ONE TIME FOR THE CITY: Vol. 2 – Down South Takeover is going down January 16 at NRG Arena in Houston, and the South is showing out in a major way. This legendary night brings together some of the most iconic voices in Southern hip-hop for one unforgettable celebration of culture, music, and city pride.
The stage will light up with performances by Paul Wall, Trick Daddy, Trina, 8Ball & MJG, Webbie, Slim Thug, and Devin The Dude, delivering classic hits, timeless anthems, and crowd-shaking energy all night long. Holding it down on the turntables is DJ Tab, keeping the vibe locked from start to finish.
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Paul Wall is proof that being a street team member can pay off and then some. A hip-hop obsessive from an early age, his entry into the music business as a whole came when he was 14 years old and he started doing promotional work for Michael "5000" Watts' record label, Swishahouse. As he approached the end of his teenage years he began rapping himself, regularly collaborating with Chamillionaire and recording any raps that he came up with. At the end of 1999, he convinced Watts to let him and Chamillionaire rap on his radio show, and the resulting freestyle was so good that it essentially made both of their careers.
Their freestyle appeared on one of Watts’ mixtapes, entitled “Choppin Em Up Part 2”, and both rappers were formally signed to Swishahouse for future releases. However, after Slim Thug left the label Wall and Chamillionaire both left with him and they formed their own duo called The Color Changin’ Click. They began releasing their own line of massively acclaimed mixtapes and they eventually inked a record deal with Paid In Full Records, who released their debut album “Get Ya Mind Correct” in 2002. The duo split soon after this but both would go on to have massively succesful solo careers, with Wall’s solo success coming in 2005 with the release of his debut album “The People’s Champ”.
The album debuted at number one on the Billboard charts, knocking Kanye West’s “Late Registration” off the top spot at the same time. Its lead single “Sittin’ Sidewayz” was also a slow-burning hit, stalling at number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100 but was eventually certified Gold. He was the featured collaborator on Nelly’s 2005 number one hit “Grillz”, however, and ever since then he’s been one of the most beloved names in southern hip-hop. While he might not have achieved the success of some of his peers he’s still massively acclaimed by all who know him, and can blow the roof of any venue he plays in to boot. To this day, he comes highly recommended.
Comprised of two Ridgeway Middle School attendees, Premmro Smith and Marion Jermaine Goodwin, a.k.a. 8Ball and MJG, the pair first met in 1984. The duo’s debut release together was the underground record “Listen to the Lyrics” in 1991, after which 8Ball and MJG signed with the independent label Suave Records. An official debut arrived in 1993 going by the name “Comin’ Out Hard”, a record that proved both a critical and commercial success and served to signficantly increase the pair’s national exposure.
The following year the duo issued their sophomore album “On the Outside Looking In”, followed in 1995 by “On Top of the World”. Both records earned rave reviews from the critical press, cementing 8Ball and MJG’s position as seminal pioneers of Southern Rap, with the latter album peaking at No. 8 on the Billboard 200. In 1996 the duo contributed the track “Listen to Me Now” to the Red Hot Organisation’s “America Is Dying Slowly” compilation alongside acts like Wu-Tang Clan, Common, Biz Markie and Chubb Rock. Rising to No. 10 on the Billboard 200, 8Ball and MJG’s subsequent album “In Our Lifetime, Vol. 1” (1999) once again found favour among critics and proved to be their last release on Suave Records.
Following the move to Diddy’s Bad Boy Records, complete with widespread promotion and distribution, the group enjoyed their greatest success to date with the album “Living Legends” in 2004. The No. 3 charting album, featuring the likes of Twista and Diddy, spawned the singles “You Don’t Want Drama” and “Straight Cadillac Pimpin’”. In collaboration with fellow Tennessee-based hip-hop group Three 6 Mafia, 8Ball & MJG appeared on the group’s hit single “Stay Fly” in 2005, which later peaked at No. 13 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Three years later the duo issued their seventh studio album, “Ridin High”, with guest contributions from The Notorious B.I.G., Big Pun, Project Pat, and Three 6 Mafia. Aided by the single “Relax and Take Notes”, the record proved another popular release charting at No. 8 on the Billboard 200. The duo subsequently signed with T.I.’s Grand Hustle label who issued the group’s eighth full-length album “Ten Toes Down” in May 2010. As well as releasing music together however, 8Ball and MJG have also released strings of albums as solo artists. From 1998 to 2012 8Ball released eight full-length albums, including a pair of split albums with Devius and E.D.I, in which time MJG released five solo albums.
