One of That Mexican OT’s openers, Mg Lil Bubba, was performing his verse off “Check Please” when he brought up this youngin’ on stage, noticing a sign he was holding that said “Virgil let me rap. V-Man.” He looked like a mini-version of OT, down to the cowboy hat and the Lonestar Luchador tattoo on his chest, oozing confidence. He flubbed some words, caught the beat again and rapped his ass off, impressing the crowd who had no idea he had that in him, especially to memorize a song that just came out in March. This is typical of a That Mexican OT show: unexpected brilliance.
Lil Bubba closed his set with Slim Thug’s “Welcome to Texas,” a posse cut of Houston all-stars (Chamillionaire, Paul Wall, Mike Jones, Lil Keke, Z-Ro) and UGK. In many ways, OT’s tour with Ronnie Blaze, Lil Bubba, Drodi and DJ Skelz embodies the essence of that song, providing a slice of the new Texas wave that’s been making noise. OT has performed at Box Garden at Legacy Hall five times and sold it out five times (two of those were back-to-back dates), establishing a strong argument to hold a residency here.
When OT isn’t having fun trying out freestyle bullfighting, he’s establishing himself as an ambassador of Houston (did you see him in the Texans “Wazzupp H-Town” video?) while being extremely proud of his Mexican heritage. OT’s breakout album was 2023’s Lonestar Luchador, and his popularity has grown because he stays true to his country roots with every bar and every beat. This year, he released an album with Sauce Walka (Chicken & Sauce) and dropped his new single “Baby Mad at Me” with Lil Wayne. That Mexican OT (the OT is short for Outta Texas) lives out his stage name by wearing Texas rap on his chest, collaborating with Dallas artists like BigXThaPlug, Ro$ama and the late Mo3, and telling people in his interviews that Texas’ time in hip-hop is now.
At this hour in the evening, a mix of Plano residents, Tejanos, people wearing luchador masks and kids who look up to the Bay City rapper had packed out the venue. After Drodi’s solo set, it was time for OT. DJ Skelz brought the fiesta vibes with Los Tucanes de Tijuana’s “La Chona” before instructing fans to put their phones up and flash on. A little bit after 9 p.m., OT came out to fans screaming, asking us how we were doing as he looked comfortable in jeans, a sparkly Western belt buckle and a black shirt, his mullet flowing.
He started with “Johnny Dang,” the song that is an ode to hip-hop’s go-to jeweler of the same name, which was a surprise that he chose his biggest song first. It didn’t take long for Lil Bubba and Drodi to return on stage for the next set of songs – “September 8th,” “La Cobra” and “Bow Down – to assist in OT as guest rappers and hypemen. With OT, he’s more of a rapper who enjoys the company on stage, creating a family-like atmosphere for everyone to let loose and have fun. For the next 45 minutes or so, against wrestling ring and spaceship backdrops, OT would rap, rolling his Rs in some parts of his lyrics that he became famous for. He spreads love, shouting out to people at the top and taking breaks in between songs to say a few words to the crowd. At 26 years old, he claims he’s been rapping since he came out of the womb and has dedicated his life to hip-hop.
“At this point, I live, I breathe and I eat this shit,” OT says. “I love you guys. I am forever grateful. We couldn’t do none of this without you guys, so thank you so much. We love you.”
Then came his first sing-along track: “Barrio.” “En mi barrio / My vatos locos / And we tippin’ four-fours,” we sang, paying our respects to the late Lefty SM, who appears in the song. Some things don’t need to be spoken, and every time OT performs “Barrio,” it’s to honor a Mexican rap innovator who was taken too soon.
OT certainly didn’t lack any energy. He brought back up the kid from earlier to perform “V-Man” with him. This time, they almost looked like identical twins as both had their shirts off with cowboy hats, rapping alongside each other. The kid stuck around for “Hit List,” “Twisting Fingers” and “Opp or 2,” frantically grabbing items from the crowd to have his role model autograph for him. OT eventually signed his cowboy hat, and he had the biggest smile on his face afterward.
After “Bull Riding,” a funny coincidence to play this song as fans can noticeably see the bruise he received from the bull on his stomach, OT did a debut performance of his new single “Baby Mad at Me.” The melodic track is off his upcoming album, Recess, named after the idea that he has no boundaries in music. “Baby Mad at Me” is a guitar-driven ballad that’s made for radio, a country pop song that could cross him over to a new audience.
OT has had to deal with a lot of pain growing up. His mother died when he was eight years old, and his father was incarcerated for most of his childhood. To see his father, Chuck, on stage with him in front of his fans was certainly a proud dad moment.
“I had people that I shared life with that didn’t love me,” OT says. “Especially the young kids around here right now, if there’s anything that you’re going through and it hurts, let it hurt. Let that pain feel good cause I promise you, once you get older and realize ‘I’m a bad motherfucker.’ It’s gonna feel good.”
He then shared a little story about his dad and how he encouraged him to rap his own words.
“He used to ride around hitting licks all day, and I be sitting in the car rapping to every song that’s on the radio,” he says. “I remember visiting my dad in prison and I used to rap to him in the glass. And I used to rap what was being played on the radio. He’s like, ‘Fuck the radio. I want to hear what you have to say!’”
He also spoke about his mom, Sophie, who was 18 years old when she became pregnant with him. He imagines his mom wouldn’t have predicted his life path of becoming a rapper. The hard road he’s taken to get here, and now in Plano, Texas, “fucking it up” is inspiring. It moved the crowd so much that everyone began chanting “Sophie!” which OT soaked in.
With all that emotion, OT closed the show with “02.02.99,” a song named after his birthday. Ending with one of the most impressive showings of his rapping off Texas Technician felt intentional. As more people learn about That Mexican OT and see him live, you’ll see a progression: he’s improving as a live performer, his artistry is evolving outside rap’s borders and he’s genuinely happy to be on stage doing this for the fans.
“That Mexican OT is not even a real person. At the end of the day, I’m still Virgil. It’s not about Virgil either. Virgil and That Mexican OT is irrelevant,” he says. “Tonight, I thank you guys so much for making Sophie’s dream come true. We love you forever.”
