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2021 has been a great year in terms of local hip-hop releases. North Texas music fans were treated to a diverse group of new artists, hit songs and albums from some of the hottest acts the genre has to offer, but hot collaborations among local favorites were entirely absent.
Even though this year saw new music from DFW superstars Post Malone, Dorrough (Six3), Asian Doll, Yella Beezy and Bobby Sessions, our dream collaborations are yet to materialize.
Here is our wish list of North Texas hip-hop artist collaborations.
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Yella Beezy and Post Malone
Hopefully it’s just a matter of time before the two biggest names in DFW hip-hop, Yella Beezy and Post Malone, unite through a collab. If you look through both artists’ catalogs, you’ll find they’ve worked with several common guests, including Young Thug, Lil Baby and Chris Brown, but have yet to work with each another. A collab between Posty and Beezy is a must, especially since Malone has recognized Beezy’s star power after booking him for the second annual Posty Fest in 2019. Beezy’s long-awaited upcoming album, Blank Checc, could be the perfect timing for the two to make it happen.
Erykah Badu and Bobby Sessions
Grammy-winning rapper Bobby Sessions has worked with Beyonce, Rick Ross and Benny The Butcher, but a feature with the legendary Erykah Badu would be an ideal crowning achievement for the South Dallas star, who’s said he’s wanted to work with Badu since he was a child. The two artists have a few things in common, including Grammys and their own local murals. Over the summer, Badu made this dream somewhat of a reality for the Manifest creator by making a cameo in his music video for “Triple Deity.” After Sessions posted a photo of the pair to Instagram, Badu commented, “Bless you brother.” Now please bless the fans, Erykah, with a collaboration.
Tay Money and Kaash Paige
After the release of Tay Money’s latest hit “The Assignment,” fans were teased with a possible collaboration with Kaash Paige when the Arlington native acknowledged Big Tay’s greatness on Twitter. After the two rappers showed mutual respect on social media, fans have been practically chanting the word “collab.” And it makes sense as both artists have widely different sounds and cult-like followings. A collaboration between the two would be nothing short of magical and a guaranteed smash hit. Tay’s debut album is on the way and a Paige feature would also be a testament of unity within the Triple D.
— MISS DUH (@taymoneyduh) October 10, 2021
2G Kaash and Kenny B
Iriving’s 2G Kaash and Fort Worth’s Kenny B have a similar young-and-reckless style, the epitome of their respective cities’ sound. We can only imagine just how impactful those sounds would be if both next-to-blow-up acts were to trade bars – but the word “lit” seems fitting. 2G Kaash worked with Kodak Black last month as he develops his anticipated debut album, and conjuring a Kenny B verse for the project would be a well-received unexpected surprise.
Erica Banks and Asian Doll
In a RealLyfe interview in 2019, newly signed Warner Records artist Erica Banks acknowledged Asian Doll’s influence in her hit-making repertoire. Both artists like to drop man-eating, booty-bouncing anthems that spark viral social media challenges, and each has played a significant role in propelling female hip-hop to the forefront in Texas. The perks of this collaboration would be the twerk-a-thon visual that would immediately follow the song’s release.
GWAP Gang and Apegang
Here is a musical mosh pit for our ears: 500 GWAP Gang and ApeGang are two of the most popular acts right now in DFW. If the groups joined forces for a single track it would easily result in a “song of the year” contender. The clash of ApeGang’s hardcore lyrics mixed with Gwap Gang’s berserk energy would make for a riot-starting sound.
Rakim Al Jabbar and T.Y.E Harris
It’s been a minute since North Texas has had a big-time lyrical duel among any highly decorated emcees and we think that honor should go to the award-winning Rakim Al Jabbar and the highly publicized T.Y.E. Harris. Both artists draw huge streaming numbers through cerebral lyrics and versatile style. Both rappers are also known to bring out the best performance out of collaborators by demanding they match their lyrical expertise. A Jabbar-Harris joint would create a metaphorical chess match, with wordplay that’ll be examined for years to come by future rap fans. The song would probably end in a draw with public demand for a rematch.
Mo3 and Lil Loaded
In 2003, using unreleased verses, Eminem produced the song “Runnin’ (Dying to Live)” featuring the late Tupac Shakur and The Notorious B.I.G. Like the iconic rappers, Mo3 and Lil Loaded died during the peak of their careers, and with a chart-topping producer like JWhiteDidThat (“Bodak Yellow”) on the beat, a similar posthumous song could be a highly publicized first for North Texas. Mo3’s signature street gospel on the hook paired with Lil Loaded’s gravel-voiced words would be a must-hear, especially since both have posthumous albums dropping in 2022.