During her free time in high school, Trina began writing rhymes until she caught the eye of Miami rapper Trick Daddy who offered the rapper a guest spot on his single “Nann Nigga” in 1998. The song became Trick Daddy’s lead single from his sophomore album “www.thug.com”, which reached No. 62 on the Billboard Hot 100, and exposed Trina to huge audience. Due to the success Trina signed with Slip-n-Slide Records who issued her debut album “Da Baddest Bitch” in March 2001. Although the rapper failed to maintain creative control the album debuted at No. 33 on the Billboard 200, and stayed there for 29 weeks.
Working alongside Missy Elliot for her sophomore album, Trina had complete creative control over the release, which was released in August 2002. “Diamond Princess” debuted at No. 14 on the Billboard 200 and spawned the singles “Told Y’all” featuring Rick Ross, “No Panties”, and “B R Right” featuring Ludacris. The same year Trina launched her own label Diva Enterprises, which later became DP Entertainment, and signed the nine-year-old rapper Lil Brianna.
Trina’s third full-length album “Glamorest Life” was issued in October 2005 and out-performed both its predecessors, debuting at No. 11 on the Billboard 200. The album was led by the single “Don’t Trip” featuring Lil Wayne, and aided by the single “Here We Go” featuring Kelly Roland. After signing with EMI in 2007, Trina released two mixtapes “Rockstarr Royalty” and “Baddest Chick 2: Reloaded” ahead of her fourth full-length “Still da Baddest” in 2008. Reaching No. 6 on the Billboard 200, and No. 1 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop chart, the album sold 47,000 in its first week.
Led by the single “That’s My Attitude”, Trina’s fifth studio album “Amazin’” was released in May 2010, and later spawned the hits “Million Dollar Girl”, “White Girl”, and “Always”. In 2011 Trina released the mixtape “Diamonds Are Forever”, which featured the singles “Ghetto”, “Waist So Skinny”, and “Can I”. The single “Beam” arrived in July 2012 featuring GunPlay, as well as the single “Bad Bitch” featuring Lolo Monroe and Shawnna.
Having learned to write rhymes during elementary school, Webbie would later relate to the sounds of hardcore southern rap and used it to cope with his mother’s passing aged eight. Strongly influenced by the likes of Master P, UGK, and Eightball & MJG, the rapper began to focus all of his attention on his songwriting, leading his school grades to suffer. Webbie subsequently signed with Pimp C’s Trill Entertainment before his 16th birthday and began collaborating with fellow Louisiana-native Lil Boosie. The first fruit of the collaboration was the 2003 album “Ghetto Stories”, followed by “Gangsta Musik” a year later. During his time with Trill Entertainment the label went from strength to strength and secured a distribution deal with Asylum Records. Meanwhile on the strength of his tracks “Gimme Dat” and “Bad Bitch”, which began to appear on mixtapes by DJ Smallz and Evil Empire, Webbie was able to sign a deal with Atlantic Records in association with Trill.
The rapper’s debut full-length “Savage Life” subsequently arrived in July 2005 led by the single “Give Me That” featuring Bun B. The album earned positive reviews and charted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 upon release. The record introduced the rapper to many new listeners and in doing so he became much like the Southern rappers he would listen to growing up. Webbie’s sophomore album “Savage Life 2”, peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard 200, aided by his most successful single to date “Independent” featuring Lil Boosie and Lil Phat. With appearances from Rick Ross, Birdman, and Pimp C, the record appeared in February 2008. Continuing his series of “Savage Life” albums, Webbie’s third full-length “Savage Life 3” was released in November 2011, followed by “Savage Life 4” in November 2013.
Though Copeland was born in Florida he moved to Texas by the time he reached 4th grade. Throughout his childhood he moved between Houston and Boston, but after his high school graduation he stabilized in the Houston area. Copeland started to experiment with marijuana in the 7th grade. His love for the herb only grew over the years and as he developed as a rapper he often rotated in themes related to this subject matter. Copeland was also fascinated with the breakdancing subculture as a teenager, joining several dance crews; however, it was not long until hip-hop consumed his entire interest.
Immediately following his high school graduation Copeland formed the hip-hop collective Odd Squad, with blind rapper/record producer Rob Quest. Jugg Mugg later joined the line up and in 1994 they released their debut album “Fadanuf Fa Erybody!!” Though the album was not a commercial success and has been out of print for many years it has nevertheless developed a strong cult following and has been declared by Scarface to be the label’s best release. After the demise of Odd Squad Copeland joined the group Facemob alongside Scarface. The group experienced a fair amount of success, having their debut album “The Other Side of the Law” reach No. 51 on the Billboard 200. The band put out their 2nd and final album “Silence” in 2002; however, by this time Copeland was already releasing solo material under the moniker Devin the Dude.
He released “The Dude” in 1998 and “Just Tryin’ ta Live” in 2002. Also around this time he frequently appeared as a guest rapper on songs by his label mates Scarface and the Geto Boys, as well as high profile acts like De La Soul, Dr. Dre, and Gucci Mane.
Copeland went on to release 2004’s “To tha X-Treme” and 2007’s “Waitin’ to Inhale” through the label “Rap-A-Lot”. The latter release peaked to No. 30 on the US Charts and No. 9 on the R&B charts. The next Devin the Dude release, “Landing Gear” came out in 2008 and was the first album in his career not to be released through Rap-A-Lot. Copeland put out two studio albums in 2012 “Suite 420” and “Gotta Be Me”. He followed these two releases with his 8th studio album “One For the Road”. This recording saw release in October 2013 and was issued through Coughee Brothaz Music.
Probably Paul Wall’s single most prominent piece of mainstream exposure to date came via Kanye West’s now-classic Late Registration joint ‘Drive Slow’, and in many ways, that’s fitting; Wall’s style of flow and general approach to his rhymes is laid-back, restrained and well measured. It’s actually in stark contrast to his appearance; with his diamond-studded grills adorning his teeth and baggy clothing, he looks more like some kind of millionaire skater kid than a rapper, but that’s just one of the contradictions that makes Wall’s music so intriguing; his deep, casual delivery is one of the most arresting in rap’s recent history. He’s continued to write and record over the past decade, remaining a favourite with the critics, even if his commercial performance hasn’t matched up to that. Last year’s #Checkseason saw Wall debut a dramatic new look, having lost 100lb since 2010; his signature style remains, though. It’s the same when he performs live; he doesn’t bring the same kind of flashy behaviour that so many of his peers do, but he’s so subtly arresting as a performer, it doesn’t matter - he’s one of the most underrated rappers on the live circuit today, with fans waiting with bated breath for a UK return.
Narrowly missing the golden age of hip hop, Tennessee duo 8ball & MJG caught the tail end in the 90s where there was a huge invested interest on both sides of the Atlantic. The duo established themselves as one of the most important artists in the southern hip hop movement with the release of their debut album 'Comin' Out Hard' in 1993. Since then they have gone on to record a large number of albums and have taken to the road numerous times to reach their fanbase.
There is a huge element of show involved as they step out onto stage whilst their DJ brings in an intro track and their vast entourage follows them on. The crowd instantly raises their arms as the two rappers take a side of stage and begin an impromptu rap battle that has the room going wild with excitement. It has been quite some time since the pair released new material so they intersperse the set with some new tracks and the fans are grateful for this private screening. The finale is reserved for their most popular track all these years later 'You Don't Want Drama' which brings the house down as it has many times before.
Named the most consistent female rapper of all time by XXL Magazine, Trina has had a successful career in the music industry. She has been celebrated for many years and was even ranked number 27 by Complex Magazine in their Top 50 Best Rap Songs by Women. From a young age she began writing rap songs, when her career finally took off after being noticed by the Miami rapper Trick Daddy in 1998, she later went on to appear in one of his singles. The popularity of the song meant she finally got signed to a record label and went on to work on her own debut album. Her first album was released in 2000 called 'Da Baddest Bitch', the album only made it onto the Hip Hop Songs Chart but wasn't hugely celebrated as she had hoped, it may have had something to do with the awful album name. Her second album however called 'Pull Over' did a lot better and her career grew following it. She has performed on stage with many singers and rappers over her career. It's refreshing to see a female rapper on the stage with some big names for once; she is a refreshing presence in the rap industry. She’s a natural on stage too, she knew how to get the fans in the mood by shouting out to all the girls in the audience and demanding everyone's hands were in the air as she bounded around the stage in rather impressive high heels. She had a lot of cheeky banter as she rapped about her tight jeans and wiggled her behind to the huge crowd, I've never been a huge fan of rap music but I have endless appreciation for Trina as one of very few women making it to stardom in the industry.
