Adam Calhoun
{{Short description|American rapper and singer (born 1980)}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Adam Calhoun
| landscape = yes
| birth_name = Adam Bradley Calhoun
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1980|9|5}}
| birth_place = Chicago, Illinois{{cite web |url=https://www.womanmagazine.com/who-is-adam-calhoun-instagram-dating-bio/ |title=Who is Adam Calhoun |work=Woman Magazine |date=24 August 2021 }}
| origin = New Lenox, Illinois
| genre = {{hlist|Country rap|Midwest hip hop}}
| occupation = {{hlist|Rapper|singer|songwriter|comedian|YouTuber}}
| years_active = 2017–present
| website = {{URL|http://officialacal.com}}
}}
Adam Bradley Calhoun (born September 5, 1980) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and YouTube vlogger. He is active as a social media personality and has released a number of albums.{{cite web |url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/lil-nas-x-adam-calhoun-the-phenom-and-the-trump-troll-a-tale-of-two-country-rappers-forged-by-social-media |title= The Phenom and the Trump Troll: A Tale of Two Country Rappers, Forged by Social Media |first=Tarpley |last=Hitt|date=June 6, 2019 |work=The Daily Beast }} His most successful album was a collaborative project with Tom MacDonald, titled The Brave, released in 2022. The same year, he released another album named Country Rap Tunes. A sequel to The Brave, entitled The Brave 2, was released the following year.
Music career
Calhoun started his music career performing with country rap singer, Chris Hosier. They released a single "Salute the Brave" in 2017,{{cite web |url=https://www.collegian.psu.edu/lifestyles/music/article_8e7b5be4-c04d-11e7-ad99-5f48fabd1943.html |title=Singled Out: Selena Gomez, Sam Smith, Hosier and Adam Calhoun |date= November 3, 2017|work=Collegian}} which reached No. 46 on Hot Country Songs.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/country-songs/2017-11-18|title=Hot Country Songs|magazine=Billboard|date=November 18, 2017}} and they also released an album Made in America that year. He ended his collaboration with Hosier and started a solo career in 2018, and released AmerAcal.{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/ameracal-mw0003167001 |title=Adam Calhoun: AmerAcal |work=AllMusic}} Later in the year he released his second album The Throne.{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/Adam-Calhoun-mn0003687578/biography |title=Adam Calhoun |first= Stephen Thomas |last=Erlewine |work=AllMusic}} A track in the album, "Racism", drew criticism for use of the racial slur "nigga" and stereotypes about white and black people.{{cite news |url=https://www.fresnobee.com/news/state/california/article230899019.html |title=Sacramento bar booked anti-LGBTQ rappers during Pride weekend. Now a backlash is coming |first= Benjy|last= Egel|date=May 28, 2019 |work=The Fresno Bee}} In a collaboration with fellow American country rapper/singer Upchurch with the song "Back N Forth", Calhoun notably raps about men wearing women's dresses.{{Citation |title=Upchurch & Adam Calhoun "Back N Forth" (Official Music Video) | date=15 December 2019 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r3uV12pYTfQ |language=en |access-date=2022-05-11}}
He released an EP Crazy White Boy with Demun Jones. During their "Crazy White Boy Tour", their shows in Sacramento, California, were scheduled in the same weekend as the Sacramento Pride, which led to protests because of his social media posts on gay and trans people and song lyrics described as "racist".{{cite news |url=https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/article230928418.html |title=The fed-up 'Crazy White Boy' backlash: A racist soundtrack of our divisive times |first= Marcos |last= Bretón |work=The Sacramento Bee|date=May 29, 2019 }} It resulted in those shows being cancelled.{{cite news |url=https://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2019/05/30/Adam-Calhoun-sacramento-goldfield-pride/ |title=Controversial Musician Adam Calhoun Still Coming To Sacramento After Goldfield Cancels Shows |date=May 30, 2019 |work=CBS Sacramento }}{{cite news |url=https://www.sacbee.com/food-drink/article230943303.html |title=Sacramento country bar cancels controversial shows after uproar from LGBTQ community |first= Benjy |last= Egel|work=The Sacramento Bee|date=May 29, 2019 }} Other shows similarly faced protests and another show in Oklahoma City was canceled.{{cite web |url=https://www.wfdd.org/story/greensboro-community-reacts-controversial-concert |title=Greensboro Community Reacts To Controversial Concert|first= Eddie |last=Garcia |date= June 26, 2019 |work=WFDD}}{{cite news |url=https://kfor.com/2019/06/12/venue-cancels-controversial-concert-after-backlash-online/ |title=Venue cancels controversial concert after backlash online |first= Peyton |last= Yager|date= June 12, 2019|work= KFOR}}
On July 18, 2019, Calhoun released his third solo album, War. The album was the second best-selling country album and the third best-selling rap album of the week,{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/biz/charts/2019-07-27/country-album-sales|title=Country Album Sales|magazine=Billboard|date=July 27, 2019}}{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/biz/charts/2019-07-27/rap-album-sales|title=Rap Album Sales|magazine=Billboard|date=July 27, 2019}} with 3,200 copies sold.{{cite news |url=http://roughstock.com/news/2019/07/43881-top-10-country-albums-chart-july-21-2019|title=Top 10 Country Albums Chart: July 21, 2019|first= Matt |last= Bjorke |date=July 26, 2019 |work=Roughstock |access-date=July 31, 2019 }}
Calhoun has also collaborated with a number of other artists, including Upchurch on Hooligan released in 2019,{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/hooligan-mw0003341292 |title= Adam Calhoun / Upchurch: Hooligan |author=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |work=AllMusic }} and Struggle Jennings on Legend, released in 2020.
