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Peter A. Berry is a former XXL staffer who’s been a writer-editor for near 10 years. An aspiring tortured genius, he’s a lifelong rap fan and lover of all issues dope, and if there’s a strategy to write about one thing, he’s sometimes recreation. Faucet in with him for Say What’s Actual, a month-to-month hip-hop column about all probably the most notable releases from the underground, the mainstream, and someplace in between.
It’s nearly unattainable to decide on the funniest line from That Mexican OT’s Texas Technician. Over the course of 41 minutes, the 25-year-old serves up inventively flagrant obscenities that may make Sexyy Crimson proud. On “Glocks And Hammers,” he turns your girlfriend’s pores and skin an infection right into a flex that’s as inconceivable as it’s nasty. Elsewhere, he treats hen tenders and cunnilingus like a scrumptious Popeyes delicacy. He’s rapping his ass off, however for bursts at a time, the songs play out like self-contained exhibitions for absurdist humor — quips that time towards the elastic creativeness permeating one among most distinct stylists Texas has to supply.
By now, the world is aware of OT for his combo of colorfully juvenile jokes and deadly decterity; he can oscillate between rap jester and gunslinging wordsmith with ease. Really, he normally doesn’t separate the 2; his off-kilter quips are completely at dwelling subsequent to his sneering menace. Whereas he’s bought the eccentric imagery of a Bfb Da Packman or a Lone Star Ghostface Killah, he distills it with a verbal athleticism and codeine-drenched, Texas cool that lives as much as the identify of his newest undertaking. With a mixture of tongue-twisting flows, flamboyant wordplay and soundscapes designed for late-night cruising, the undertaking is a reminder of why OT’s recognition has surged within the final yr.
That Mexican OT is in the midst of a serious degree up, an ascension that reached warp pace with the discharge of “Johnny Dang,” a propulsive, Paul Wall and DRODi-assisted banger that’s earned almost 100 million Spotify streams since being launched final July. Nothing right here fairly matches the ability of that single, however tracks just like the DaBaby-assisted “Level Em Out” are electrical in their very own proper. For this one, OT laces pummeling percussion and a sinister piano loop with tightly wound rhymes that drip menace and wry wit. It’s a cartoonish gangster fantasyland rendered with economical precision: “Go away him flat similar to a torta, swim with killers like an orca/ It don’t matter the place it’s, it don’t matter the place I’m at/ As a result of to me, no me importa.” Punctuated with a strong DaBaby verse and a growling hook that’s easy and repeatable, it’s the soundtrack for a high-speed chase with the legislation. The accompanying video is each a nod to Pulp Fiction and OT’s zany mind.
The jokes are typically fairly random. Whether or not it’s some peculiar phrasing or an asymmetrical punchline, he’s bought a knack for producing laughs. Take into account “Operate,” on which he seasons a home argument with a head-scratching nonsequitur: “The fuck you imply, yo mama didn’t educate you easy methods to cook dinner?/ Ya mama didn’t educate you easy methods to suck dick, however you possibly can suck dick.” It’s a nonsense rebuttal, however be trustworthy: you by no means thought of it that approach (and also you by no means ought to!).
As a frontrunner of Texas’ New College, it’s solely proper OT checks himself towards established space OGs. He does that right here, and he at all times holds his personal. Coasting above a traditional Juicy J pattern, he trades bars with Slim Thug for “Using On A Bull,” a Memphis-indebted anthem designed for parking zone pimpin’. His move is agile, however he doesn’t get in the way in which of the beat, and Slim Thugger and DRODi embed the monitor with added layers of charisma. He reunites with Paul Wall for “Hen Strips & Ass,” a monitor that, regardless of dexterous verses from its performers, doesn’t have the construction or symbolism to be anthemic. OT redeems himself with the Z-Ro-assisted “Crooked Officer.” Right here, the 2 spitters are fleet and enjoyable, spilling out braggadocious rhymes whereas zig-zagging by solemn keys. They arrive at a multi-layered hook and bridge that embodies core road rap ethos in a approach that’s playful and emblematic.
Actually, OT does a little bit little bit of every part on Texas Technician. He stands his floor with Moneybagg Yo, raps in Spanish, varies his beats and his music constructions. As he has prior to now, he even reveals off some clean singing skills as he touches upon his Tejano roots. There are tons of quotable bars right here, and he distributes them by dynamic cadences that maintain every part contemporary. OT is a technician within the truest sense, and his humor solely enhances the impact; it prevents him from falling into trite road rap tropes whereas making him all of the extra unpredictable. Texas is riddled with candy-painted characters, and rap has numerous jokesters, however few if any match the gags with OT’s wit and syntactic grace. His newest reaffirms his multidimensional persona, present for all-around songwriting, and idiosyncratic humor.
In different phrases, That Mexican OT is hilarious — however his abilities aren’t any joke.
COLD AS ICE
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