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Dallas Got Next: Why the Next Hip-Hop Mecca Never Got Its Due
Rap duo The Outfit, TX aims to drag Dallas out of Houston and Atlanta’s shadows — and get the national attention the city deserves
Update 6/7/22: Level has a new home. You can read this article and other new articles by visiting LEVELMAN.com.
“In Texas, our OGs put us in a precarious division, because they was so autonomous,” rapper Mel says on the phone from Maryland. Half of Dallas duo The Outfit, TX (TOTX), he’s fresh off stage after performing an opening set for YelaWolf’s national tour. “They didn’t even need to fuck with the industry because we had our own industry.”
For decades, Houston has been the default capital of Texas rap. Built on the foundation of homegrown labels like Rap-A-Lot Records and Trill Entertainment, the city produced artists who garnered Billboard and Grammy success, helping the city emerge into national prominence. But the success of its independent ecosystem ultimately cut off oxygen to the rest of the state; major labels have largely ignored hip-hop outside of Houston and its surroundings. Dallas, in particular, has languished in Houston’s shadow — despite long producing music and dances that have influenced the country at large.
