If you know anything about me or you’re up on some of what I write about, you would know that I have a love for Texas rap. Scroll down just one post and you’ll see my ode to Scarface but the list is long out of Texas with the Geto Boys, UGK, Devin the Dude, Mike Jones, Paul Wall, Slim Thug, and more. I see you got several eras in Texas rap with the OG’s like Geto Boys and UGK in the early/mid 90’s putting Texas hip hop on the map, then you got DJ Screw and the Screwed Up Click which ranged from the mid/late 90’s and then finally you had the draped up and dripped up era which blended right with DJ Screw with rappers like Paul Wall, Mike Jones, and Slim Thug paying homage so well to the Texas music that they grew up on.
Travis Scott really carved out his own lane in my opinion because he can’t be confined just to Texas rap as he is a global icon. But what I wasn’t aware of was that we were currently in a new era of Texas dominating rap with rappers like Megan Thee Stallion, BigXthePlug, and Maxo Kream amongst many others as the list truly is long right now.
On top of that new Texas list for me though? It’s hands down Sauce Walka who to me raps like he’s shout out of a f’n cannon on every verse ready to steal the show whether it’s a feature or on a solo track. He hits verses like Busta, MOP, A$AP Ferg, and other rappers who are hype AF when they show up on a track. Looking at my Spotify history, I first heard Sauce Walka back in the summer of 2021 when their algos just figured I’d be diggin’ a track like “Where Was You At” which to me is a classic track. You just can’t hear a song like “Where Was You At” and then shuffle right to the next artist who Spotify’s algorithms pick for you. You stop in your tracks when you hear Sauce Walka, hit that Spotify, YouTube, or Apple Music search and see what else you can find of his…. He’s that special of an artist.
As I did my digging I ran into tracks of him rapping over soul samples and was like, okay…. dude has some versatility and doesn’t even need some drums because his voice, cadence, and delivery are an instrument themself. Here’s “R.I.P Buddy” where Sauce showed me that he had the range to rap over any beat thrown his way.
“In that same jungle where they killin’ and they stealin’ for it
Where a police can shoot a baby and get a ribbon for it
It’s in your eyes, how can you ignore it?
You too busy watchin’ a movie with Kevin Hart and Chuck Norris
F*ck Netflix, I’m in the hood tryna reset bricks
Show these young n****s how to get they necks fixed
They checks fixed, they net worth
N****, how much really is your set worth?
If every n**** in your set broke or dead, n****, then your set hurt”
Sauce Walka seemed like he was pushing out albums or mixtapes every few months so there’s been a lot that I’ve missed and need to go back on. I’m counting 19 projects dropped since 2016 with 9 dropped from 2021 - 2022. In 2019 he linked up with Westside Gunn on the DJ Muggs produced track “Lakers vs. Rockets” which was a great look for the Houston rapper. In 2021 he got another nice Griselda feature with Westside Gunn’s “Westheimer” which also featured Boldy James and Stove God Cooks which is basically a who’s who of rappers that been bubblin’ for a minute. Sauce showed out on that track. But his next Griselda link up hit it out the park with Daringer on the beat and Conway the Machine as his partner in rhyme on “Dangerous Daringer”. The below performance only has Sauce’s verse but catch the vibe on this. Sauce Walka over some Daringer production is something…
If Sauce Walka isn’t on the list of who’s next I don’t know who is. I don’t think he’s a household name quite yet but with these Griselda link ups and rapping over Griselda type beats I’m here for it. I also saw in an interview somewhere that The Alchemist is his favorite producer so um yeah…. Let’s get that going. If it’s anything like him over over Benny and Cole’s “Johnny P’s Caddy” beat from ALC I’m here for it. Dude seems like he’s screaming through his final breaths… so much passion coming through. That double-time flow was unexpected too and he got it. Here’s “Sanchie P’s Maybach” which dropped late in 2023.
Now we’re early in 2024 and it just seems to be all set up to be Sauce Walka’s year. A couple of weeks ago he dropped off his new track “I’m Him” which once again pairs him with Daringer and the result??? Perfection. You know ALC and Boldy James just mesh so well together? This is exactly the feeling I get with Sauce Walka and Daringer. I don’t know if they got an album dropping this year or are just teasing us with these tracks but let’s gooooooo…. Oohwee!