"It's certainly a compliment to me to be even mentioned in the same breath as somebody like Mr. Pride," said Cowboy Troy, calling from Tennessee. "He accomplished a lot in his career and is still working at it.

"That tells me that that's something that's a great feat on his behalf. He's had such an illustrious career. For me, I haven't accomplished anything at this particular point, other than releasing a record. So it's kind of hard for me to even think that I deserve to be put in the same category as Mr. Pride."

Cowboy Troy may not be able to get away with such modesty for much longer. The member of the Big & Rich [ tickets ] musical collective Muzik Mafia recently landed at No. 2 on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart. Nielsen SoundScan lists his first-week sales at 51,000 copies. The album currently sits at No. 5 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and No. 44 on The Billboard 200 album chart. .

You must be thrilled that "Loco Motive" has finally hit stores.

I'm pretty pumped about it, just the chances I've had here lately. I'm glad to finally have the opportunity for people to hear the music for themselves.

You're on tour with Big & Rich. Do you have the opportunity to play some of your songs live?

As a matter of fact, I do. They allow me to play some songs throughout their shows and things like that. It's just a great thing. It's a lot of fun.

How did you hook up with Big & Rich?

I met John Rich in 1993 and have been friends with him ever since. He introduced me to "Big" Kenny in 1999. I've been friends with them for a long time.

After knowing them for so long, why did you decide that now was the right time for your solo album?

It just kind of found its way on its own, after doing live shows with the boys throughout the years. In the last year, I've had the chance to play for all those audience, It got to where it made sense to make a record.

How does the songwriting process work with you? Do you write when the inspiration hits or do you sit down to specifically write songs?

It varies. Many of the songs that were on "Loco Motive" were written last summer and fall out on tour. For example, "Somebody's Smilin' on Me" [with Tim McGraw and "Big" Kenny] was written during the Tim McGraw tour. Myself and the Warren Bros.--they were on those date as well with Big and Rich--we had been kind of knocking at it for awhile and eventually finished that song. Two days prior to going into the studio to track the songs for the record, it was decided upon by the producers that that song needed to be on the record.

I saw the Tim McGraw tour here in Phoenix last year, and liked the rap that you performed during "She's My Kind of Rain." That must have been a big recognition boost for you.

That was fun. That was great of him to be gracious enough to allow me to participate in his show as well. That was kind of a neat deal for me.

Country and rap is an interesting mix. Did you listen to both of those genres growing up?

Yeah, that would be correct. I listened to a lot of country music as a little kid growing up in Texas, and the older I got, the more I listened to rap. In my college days, I went back to listening to a lot more of country, and rock and rap as well. I just kind of started mixing all of them together. It just got to the point where I started writing my songs that way.

What did you study in college and where did you go?

I went to the University of Texas, graduating class of 1993, and studied psychology with a minor in sociology. It was fun. I enjoyed myself.

Why did you opt for more of a country-flavored record than a straight-ahead rap album? Was it something that came about naturally?

It seemed like a natural fit, having listened to all those different styles of music growing up and well into my college years. It just made perfect sense to make some music that I liked, my buddies liked, and we all just kind of had a natural feel for it. That's why we got "hick-hop" music.

What was it like working with the different folks on your record, such as McGraw, Big & Rich, Sarah Buxton and James Otto?

It was a pretty interesting experience. You know how busy everybody is. When they take time out of their schedule to come into the studio and sing on a track for you, or participate in some form or fashion, that means a lot to me. I know how busy they are. For them to take time out of their schedule, that's really cool. It was a great time in the studio.

Tell me about the song "I Play Chicken with the Train," which I hear is an ode to what you've gone through in Nashville.

It's just kind of poking a little fun at myself, poking a little fun at the music industry and trying to figure out which one of us is going to flinch first. Just hoping the light at the end of the tunnel isn't the 15 [minutes of fame] comin' in for a stop.

I think that was a great choice to begin your album that way. You sort of state your case with your accomplishments.

That's kind of how it worked out. Everyone on the production staff said, "You have to start your album out with that." They would know better than I would. [Laughs]

How has the radio response been to "I Play Chicken with the Train"?

It's been kind of split down the middle. You have 50 percent of the audiences that like it, and 50 percent of them would probably prefer something else. But that's what we expected. We're just trying to go along with what we thought was going to happen. It's pretty much par for the course.

Why do you think there haven't been more successful African-American artists in country music?

That's something that's kind of hard for me to guess on, seeing as how I haven't really picked up on any kind of book or participated in a panel discussion. I don't know. I guess it's one of those things where people just kind of go where their heart is. If there are more people that feel like it's something they want to do, it's something that will come about when people feel like they want to do it. It's where my heart is and that's why I do country music.

Your lyrics in "Wrap Around the World," are delivered in several different languages. Do you speak multiple languages?

Spanish, I have been studying that since 9 years old. As far as the other languages ... for Chinese, I went and took a seven-week class at the university when I was living in Dallas. But it's one of those things where, if you don't practice it enough, it's kind of hard to remember all that stuff. I learned enough Chinese to write the rap. And then, after awhile, you're like, "OK, is there anybody who's going to help me practice this?" It's kind of hard to keep up with your skills. It's the same thing with the other languages. You just kind of pick up on them reading language manuals and things like that. But you have to keep working at it. It's kind of hard to do that without a tutor or somebody to help you out along the way.

Has there been any word about a Cowboy Troy headlining tour?

We do have some dates scheduled that are solo dates for me. I'm getting excited about doing those shows, as well as the shows with Big & Rich. It's all fun to me. I'm just glad to have the opportunity.