Southside Hoodlum

Texas is home to an overwhelming number of rap scenes. Some, like Houston and the Dallas-Fort Worth area, are well-established with rich histories, while others have emerged in places like Amarillo and Austin that are less typically associated with hip-hop. San Antonio probably falls somewhere in the middle, and currently one of their best is HOODLUM, who hails from the city’s South Side. Like many in Texas, his production is spare, but instead of speaker-rattling chaos, it moves at a drowsy half-speed. “SCAM” feels longer than its two-and-a-half minute runtime, as if HOODLUM were delivering bars about drug dealing, drug consuming, and drug money while slumped in a recliner chair. But above all HOODLUM’s music is about his city: With constant references to the South Side, he’s making sure that San Antonio isn’t lost in the Texas rap shuffle. -pitchfork https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/hoodlum-breathe-new-song-listen/