Genre-melding musician Cowboy Troy, born Troy Coleman, is known for a unique blend of country and hip-hop that shocked record executives when it broke through with country music audiences.
However, this Texas-native's popularity did not insulate him from the vile backlash of those who refused to accept his pioneering sound and persona.
In at least one instance, Coleman was faced with a choice -- cancel a performance over a credible, racist threat to his safety or persevere in the pursuit of his American dream.
"They want me to stop, but I'm making music that I wanted to make," Coleman told fellow musician and Fox Nation host John Rich on "The Pursuit!" "I'm pursuing the dream that I've had since I was a 13-year-old kid."
LIMITED TIME OFFER, GET YOUR FIRST MONTH OF FOX NATION FOR $0.99
In "The Pursuit!" Rich interviews Americans, from all walks of life, whom he believes to exemplify the most important ideals of this country by embracing the constitutional right to pursue happiness.
"Throughout his career, Troy has encountered many difficult situations, including racism from multiple fronts, as well as a music industry that said his music was not commercially viable," said Rich in this Fox Nation episode.
"Even though he was faced with such formidable adversity, he pressed on," he continued, "He leaned into his faith in God, his insatiable work ethic, his love of family, and his passion to pursue happiness.
"Cowboy Troy is now a bonafide superstar with as many fans as you can possibly count and a sound as unique as he is."
Coleman's career took off in 1993 after he joined Rich and Big Kenny, of the band Big & Rich, as they performed opening acts for Tim McGraw. Eventually, concert venues began to book Coleman for his own solo performances.
"You got booked at a gig in Kennesaw, Georgia. Tell me how that one went," asked Rich.
"I remember that we were out on the road and we were at a Big &Rich show and [I] get this phone call during the afternoon from management," he told Rich. "They say... 'there's been a threat called in on your show. Do you still want to do it?"
'SHARK TANK' STAR TELLS JOHN RICH WHY HE LOVES AMERICA, JUST AS HIS FATHER HATED SOCIALISM
Coleman said that the identity of the person making the threat was never revealed, but Rich believes that the Ku Klux Klan was responsible for it.
"I said, 'Yeah, I am going to do the show, because if I quit now, I'll be quitting for the rest of my career. And I'm not giving them the satisfaction,'" Coleman continued, saying that he was immediately reminded of the challenges that his parents faced while going to college during the Civil Rights movement.
"I went down there -- did the show. We had plainclothes armed security go on behalf of my band and myself," he recalled, detailing how local law enforcement sequestered him inside the hotel, limiting his engagement with fans.
"I wasn't able to do meet and greet, I wasn't able to go and hang out at the bar and shake hands with the fans after the show," he continued, "Everything worked out. But that's not the first time I've had to deal with anything like that.
WOUNDED VETERAN, 'DANCING WITH THE STARS' CONTESTANT NOAH GALLOWAY SITS DOWN WITH JOHN RICH
"So you run into the most vicious, disgusting group of human beings, in my opinion, that exist," observed Rich, "but you went and did it anyway because you're like, it's my American dream and you ain't getting in the way of it with your racist b.s."
Coleman, who noted that he wrote the song "How Can You Hate Me?" to express his feeling about these experiences, said that he made the determination early on to push back against hate.
"If I'm not going to stand up to it, who's gonna?" he asked.
To watch all of this episode of "The Pursuit! with John Rich," and hear more about Cowboy Troy's career and the musical influences behind his self-described hick-hop, go to Fox Nation and sign up today.
LIMITED TIME OFFER, GET YOUR FIRST MONTH OF FOX NATION FOR $0.99