Houston

Back in the mid-\'00s, Houston positioned itself as *the* hotbed of Southern hip-hop, if not mainstream rap altogether, thanks to a string of crossover hits from Slim Thug, Paul Wall, Mike Jones, and Chamillionaire. After paying dues for years they were finally superstars, and it seemed like everybody wanted to join them in the sunny lifestyle of gold grills and candy-painted Coupes. While H-Town had a long and vibrant history of pioneering musicmakers (especially the Geto Boys and DJ Screw), this scene was finally getting massive recognition (and airplay) from both coasts and overseas. Then, seemingly overnight, the hype blew over and moved on to the next big thing. Now—despite changing trends and fickle tastemakers—Slim Thug is still doing his thing and giving shine to his Boss Hogg Outlawz crew (Mug, Le$, Dre Day, and others). This 18-track collection is filled with brash yet smooth rhymes set to big, anthemic production. Standouts include the explosive opener \"Houston (Home of the Texans)\" and the auto-fixated “My Car.”