Everlast brings hip-hop country rock to Fulton 55

These days, “hick-hop” is a recognized musical genre.

You can thank Everlast. The songwriter/emcee (real name Erik Schrody) has been bending and blending hip-hop, country and blues rock for close to 20 years.

Everlast was discovered by rapper Ice-T and fronted the Irish hooligan rap act House of Pain, with which he recorded the 1992 party-rock anthem “Jump Around.” The song still gets played at clubs and sports stadiums.

After breaking with House of Pain in the late 1990s, Everlast reinvented himself as a blues-rock songwriter. He had a serious hit with “What It’s Like” in 1998. The song saturated the radio. In 2000, his collaboration with Carlos Santana on the song “Put Your Lights On,” earned him a Grammy.

The singer runs his own label, Whitey Ford Records.

This story was originally published September 16, 2015 at 7:00 AM with the headline "Everlast brings hip-hop country rock to Fulton 55."