“Ya’ll know I’m from Dallas but I also represent Texas!” yelled BigXthaPlug as he blew a puff of smoke into the air. As the crowd screamed and camera phones flashed, sparkling off of the diamond chain hanging from his neck, the rapper repeated himself before turning back to his DJ. “Let’s do something special for Texas!”
As he turned back toward the audience the twang of a guitar filled the room. The crowd screamed as the beat for BigXthaPlug’s 2022 hit “Texas” blasted through the speakers. The BigXthaPlug Take Care Tour had officially touched down in Houston.
Dallas-based MC Xavier Landum has been burning up the charts for the past few years under the stage name BigXthaPlug with singles like “Texas,” “Mmhmmm,” “Climate” and “Whip It.” The rapper has built up a following since his first mixtape, “Back from the Dead” with the strength of his quickfire wordplay, catchy hooks, and infectious production.
The MC raps over samples of popular songs like “Let it Whip” by the Dazz Band, “And the Beat Goes On” by The Whispers and “Remember the Rain” by 21st Century. Those singles, coupled with BigX’s charismatic personality had the audience eating out of his hand Monday night. The rapper may hail from Dallas, but Houston’s familiarity gives him a comfort that really shows in his performance.
“Houston is like a second home for me,” said BigX after his sold-out show. “When I was building up as an artist I was taking a lot of road trips to Houston. Once I had my city on lock the next stop is always here. It’s a family thing.”
That family feeling was in full effect Monday night as BigXthaPlug brought out guest after guest. Cartel Bo, Finesse2tymes, Maxo Kream and The Mexican OT all came out to grace the stage and show support for the Dallas native. Each guest brought their own type of energy, but That Mexican OT truly stood out, immediately grabbing the crowd as he ran out onto stage and performed “Johnny Dang.” For BigX the support from the rap community is just more than welcoming and helps him feel even more at home in Houston.
“Cartel Bo and I don’t even have a song together,” said Landum. “That’s my brother and we’ve been locked in since he got out. Maxo was the first big artist to put me on a song. Finesse and I have been in contact for so long that us linking up was a given. That Mexican OT and I came up with each other in the same draft class. To see were able to keep the same relationship from the get-go is a blessing.”
That Mexican OT and BigXthaPlug may be a part of the same freshman class of newer rappers, but their stage performance looks to be from an artist with much more experience. Big X’s deep, baritone voice filled the room as he spoke to the crowd in between each set of songs. The MC has a confidence that spills out, effortlessly, during his stage show. X is a showman, and whether dancing with the crowd or shouting out individual audience members he can make a quick connection with the audience. It is probably the reason why he attracts such a diverse crowd, with everyone from parents with children to college kids coming out to see the rapper.
“I just feel like I’m getting a chance to be exposed to everybody. I’m touching African Americans, whites, Hispanic, young people, and older people. It just shows that the music I’m making is something that everyone can vibe with or relate.”
Setlist
1. Change Me
2. Back On My BS
3. The Largest
4. Mr.Trouble
5. Leave Me Alone
6. Back End by Finesse2tymes
7. Left Eye
8. Climate
9. Whip It
10. Mmhmm
11. Hell Yea
12. 02 Lakers
13. Maxo Kream
14. Therapy Session
15. 2AM
16. Badu Flow
17. Levels
18. Law & Order
19. That Mexican OT
20. Texas
21. Planting Seeds
22. Take Care
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
