Under the guiding hand of superproducer Timbaland, rapper Bubba Sparxxx rose to fame in the ’00s with rambunctious songs blending country and Dirty South hip-hop. • Sparxxx grew up in a rural area of Georgia and was introduced to rap by a neighbour. His early influences include 2 Live Crew, N.W.A. and home-state heroes OutKast. • Produced by Timbaland, Sparxxx’s 2001 debut single, “Ugly”, features a sample of Missy Elliott’s “Get Your Freak On” (another Timbaland production). The song introduced Sparxxx to the world and reached No.15 on the Billboard Hot 100. • The rapper’s sophomore album, Deliverance, produced entirely by Timbaland and Organized Noize, earned critical acclaim for its successful merger of hip-hop and country influences. • OutKast’s Big Boi signed Sparxxx to his Purple Ribbon Records imprint for his third album, 2006’s The Charm. Despite extremely limited involvement from Timbaland, the LP yielded the biggest hit of Bubba’s career, “Ms. New Booty”, featuring Ying Yang Twins and Mr. Collipark. The instantly memorable crunk romp reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100. • After weathering substance abuse issues, Sparxxx returned in 2013 with Pain Management, which scraped the Top 40 of Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart.