Ryan Edward Upchurch is an American rapper, singer-songwriter, and comedian born on May 24, 1991, in Nashville, Tennessee. Performing as Upchurch, or earlier as Upchurch the Redneck, he built a large independent following by blending country, rap, rock, and comedy.
He has released more than twenty studio albums outside the traditional Nashville label system.
Who is Ryan Upchurch?
Ryan Upchurch is a musician and comedian from Cheatham County, Tennessee, just outside Nashville. He first built an audience through comedic YouTube and Vine videos before turning that following into a music career.
His early persona, Upchurch the Redneck, played on stereotypes of young men in the rural South. That character launched his debut single, “Raise Hell and Eat Cornbread,” which later became the name of his RHEC clothing line.
Upchurch has since released material across country, hip-hop, Southern rock, and metal. In 2026, he became the subject of a major defamation verdict tied to a video he posted about a missing teenager, adding a serious new chapter to his public profile.
Early Life of Ryan Upchurch
Ryan Upchurch was born in Nashville and raised in Pegram, within rural Cheatham County, Tennessee. He grew up on Pond Creek Road and has described his upbringing as that of a small-town country kid with deep ties to rural Tennessee life.
His family ran a paint company and a chicken farm. Work grew scarce at times, and the family faced real financial struggles during his childhood.
Upchurch was raised primarily by his mother, grandmother, and grandfather. He has said his family holds strong, supportive values that shaped his outlook.
He created the Upchurch the Redneck character in 2014 while making videos with friends, including Shade Glover. Those homemade videos, posted to YouTube and Vine, eventually reached an audience well beyond his hometown.
Ryan Upchurch Age
Ryan Upchurch is 35 years old as of 2026, born on May 24, 1991. His zodiac sign is Gemini.
He built his entire music and comedy career independently, without a major Nashville label. That independence has remained a defining part of his public identity well into his mid-thirties.
Ryan Upchurch Ethnicity and Nationality
Ryan Upchurch is American, born and raised in Tennessee. He has not publicly detailed a specific ethnic background beyond his rural Southern upbringing.
His family’s roots in Cheatham County run deep, tied to farming and small-business work. That regional identity has shaped much of his music and comedy content throughout his career.
Ryan Upchurch Height and Weight
Ryan Upchurch stands at approximately 5 feet 9 inches, or 175 centimeters. He weighs around 167 pounds, or roughly 76 kilograms.
His build has stayed fairly consistent throughout his public career. He is often pictured on stage in casual, workwear-style clothing that matches his rural persona.
Ryan Upchurch Musical Style and Influences
Upchurch works across a wide mix of genres, including country rap, hip-hop, Southern rock, country, and metal. Critics and fans alike have used the term “hick-hop” to describe his early sound.
His music leans heavily on rural Southern references, including trucks, guns, small-town identity, and country living. That content has built him a loyal, often fiercely protective fan base known as the Creek Squad.
He has also collaborated across genre lines. Upchurch worked with Luke Combs on the song “Outlaw” and with Adam Calhoun on “Hooligan.”
Ryan Upchurch Education
Public records do not detail where Upchurch attended school or whether he completed a college degree. He has kept most details about his formal education out of the public eye.
His training as a musician came largely outside any institution. He developed his sound and comedic voice through self-made online videos rather than formal music school.
Ryan Upchurch Career
Early Career
Upchurch began posting comedic videos to YouTube and Vine in 2014 under the character Upchurch the Redneck. Those videos, made with friend Shade Glover, mixed comedy with early attempts at rap.
He released his first extended play, Cheatham County, in May 2015. That release reached the top 30 of the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.
His first full-length album, Heart of America, followed in 2016. It sold roughly 1,300 copies in its first week and also charted on Billboard’s Top Country Albums list.
Breakthrough Albums
Upchurch’s second full album, Chicken Willie, arrived in August 2016. It reached No. 22 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and No. 11 on the Rap Albums chart, selling about 2,800 copies in its first week.
In 2017, he released the country-focused EP Summer Love alongside the full album Son of the South. Son of the South debuted at No. 29 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, selling more than 48,000 copies in its first week.
