Wheeler Walker Jr.

Whatever you do, don’t you dare tell Wheeler Walker Jr. who he is or what he does. “I don’t play by the rules,” says the no-nonsense, straight-talking musician who ever since his chart-topping debut album, 2016’s Redneck Shit, has been giving the proverbial middle finger to anyone who doubts him. “I don’t want people to tell me what the fuck to do. I’m not a one-trick pony,” says the man who has already notched a gold album with the fan-favorite “Fuck You Bitch.” Yes, while Wheeler has undoubtedly made a major name for himself in recent years by shaking up the country music industry, now he has his eyes set on ripping down new goalposts. “I’m getting sick of Nashville and country music and the current Nashville scene,” he says without a moment of hesitation. “I mean, seriously, what’s the last good country album that’s come out? I think it’s been years.”

It’s why Wheeler now returns with Ram, his boldest effort yet— a hard charging hurricane of a rock album that’s every bit as pummelling, raunchy and riotous as his best work to date. “This was the album I wanted to make,” he explains of Ram. “I knew it was a risk, but I felt like I hadn’t really taken any big risks for a while. And when I play it too safe, I get nervous. Whereas when I say, “Who gives a fuck? Maybe I’ll go bankrupt and it’ll all fall to shit and my manager might call and say, ‘You fucked up your career, that’s when it gets exciting to me.”