Darius Rucker states that "The What" by B.I.G. is on his top 5 influential songs

For those of you who don't know, Daris was the lead singer to a famous band back in the 90's called Hootie and the Blowfish. Biggie and Darius crossed paths one night at the Grammy's and Biggie ended up referencing him on his classic “Mo Money, Mo Problems” with the line "Stay humble, stay low, blow like Hootie/True pimp n*ggas spend no dough on the booty.’"

Darius Rucker doesn't fit typical labels. Beyond musician, music lover might be the next best way to describe the former Hootie & The Blowfish front man turned country music star.

His hits have included Hootie & the Blowfish songs "Only Wanna Be With You," "Let Her Cry" and "Hold My Hand," all of which were Top 10 hits on the Billboard chart. He's had six No. 1 hits on Billboard's Country chart — including "Alright," This" and "Wagon Wheel." Even "Wild One" charted on Billboard's Adult R&B list for Rucker.

Because of that, it shouldn't be a surprise that Rucker has wide-ranging tastes in the music he enjoys listening to. In a recent interview with Rolling Stone, the Charleston native and University of South Carolina alum listed the five songs that changed the way he listens to music.

In the article Rucker declares his love of 1970s soul, '80s alternative rock and '90s hip-hop in addition to country music. Among the artists the three-time Grammy Award winner chose as performing songs that "shaped his world," were Al Green, R.E.M., Notorious B.I.G., Radney Foster and Nanci Griffith, reported Rolling Stone.

"I love music so much!!" Rucker wrote on Twitter, referencing the article.

The songs in his Top Five were:
"So. Central Rain" by R.E.M.,
"For the Good Times" by Green,
"Old Silver" by Foster,
"Mary and Omie" by Griffith, and
"The What" by Notorious B.I.G.

Rucker displayed his multifaceted repertoire prior to Super Bowl LII in February, during a pregame performance. In addition to the country hits that have helped Rucker win three Grammy Awards and become a member of the Grand Ole Opry, he also broke out some of the hits from his days with Hootie & the Blowfish.

The USC alum also performed the hip-hop song “No Diggity” by Blackstreet and “Purple Rain” by the legendary Prince, who performed during the Super Bowl halftime show 11 years ago. In 2016, Rucker told the Indianapolis Star that "Purple Rain" used to be a staple of his live shows. He retired it briefly, but felt compelled to bring it back after the death of Prince, one of his idols.

In the lead up to the 2014 Grammy Awards, Rucker listed some more of the of the landmark albums that have impacted his life and career. Musical titans like Ray Charles, The Beatles and Willie Nelson were some of the performers Rucker said got his musical wheel turning.

The albums and singles that he listed to grammy.com included "Georgia On My Mind" by Charles, "Abbey Road" by The Beatles, "Always On My Mind," by Nelson, "Fire And Rain" by James Taylor and "Ain't No Sunshine," by Bill Withers.

There's a chance Rucker might perform some covers live this year. The former Hootie & The Blowfish front man is about to embark on a summer tour with co-headliners Lady Antebellum.

Rucker and bandmates formed Hootie & the Blowfish while they were students at the University of South Carolina. The Hootie & the Blowfish album “Cracked Rear View” went platinum 16 times in the U.S., became the best-selling album of 1995, and was one of the fastest-selling debut albums of all time.

Source: TheState.com