Blake Shelton photo courtesy of Warner Bros. Nashville.

Blake Shelton‘s a good person, but he no longer feels the need to always be “Mr. Nice Guy.”  He tells The Tennessean that one thing’s responsible for his “say-what-you-think” demeanor.

“The truth is I finally got all my (expletive) paid off,” he tells the paper. “Once you get everything paid off, it’s like, ‘(Who cares) if you all don’t like it.’ I’ve got something to say. I think what’s cool about it is, and has been in the last few months with Twitter, is really not being afraid anymore.”

If you haven’t read Blake’s tweets (follow him at @blakeshelton), you’re missing out. He posts daily and never fails to get a rise out of somebody — and usually, it’s someone from the animal rights organization, PETA. Blake’s longtime fans can almost hear him grinning with each barb he tosses at PETA.

Blake’s sarcastic sense of humor is on full display in his new duet with Trace Adkins, “Hillbilly Bone.” (Watch it below!)

“Trace Adkins is one of the funniest people I’ve ever met in my life,” says Blake ”I think once people get over their initial fear of him as a monster, (they’ll realize) he’s really dry. He has a really kind of grumpy sense of humor that I just worship. He’s awesome.”

Blake and Trace shot the “Hillbilly Bone” video at Nashville’s Stock-Yard restaurant, and he tells the paper that during filming, he laughed more than he has in “15 years.” The two play up the “redneck in a fancy restaurant” stereotype as they stare at the weird food on their plates and drink copious amounts of alcohol. Trace’s “moonshine” jug was empty — but Blake’s wine bottle was not.

“They asked me to drink out of a bottle and really look like a redneck,” he says. “I think I went through three bottles of wine on my own. I was pretty drunk there by the end.”

Blake tells The Tennessean that “Hillbilly Bone” is a good indicator of what fans will hear on his next record, which he’s recording now.

“One thing we’re doing that we probably haven’t done is showcase the … ‘I don’t give a (expletive) if you like it or not’ attitude,” he says. “It’s puzzled me why country artists have to be so politically correct. I mean I’m not a politician. If I’m going to sing about drinking and raising hell then you have to know deep down inside that’s what I do. I’m just more open about it lately, and it’s amazing the reaction to that. People either love me or hate me. But it’s the first time they are noticing, which is awesome for me. I’m loving it. I can show you some people on Twitter that hate me. They are probably tree-hugging, card-carrying members of PETA that can kiss my (expletive) anyway.”

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