Audio By Carbonatix
29. A.Dd+ – “Can’t Come Down”
“Can’t Come Down” came at a time when A.Dd+ was having a bit of a sea change from being a duo that would more or less bring a party along with some smart rhymes. Here Paris Pershun and Slim Gravy trade some truly melancholy bars about hopelessness that the paltry jobs climate can bring and a certain green substance that at least soothes the pain. If only it wasn’t tougher to get a job while high. It’s like, why do I need ID to get ID? If I had ID I wouldn’t need ID. HDB
28. UGK – “Pocket Full of Stones”
It’s always nice to get a reminder of just how do-it-yourself experiment rap music has been and always will be. “Pocket Full of Stones” is the epitome of early independent and underground Texas rap. There are two classes of people who enjoy this song dearly: The ones who revel in the aforementioned facts of independence and those who look through all of that surface and crack a smirk at the unrestrained soul. HDB
27. Scarface ft. Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel – “Guess Who’s Back”
Scarface, Jazy- Z and Beanie Sigel together is already a dream come true, but also get this-production from Kanye West. It honestly doesn’t get much better than that. Except it does, for a song that isn’t eligible for this countdown because it’s billed as Jay Z featuring. HDB
26. -topic ft. Paris P – “Rainy Day in Dallas”
-topic, one of the city of Dallas’ great wordsmith’s, created a song that you can reliably chill to every single time it begins to rain. -topic tackles some of his greatest attributes here: evocative, earnest, melancholy, sharp tongued. Paris P from A.Dd+ effectively brings some heat to the table as well in a pensive verse. HDB
25. Lil’ Troy – “Wanna Be a Baller”
Not only did this track break into the Billboard Top 100, but it also gave us the immortal line “Switch from Motorola to a Prime Co. phone.” That lead to confused listeners of Boom 94.5 googling, “What the hell is a Prime Co. phone?” JPF
24. Z-Ro – “One Deep”
Z-Ro is the Drake of Texas. He’s actually kind of more emotional, but because it’s conceivable that Z-Ro may have psychically hurt someone he gets a bit of a pass. The point isn’t that putting your feelings out their isn’t bad and you’re a proper idiot if you think so, but that Z-Ro is very good at it. He’s your more grimy alternative to the dude with his head in the clouds. HDB
23. Big Tuck Ft. Tum Tum and Slim Thug – “Tussle”
I believe this song is about getting into fisticuffs, right? HDB
22. Lil Flip – “Way We Ball”
Not sure how one can be an Underground Legend as a freshly minted 21-year-old with one independent album out, then a major release on a major label. But “Way We Ball” was the lead single from the Underground Legend album and was chock full of a shrill children’s chorus and limping beats. It breathes youth and schoolyard chants in its brash glory. HDB
21. Paul Wall Ft. Big Pokey – “Sittin’ Sidewayz”
This is most people’s public introduction to Paul Wall, who has proceeded to create a career off of basically the same verse anagrammed and repositioned to maybe be a little different verse for the next time around. But this is Paul Wall at peak Paul Wall – his smoothest, most relaxed and coolest. It was his time to shine. HDB
20. Lil’ Keke ft. Paul Wall, Bun B – “Chunk Up the Deuce”
Okay, perhaps this is peak Paul Wall. Who knows completely. The beat here, with higher octave piano licks, is a layer of menacing over what’s more or less another in a long line of pride anthems to come from the Lone Star State. The premise of the song, “to chunk up the deuce for the North and the South,” would like a lot of things be corny if it weren’t for perfect execution. HDB
18. Scarface – “On My Block”
Scarface, one of the greatest rappers ever, takes you through just how it was growing up on his block in the south side of Houston. It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t perfect. But it was precocious in its own right and well worth being the wistful feeling in the song. HDB
17. Trae ft. Z-Ro – “No Help”
Trae and Z-Ro make the most depressing music known to man, but also a little uplifting too because it’s relatable. When they get together it’s like Morrissey with a pint of lean dressed in an XXL shirt from Foot Locker. It’s quite dramatic to bump your chest saying that you need absolutely no help, because you can do bad all on your own. But who hasn’t had that moment, when you needed to blast this at 3:00 a.m. when the only thing up is self loathing? HDB
16. DJ DMD ft. Lil’ Keke and Fat Pat – “25 Lighters”
There’s Kendrick, Big K.R.I.T., Z-Ro and I’m sure even more who have taken the phrase, “25 lighters on my dresser, yes sir,” and thrown it into one of their songs. The phrase traces back, in record, to 8 Ball and MJG. But this is perhaps the most fun iteration of it in its early days. It’s funky and a bit of a dark horse that can shut down the right party when unexpected. HDB
