Ryan Edward Upchurch was born in Cheatham County, TN on May 24, 1991. He began his career on YouTube in 2014 doing comedy skits. He has also posted some “remixes” of popular beats in hip-hop at the behest of his fans on YouTube.

His first single, “Raise Hell and Eat Cornbread,” was released in 2014, and the initials RHEC have been a calling card for his brand ever since. He has released 22 albums/ep’s in three genres: Hip-Hop, Country Music, and Rock.

The stories in his music reference family and his personal life; from smoking marijuana, his love of tattoos, and especially the county he grew up in. Upchurch dropped out of school in 12th grade and was working construction before he decided to prove that an independent redneck from the sticks could challenge the status quo of the Nashville scene. The album title, Chicken Willie, was inspired by the nickname of his late grandfather, or whom he called, his ‘Pawpaw.’

He was partnered with Redneck Nation for distribution of his records, clothing line and other deep-south redneck-inspired merchandise. As of late July of 2023 however, there was a falling out between the owner of Redneck Nation and Upchurch, ending not only their 9-year partnership, but also the respected friendship between Upchurch and Redneck Nation CEO Bobby Naklicki; He now distributes his records through Luce-N-Up, his own personal label with himself and his manager Branden “B-Luce” Luce. He also hosts his own website UpchurchMerch.com where he sells CD’s and other merchandise.

He is from a close-knit redneck family and he often helps with charitable causes and mentors fans.