That same year, Upchurch released King of Dixie, a 19-track album, in November 2017. He followed it with his first rock-leaning project, Creeker, in 2018.
His August 2018 album, Supernatural, blended rap with country elements and peaked at No. 6 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. A December 2018 follow-up, River Rat, peaked at No. 22 on the same chart.
Recent Work
Upchurch continued releasing music into the early 2020s, alternating between hip-hop and country-leaning projects. His catalog now totals more than 20 studio albums, according to Wikipedia’s tracking of his discography.
In June 2025, Upchurch announced on social media that he planned to step back from music to focus on family life. He said he wanted to be present as a father and indicated he would release two final albums before scaling back his output.
In 2026, Upchurch drew renewed attention through a public feud with country artist Jelly Roll and his wife, Bunnie Xo. That same year, he faced a major legal setback tied to a video he had posted years earlier.
Ryan Upchurch Discography
Upchurch’s catalog includes Cheatham County, Heart of America, Chicken Willie, Summer Love, Son of the South, King of Dixie, Creeker, Supernatural, River Rat, Creeker II, and Parachute.
He has continued to add new projects through the 2020s, including Mud to Gold, People’s Champ, and Pioneer.
His discography spans 24 studio albums, three extended plays, and 15 singles. Few independent artists in country or hip-hop have matched that release pace.
Ryan Upchurch Legal Case
In May 2026, a federal jury in Nashville ordered Upchurch to pay $17.5 million to the family of Kiely Rodni, a 16-year-old California girl who died in 2022. Authorities had ruled her death an accident after her body was found inside her submerged vehicle near Truckee, California.
The lawsuit centered on a video Upchurch posted titled “ZERO proof of Kiely Rodni situation being REAL,” in which he suggested her disappearance was staged. The jury found him liable on all four counts, including defamation and infliction of emotional distress, awarding Rodni’s father $6.5 million and her grandfather $11 million.
The case now moves to a punitive damages phase that could add to the total. Upchurch’s attorney said he plans to appeal the verdict.
Ryan Upchurch Girlfriend
Ryan Upchurch has never married, though he has been engaged more than once. He was previously engaged to Brianna Vanvleet in 2015, a relationship that ended around 2018, and later to Taylor Eileen Smith, whom he became engaged to in July 2020.
He and Smith did not go through with a wedding despite widespread reports at the time describing them as married. Ryan later became involved with Bethani Culp, and the two got engaged in 2022.
Upchurch and Culp welcomed a daughter, Lilli-Anna Loula Athena Upchurch, in August 2024. Some more recent reports describe the couple as separated, though neither has confirmed a breakup directly.
Ryan Upchurch Net Worth
Ryan Upchurch’s net worth stood at an estimated $4 million prior to his May 2026 defamation verdict. Following the $17.5 million judgment against him, his estimated net worth has fallen sharply into negative territory.
He built his pre-verdict wealth through music sales, touring, YouTube revenue, and his RHEC clothing line. The defamation case now represents the single largest financial event of his career.
Ryan Upchurch Social Media
Ryan Upchurch remains active on Instagram under the handle @ryanupchurch, where he posts updates on his music and personal life. His account has built a following in the hundreds of thousands.
He also runs an official YouTube channel under his own name, which has drawn millions of subscribers since he began posting in 2014. The channel remains central to how he communicates directly with fans.
The Bottom Line
Ryan Upchurch built a career independent of the traditional Nashville system, releasing more than 20 studio albums between 2015 and the mid-2020s, including chart entries like Chicken Willie and Supernatural. He turned a comedic YouTube character, Upchurch the Redneck, into a music career built around country, rap, and rock.
He grew up on a family farm in rural Cheatham County, Tennessee, and has built his public persona around that small-town background. Upchurch has never married, despite two publicized engagements, and became a father to daughter Lilli-Anna in August 2024.
In May 2026, a federal jury ordered him to pay $17.5 million in a defamation case tied to a video about Kiely Rodni’s death, a case his attorney says he intends to appeal. Upchurch has also said he plans to step back from music to focus on family life after releasing two final albums.
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