William Harness (born May 31, 1980), professionally known as Struggle Jennings, is an American rapper from

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville is the capital city of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the seat of Davidson County. With a population of 689,447 at the 2020 U.S. census, Nashville is the most populous city in the state, 21st most-populous city in the U.S., and t ...

. He is the grandson of instrumental rock guitarist

Duane Eddy Duane Eddy (born April 26, 1938) is an American rock and roll guitarist. In the late 1950s and early 1960s, he had a string of hit records produced by Lee Hazlewood, which were noted for their characteristically "twangy" sound, including "Rebe ...

and country musician

Jessi Colter Mirriam Johnson (born May 25, 1943), known professionally as Jessi Colter, is an American country singer who is best known for her collaborations with her husband, country musician Waylon Jennings, and for her 1975 country-pop crossover hit " I' ...

, the step-grandson of

Waylon Jennings Waylon Jennings (June 15, 1937 – February 13, 2002) was an American singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. He pioneered the Outlaw Movement in country music. Jennings started playing guitar at the age of eight and performed at age f ...

, and the nephew of

Shooter Jennings Waylon Albright "Shooter" Jennings (born May 19, 1979) is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He is the only son of country singers Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter. In a career spanning over two decades, Shooter Jenn ...

, from whom Harness adopted his stage name. Jennings was one of the original members of

Yelawolf Michael Wayne Atha (born December 30, 1979), better known by his stage name Yelawolf, is an American rapper. Born in Alabama and raised in Tennessee, he embarked on his career independently in 2005, releasing one extended play (EP) and four mixt ...

's Slumerican label roster along with

Bubba Sparxxx Warren Anderson Mathis (born March 6, 1977), better known by his stage name Bubba Sparxxx, is an American rapper from Georgia. His singles include "Deliverance", "Ugly" (both featuring Timbaland), and " Ms. New Booty" (featuring Ying Yang Twins ...

Career

Harness was incarcerated on drug-related charges in 2011. In 2013 he appeared on

's mixtape ''Wyte Dawg'' and released his nine-track album ''I Am Struggle''. After being released from prison in 2016, Harness released ''Return of the Outlaw'' EP via

Slumerican Michael Wayne Atha (born December 30, 1979), better known by his stage name Yelawolf, is an American rapper. Born in Alabama and raised in Tennessee, he embarked on his career independently in 2005, releasing one extended play (EP) and four mixt ...

. From 2017 to 2018, he collaborated with longtime friend and rapper

JellyRoll Jason DeFord (born December 4, 1984), known professionally as Jelly Roll (sometimes written as JellyRoll), is an American rapper and country singer known for his collaborations with Lil Wyte, Struggle Jennings, Yelawolf, Tech N9ne, and Upchurc ...

on a trilogy of ''Waylon & Willie'' albums, the title of which pays

homage Homage (Old English) or Hommage (French) may refer to: History *Homage (feudal) /ˈhɒmɪdʒ/, the medieval oath of allegiance *Commendation ceremony, medieval homage ceremony Arts *Homage (arts) /oʊˈmɑʒ/, an allusion or imitation by one arti ...

and

Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of '' Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and ''Stardust'' (1978 ...

. Struggle and his mother, Jenni Eddy Jennings, created their ''Spiritual Warfare'' EP towards the end of 2018. On January 15, 2019, Struggle and his oldest daughter, singer Brianna Harness, released a collaborative EP entitled ''Sunny Days'' which snagged the #3 spot on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Blues Albums The ''Billboard'' charts tabulate the relative weekly popularity of songs and albums in the United States and elsewhere. The results are published in ''Billboard'' magazine. ''Billboard'' biz, the online extension of the ''Billboard'' charts, pr ...

charts. In February 2019, he also released his first solo studio album since 2011 via his own label called "Angels & Outlaws" formed that same year. The LP titled ''The Widow's Son'' included guest appearances by

, Jeremy Penick,

Julie Roberts Julie Roberts (born February 1, 1979) is an American country music singer. Signed to Mercury Nashville in 2003, Roberts made her debut with the single "Break Down Here" in February 2004, a Top 20 hit on the ''Billboard'' Hot Country Singles & ...

, Alexander King and Yelawolf. On November 15, 2019, Jennings released the full-length album entitled ''Angels & Outlaws'' featuring 11 tracks in collaboration with his guitarist Trap DeVille and his daughter and music newcomer, Brianna Harness. The album peaked at #8 on iTunes Alternative charts. In June 2020, Jennings teamed up with Adam Calhoun for the EP "Legends" and in December 2020, fans were surprised by the long anticipated release of "Waylon & Willie IV", the fourth record in the collaboration series between Struggle and his fellow Nashville native, Jelly Roll. On April 9, 2021, Jennings released a solo LP entitled "Troubadour of Troubled Souls" and on April 30, 2021, he released a second collaboration LP with Illinois rapper Adam Calhoun, entitled "Outlaw Shit" which gained notoriety through iTunes Rap Charts by claiming the #1 spot on release day. In 2021, Jennings can be found touring and working with artists Brianna Harness and Caitlynne Curtis to advance their independent careers via his label "Angels & Outlaws" based in Nashville. In September 2021, Jennings and heavy metal vocalist

Tommy Vext Thomas Cummings (born April 15, 1982), better known under the stage name Tommy Vext, is an American heavy metal singer and songwriter known as the former lead vocalist of Bad Wolves, Divine Heresy, and Westfield Massacre. As a solo act, he goe ...

announced a co-headlining tour "The God Bless the Outlaws" across the United States. The tour was known as the first tour in the US to not require proof of COVID-19 vaccine or face mask requirements.

Discography

Studio albums

Extended plays

Certified songs

Guest appearances

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jennings, Struggle Living people Country rap musicians Musicians from Nashville, Tennessee 1980 births