Ms. Salazar

Co-signed by everyone from Kevin Gates to YTB Fatt, rising Mexican American rapper Deebaby traffics in a particularly irresistible blend of soulful and trap-adjacent Texas hip-hop. After indulging in and honoring Houston’s hometown history of double-cup diatribes on prior efforts like *Junkie Mode*, he carries on with his most complete and consistent album to date with *Ms. Salazar*, its title a respectful and reverent tribute to the woman who raised him. Accented by the evident sound of swirling ice and dirty soda slurps, his drawl adds to the Southern authenticity behind his lyrics on singles “Half a Ticket” and “Private Planes.” Launching off a novel premise between lovers, “Don’t Go Back” opens up a dialogue about the lure of the streets and its surrounding vices. The catchiness of his hooks and half-sung bars is countered by the gravity of his emotional subject matter on cuts like “Feel Like Givin Up” and “Make Me Feel Better.”