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Legendary Dallas rapper Dorrough will launch his new concert series, Dorrough & Friends, on Friday in Deep Ellum. Featuring 20 local artists, the past, present and future of North Texas hip-hop will share the stage at Trees.
Dorrough will headline, with Dallas hip-hop heavyweights like Chalie Boy, Big Tuck, Tum Tum, Twisted Black and Yung Nation joining him as representatives of an earlier generation of the genre. Meanwhile, Tay Money, Erica Banks, S3nsi Molly, JhonnieDamnD and 10K Caash offer something for those who followed the same path to viral breakouts. Emerging acts such as lil.eaarl, Mac-K The K Baby, KiaDaPlug and Alex Irish represent a rising class of musicians.
“I wanted to cultivate and curate a space for the artists in the city to be seen and heard, and have a place to thrive without having to go outside the city to do that,” Dorrough said in an Instagram post. “I wanted to bring the pride back. The Texas pride. The Dallas pride. Us being proud of our own, us recognizing our own, us knowing what we got right here. What we’ve been having and what’s to come.”
For artists like S3nsi Molly, the concert will be surreal, having grown up idolizing Dorrough and the legends performing.
“I’m excited to be a part of this,” she tells the Observer. “I literally grew up listening to these artists I’m on the line up with and never thought I’d be performing my own music on the same stage as them. Dorrough literally left an everlasting impression with his music and is a legend.”
Molly’s latest album, “Back in Full Effect,” dropped back in February.
“Fans can expect great vibes, big energy and fire ass music from the queen, and all the music is from my latest album,” she tells us.
For one night only, Dorrough’s concert will honor the legendary pioneers of Dallas hip-hop while introducing the future of the scene.
“I wanted to showcase, wanted to show love, and give back to the legends out here,” Dorrough said in a video on social media. “I wanted to showcase the new artists that [are] on the come up, that got the potential to become legends. I wanted to do something where on one stage, you can see a whole lot of the Dallas culture, one night, one stage, from the city, for the city.”
With a career spanning more than two decades, Dorrough is one of North Texas’ most accomplished rappers. After signing a major record deal in 2009, he released classic songs such as “Ice Cream Paint Job,” “Walk That Walk” and “Get Big.” His platinum-selling music has been nominated for BET Hip Hop and ASCAP Awards. The musician, who has collaborated with industry giants like Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa, also wrote one of the Dallas Cowboys’ theme songs, “Our Time.” His contributions to our culture are so grand that Dallas gave him a key to the city and an honorary eponymous day of July 28.
Dorrough’s devotion to Dallas is unparalleled, and it’s clearly showcased with his latest endeavor, as he hopes it can become an annual event to champion the local music scene.
So, as the brightest stars of North Texas hip-hop prepare to be under one roof, expect the city to unite in Deep Ellum to support.
“[They] should expect a humble yet legendary representation of Highland Hills, Texas,” Mac-K The K Baby tells the Observer of his set.
So, whether you want to show off your ice cream paint job, hit the D-town boogie or discover the city’s next big artist before they’re playing much larger stages, you know what the Friday night move is.
Dorrough Music honors Texas Hip-Hop with “Dorrough & Friends” at 7 p.m. on Friday, May 29, at Trees in Deep Ellum (2709 Elm St.). General admission tickets are $48.
