BigXthaPlug & Bailey Zimmerman, All The Way | Dazzling Duets

In the ninth edition of Dazzling Duets (2025), BigXthaPlug and Bailey Zimmerman collaborate on “All The Way.”

Sometimes, two is better than one! That is the case when it comes to Dazzling Duets! On Dazzling Duets, we highlight ear-catching songs performed by two artists collaborating. These duets can be from any musical style, making Dazzling Duets a flexible, versatile column on The Musical Hype. In the ninth edition of Dazzling Duets (2025), BigXthaPlug and Bailey Zimmerman collaborate on “All The Way.” Let the dazzle begin!

“Don’t let me down easy, if you’re gonna leave me / Baby, go and leave me all the way.” Woo! Yee-haw, cowboy 🤠! The young, talented Bailey Zimmerman in this case, with that sweet twang! Country and rap don’t always mesh.  That would be a massive understatement. It wouldn’t be far-fetched to say that a successful fusion of the two genres is a rarity. Yeah, I said it. But, remaining optimistic, collaborations can work. Rapper BigXthaPlug (Xavier Landum) and country music star Bailey Zimmerman make the country-rap fusion work on the enjoyable single, “All The Way”.  BigXthaplug co-wrote “All” with Jenna Johnson, KK Johnson, BandPlay, Ben Johnson, Austin Shawn, and Charles Forsberg III. BandPlay and Charley Cooks produced.  The sound is countrified, particularly during the chorus, but there are also country music cues during BigXthaPlug’s verses (guitar riffs). “All The Way,” an example of a successful crossover cut, debuted impressively on the pop charts, peaking at number four on the Billboard Hot 100.

Zimmerman, the first voice heard on this collaboration, sounds terrific in the chorus. Excerpted earlier, he adds, “Burn all the bridges, don’t ask forgiveness / Walk away like I’m someone you hate.” Word.  If they are breaking up, it needs to be a clean break without sugarcoating shit! While Bailey holds it down in the crème de la crème, BigXthaplug brings the heat throughout two verses.  His cadence and flow are engaging, with his rhymes anchored by a trap beat… with those country cues, too. BigXthaplug is more aggressive describing the end of the relationship, asserting in the first verse, “Ayy, if it’s over, it’s over, so fuck it / Just don’t act like my love wasn’t nothin’ / Like I wasn’t the one you was holdin’ at night / Tellin’ all of your secrets and huggin’.” Ooh-wee! Beyond those alluring rhymes, BigXthaplug adds the likes of, “Mama said it was fish in the sea, I got lost in the pool,” the suspect “Sent a text, it turned green, why the fuck it ain’t blue,” and “Said you’d stay and you wanted my name and you left, so I’m guessin’ that you never meant it / Said you’d try and hold on ‘cause the love was so strong, now I’m standing alone this kitchen.”  That’s just the first verse, of course.  At the end of the second, he speaks his piece regarding how she moved:

“Thought this shit was fair game, but you made up the rules

On my heart, left a scar and a bruise

Hope that you can stand on all the shit that you did

‘Cause I’m done, yeah, I’m finally through.”

BigX and Bailey show that, when done thoughtfully, rap and country can co-exist and create a bop that’s not corny or crappy.  “All The Way”, hence, is a win!