Rap artist Coolio and country star Kenny Rogers were in a studio last week recording an updated version of Rogers' hit, "The Gambler" [600k QuickTime], and the duo quickly discovered that the song and its message provided enough common ground to bridge their obvious stylistic differences.

I don't know a lot of country," Coolio told MTV News. "Well, I know a lot now, new country artists. But back in the days, all I knew was Kenny Rogers, Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson. I didn't really know anybody else, you know [500k QuickTime]. I've always listened to his songs and I've always liked 'The Gambler,' that's like one of my favorite country songs.

'The Gambler' song is really more than a song," added Rogers, "it's about a way of life, and I think they wanted to take that and kind of exploit the concept. That there are times when you need to back off,

you know, and really look at where you are, and not take it so much as a country song, but a statement of life.

The new version of "The Gambler" is expected to be included on both Rogers' and Coolio's upcoming albums. No word yet on when either record will be in stores, although, as we previously reported (see [article id="1427479"]"Coolio To Team With Kenny Rogers On Gambler Duet"[/article]), representatives for Rogers have indicated that the song wouldn't be released until the late summer/early fall.