a first, as rising country star Bailey Zimmerman steps up to the mic to choose between his favorites of the genre. While longtime viewers may have gotten used to rappers like Offset and LaRussell or R&B singers like Blxst and Giveon, Bailey is our first country singer — which means host Jeremy Hecht gets to branch out.
Here’s how it works: Jeremy plays two songs for the guest artist, who has to choose one and explain their choice, giving Jeremy a chance to learn their musical taste. Jeremy then has to guess the artist’s life anthem, the song they’d take to a desert island, which the guest wrote down earlier on a piece of paper. Our production team has also given him a decoy song, and Jeremy has to guess which is correct based on what he’s learned in the previous rounds.
Funnily enough, there are still just enough rap songs to keep Jeremy more or less in his comfort zone — and get Zimmerman out of his. MGK vs Moneybag Yo, Eminem vs BigXThaPlug, and Drake vs J. Cole are among the matchups. Will Jeremy put another hashmark in his W column with the switchup?
Watch Bailey Zimmerman take on the Sound Check challenge above. New episodes of Sound Check drop every Wednesday at noon ET/9 a.m. PT on Uproxx’s YouTube.