In 2022, Calhoun collaborated with Tom MacDonald to release an album, The Brave. The album was the best selling album the week of its release in March 2022, with 16,000 copies sold in the U.S.{{cite magazine |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/tom-macdonald-adam-calhouns-the-brave-top-album-sales-1235043616/ |title=Tom MacDonald & Adam Calhoun's 'The Brave' Bows at No. 1 on Billboard's Top Album Sales Chart |first= Keith |last=Caulfield |date=March 14, 2022|magazine=Billboard}} In September 2023, Calhoun and MacDonald released the album, The Brave II.{{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/IAMTOMMACDONALD/status/1705623436528345560?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet|title=The Brave 2 is now on ALL DIGITAL PLATFORMS! |website=Twitter|date=22 September 2023|access-date=25 September 2023}}{{cite web|url=https://open.spotify.com/album/5peK0rJwB6CEhKMK9F7aDS?si=ESGX0Q-iRji3OunAtrrKJg|title=The Brave II|website=Spotify|date=22 September 2023|access-date=25 September 2023}}
Personal life
Calhoun has an adult son, Tamen, with a former girlfriend. He also has a daughter, Grae Millie, born in September 2021 and a son, William, born in March 2024, with his wife Margie.{{cite web |url=https://www.theknot.com/us/margie-naatz-and-adam-calhoun-jan-2023 |title=Margie Naatz & Adam Calhoun's Wedding }}[https://www.instagram.com/p/C4_nxN0JqJD/ The post of Adam Calhoun on instagram child's gender reveal party]
Calhoun served time in prison for punching an on-duty police officer.{{cite web |url=https://hollywoodmask.com/entertainment/adam-calhoun-gives-credit-to-his-son-for-changing-his-life-and-saving-him.html |title=Adam Calhoun Credits Son for Changing His Life |work=Hollywood Mask |date=13 May 2021}}
Calhoun has a YouTube channel with over 1.82 million subscribers as of November 2024, where he often expresses his political and social views, including his support for U.S. president Donald Trump. He is a Republican.{{Citation needed|date=June 2025}}
Discography
=Albums=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| rowspan="2" style="width:10em;"| Title
! rowspan="2" style="width:18em;"| Album details ! colspan="6"| Peak chart positions ! rowspan="2" style="width:9em;"| Sales |
|---|
| style="font-size:smaller;"
! style="width:4em;"| US
! style="width:4em;"| US
! style="width:4em;"| US
! style="width:4em;"| US
! style="width:4em;"| US ! style="width:4em;"| Can |
| scope="row"|Made in America (with Chris Hosier) |
| — | — | 6 | 46 | — | — | |
| scope="row"|AmerAcal
|
| — | 13 | 1 | 4 | — | — | |
| scope="row"|The Throne
|
| — | 21 | 1 | 4 | — | — | |
| scope="row"|War
|
| — | — | 2 | 8 | — | — | |
| scope="row" | Hooligan (with Upchurch) |
| 160 | — | — | 3 | — | — | |
| scope="row" | Billy G.O.A.T.
|
| — | — | 8 | 47 | — | — | |
| scope="row" | Legend (with Struggle Jennings) |
| — | — | 18 | — | — | — | |
| scope="row" | Pressure
|
| — | — | 7 | — | — | — | |
| scope="row" | Outlaw Shxt (with Struggle Jennings) |
| — | — | 4 | — | — | — | |
| scope="row" | The Brave (with Tom MacDonald) |
| 14 | — | — | 4 | 9 | 83 | |
| scope="row" | Country Rap Tunes
|
| — | — | — | — | — | — | |
| scope="row"| The Brave 2 (with Tom MacDonald) |
| 62 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| scope="row"| Pale Horse (with Mesus) |
| — | — | — | — | — | — | |
=Extended plays=
| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |
| rowspan="2" style="width:10em;"| Title
! rowspan="2" style="width:17em;"| EP details ! colspan="2"| Peak chart positions |
|---|
| style="font-size:smaller;"
! style="width:4em;"| US ! style="width:4em;"| US |
| scope="row"|Crazy White Boy (with Demun Jones) |
| 1 | 10 |
=Singles=
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{URL|https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8Yx90YfnpSTXApA9_rYX-g/featured|Adam Calhoun}} YouTube channel
- {{URL|http://officialacal.com|Adam Calhoun}} website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Calhoun, Adam}}
Category:21st-century American male singers
Category:21st-century American singer-songwriters
Category:American country singer-songwriters
Category:American male rappers
Category:American male singer-songwriters
Category:American male comedians
Category:American nationalists
Category:Comedians from Chicago
Category:Country musicians from Illinois
Category:Male critics of feminism