15. Big Tuck – “T.U.C.K.”
One of the many instances in which a Southern rapper proves himself way more clever than what was once expected of a Southern rapper by the general public above the Mason-Dixon. Case in point: chew on the mic like a mic buffet. HDB
14. Bun B ft. Pimp C, Z-Ro, Young Jeezy and Jay-Z – “Get Throwed”
Jay Z’s was an early adopter when it came to collaborating with the South. Before New York became enamored in our style, slang and sensibilities, Jay-Z was on tracks with Juvenile, Silkk the Shocker and of course UGK. “Get Throwed” comes a bit after the hearts and minds of the country were won, but this song is a fiesta and round table of Southern greats with amazing bars throughout. But Jay Z too? Well, that’s because he’s kind of got dual citizenship. HDB
13. Dorrough – “Ice Cream Paint Job”
“Ice Cream Paint Job” is both a product of America’s most brilliant creations and a disgusting blemish. The latter is the overwrought custom cars that got extremely gauche in the wake of “Pimp My Ride.” Nobody needs seven plasma screens in the passenger side armrest. The other product, the one we can get behind, is a slab, which just has to look good and bang loud music. Your requirements don’t involve cotton candy machines in the trunk, no. Just this:
- Fresh paint job?
- Fresh inside?
- Is the outside frame and the trunk wide?
- Are the rims big? Do it ride good?
If you’ve answered yes to the above, you’ve got a slab and may lean back, right hand on the pinewood and drive two miles per hour. HDB
12. Chalie Boy – “I Look Good”
This is an impenetrable song that is a low-key self-esteem booster. This should be played in therapy sessions across the nation. Even if you’re wearing Starbury’s and looking decidedly not good, this song makes you feel like Tommy Ton is dying to snap you at New York Fashion week, you draped up and dripped out maniac. HDB
11. Lil Keke – “Southside”
Out of all the dance-rap songs, this might be the only truly bearable one. Also, the Southside isn’t some goofy dance that requires a week of one hour rehearsals before homeroom like all the shit kids are doing today. “Southside” was a shockingly mild mainstream hit when it dropped, peaking at No. 55 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. HDB
10. Blue, the Misfit – “No Care in the World”
Blue, the Misfit’s year was supposed to happen in 2014. After nearly a decade creating music, he’d surely put in those 10,000 hours that Mr. Gladwell speaks of. Alas, it wasn’t as gargantuan as it could’ve or perhaps should have been. The momentum dissipates and must be refocused on a new project. A particularly lasting effect that came of Blue, the Misfit’s debut solo album, Child In The Wild, was a genuinely great Dallas rap song. We’re guided through a debaucherous night about town, as he and his team paint the city a deep shade of red. It’s hard to come across a song that accurately depicts the decadence of the millennial generation’s brand of 20-something after-dark festivities while also keenly and slyly pointing to how hollow it all is, as the eerie production does so well. But ultimately, who gives a fuck? Pour up a cup of that turn up; you’re only young once. HDB
9. Devin the Dude – “Doobie Ashtray”
Bro do you even smoke? Fuck yes you do, because you went to college and you know there’s not a track that better sums up the plight of the modern day smoker like Devin the Dude’s digression on a world where everything that could go wrong has gone wrong. Namely, your supply is out. Life hits you in a lot of weird ways, like when the party ends and there’s nothing left to help you end the night, and that sucks. Sometimes you need to sample Miriam Makeba to let the world know how bad things are. JPF