Trick Daddy is an interesting proposition, in hip hop terms; he’s never managed any real acclaim with the critics, who have often savaged his work, and he’s enjoyed only moderate commercial success, too, but he’s remained in the spotlight within the genre itself, and continues to turn out records to this day. His debut album dropped in 1997, but was poorly received; whilst there’s no question that Daddy - real name Maurice Young - had had his fair share of run-ins with the law already by that point, it was also true that everything about the album seemed to be a cynical attempt to cash in on the kind of ‘dangerous’ image that the likes of Wu-Tang Clan were making fashionable around that time, with even the album art looking as if it had been lifted directly from Ol’ Dirty Bastard’s Return to the 36 Chambers. Since then, he’s released a slew of records that all have a titular preoccupation with the idea of being a thug, including www.thug.com and his most recent effort, Finally Famous: Born a Thug, Still a Thug. He tours sporadically in his native U.S., where he retains a modest cult fanbase; it’s difficult to envisage, though, any kind of mainstream breakthrough at this point.
He’s probably not by any means the closest thing that hip hop has to a household name, either in his native United States or anywhere else for that matter, but that’s not to say that Slim Thug - or Stayve Jerome Thomas, to give him his full name - hasn’t met with some serious success in his career; back in 2005, he dropped his debut album Already Platinum, and whilst the titular prophecy did not ultimately end up coming true - instead, Thug will have a gold disc hanging on his wall at home - the album did enter the U.S. albums chart at an entirely respectable number two, helped in no small part by the collaborations that Thug had been part of on the charts to that point, especially Mike Jones’ ‘Still Tippin’ in late 2004. Since releasing Already Platinum, Thug has made three more solo records, with the latest, Boss Life, dropping late last year. He’s perhaps better known, though, as a member of Boss Hogg Outlaws, with whom he’s served up four full-length albums and toured extensively; Thug’s signature energy and aggressive flow are a huge part of Outlaws’ live shows, and he continues to hit the road with them sporadically today, especially in their native U.S.
Gimmie That is one of the catchiest rap songs of the past decade, and the track that gave Webbie his start in the music industry. As well as pursuing his solo career, Webbie works along the Lil Boosie to create music, ad it’s been featured in films and TV shows.
Webbie’s shows are usually pretty intimate and he always gets the entire audience rapping along to his hip hop beats with him. His lyrics are cleverly rhymed and manipulated so as to make them memorable, and even people who didn’t appear to know the songs at the start of the show were singing along enthusiastically by the end of the show. He’s great at interacting with the audience, getting everyone to dance by shouting ‘lets go’ and putting his arms in the air. He’s so clearly completely dedicated to his music that he’s an absolute pleasure to watch. And an exhilarating one! However, over the past years Webbie has seen some run ins with the law, but after his release of Gangst Musik 2, he claimed to be turning himself around. Let’s hope so, because he’s a great performer, and it would be a shame for him and his fans if he were unable to perform any more.
There's three things you are guaranteed to hear from Texan rapper Devin The Dude: a unique flow, a relaxed vibe and probably the odd lyric about marijuana smoking. Associated with some of the biggest acts in US old school hip hop, including Geto Boys, Snoop Dogg and Ice Cube, Devin certainly ranks up there with some of the best. All eight of his albums have appeared in the US R&B Top 40, from his 1998 release 'The Dude' all the way up until 'One For The Road', which came out in late 2013. Performing with Coughee Brothaz rapper Java Starr in Denver, the one thing that immediately strikes you is how friendly the audience are despite being at a concert with music that is usually linked to crime and violence. When Devin walked onto the stage, he was offered a can of beer and a roll up by two different fans – a rather strange opening to the show. The crowd seemed to be in a mellow mood throughout his set, probably due to the fact that nearly everyone in the room – including Devin, the DJ and half of the crowd – was intoxicated. Nevertheless, he entertained his fans effortlessly. Despite not performing my favourite track from his discography, Doobie Ashtray, Devin The Dude was a great act to watch. During his final song 'Anythang' he even managed to get the crowd to participate in an acapella sing-along, showing that the bond between audience and artist was strong indeed. Doing live sets for over 15 years means that this guy knows how to give a performance... and perform he did.
This was my very first time at Scouts Bar. I go to a lot of Z-Ro's concerts. I listen to him all the time so might as well. He wore all white last night and looked very handsome. He always has a tremendous stage presence. I'm about 10 years younger than him but I still love his music. He cracks me up too. Lol I'm old for my soul and my crowd his around his age. Anyways, it's always good to see him. I got a shirt, picture, a drink, and a seat. It was awesome.