Nashville, Tenn. — It wasn’t hick-hop but real hip-hop at the CMA Awards as Lil Wayne joined Kid Rock onstage during country music’s biggest night.

Kid Rock brought the prolific and best-selling rapper on stage Wednesday as he performed his hit “All Summer Long.” But Lil Wayne didn’t rap: In fact, he didn’t say a word. Instead Lil Wayne, wearing a Tennessee Titans jersey that matched Kid Rock’s, simply remained in the background, strumming on a guitar as he mimicked playing the instrument alongside the musician’s real guitarist.

Mark Humphrey / AP

Kid Rock and Lil Wayne perform together at the Country Music Association Awards.

• Email this
• Print this
• Most popular

It may have been the first time a true rapper appeared at the CMAs: While Cowboy Troy performed during the CMAs in 2004, the self-proclaimed “hick-hop” artist was a country act, not a rap one.

Lil Wayne is known for hits like “Lollipop” and “A Milli.” His album “Tha Carter III” is the year’s best-selling disc so far with 2.6 million copies sold.

While having a rapper appear at the Country Music Association’s awards show may seem like a culture clash, for Kid Rock, it was a reminder of his roots: Although he has had strong success on the country charts, he got his start in hip-hop.

This is not the first time the pair have appeared onstage together at an awards show: They also performed at the MTV Video Music Awards in September.

Kid Rock’s CD “Rock ‘n Roll Jesus,” released last year, remains one of this year’s best-selling albums and has sold more than 2.3 million copies.