Houston Rap
tagStarted 1987Peak 1999-2006Last big hit still activeFrom Houston, United States
Located in 1 route
Texas rap defined by slow, syrupy tempos, candy-painted car culture, woozy slowed-down production, and laid-back drawled flows. Pulls from blues and soul, with thick bass, hypnotic loops, and references to lean and SLABs. Spans the Geto Boys' psychological grit, UGK's country-rap-tunes pimp soul, and the screw-tape underground.
History
Rap Pages and the Geto Boys put Houston on the map in the late 1980s, with Scarface's psychological narratives setting a template. UGK from Port Arthur fused soul and pimp talk; DJ Screw's 1990s screw tapes built a parallel underground. The 2005 'Screwston' explosion via Mike Jones, Slim Thug, and Paul Wall brought Houston to the top of the charts.
Defining artists
Essential listening
- Mind Playing Tricks on Me — Geto BoysSpotifyYouTube
- Int'l Players Anthem (I Choose You) — UGK feat. OutKastSpotifyYouTube
- Still Tippin' — Mike Jones feat. Slim Thug & Paul WallSpotifyYouTube
- Sittin' Sidewayz — Paul Wall feat. Big PokeySpotifyYouTube
- I Smoke, I Drank — Body Head Bangerz feat. Mike JonesSpotifyYouTube
Sources
- Wikipedia: Geto Boys
- KUTX: Houston, heart of Texas rap
- UH Libraries: DJ Screw and Houston hip hop
- Bitter Southerner: DJ Screw