Rap Atlas: Dallas–Fort Worth — The D.O.C., Yella Beezy and BigXthaPlug

Dallas hip-hop traces to 1983, when Cisco Soul and the Party Patrol started a hip-hop radio show and KNON and KKDA-FM carried hip-hop programming that decade; the Fila Fresh Crew and Nemesis played venues including Down Under One in Oak Cliff, New York Connection in North Dallas and City Lights in South Dallas, according to the Dallas Observer. Fila Fresh Crew member Tracy Lynn Curry, later known as The D.O.C., moved to Los Angeles and released No One Can Do It Better in 1989; the Observer reports that his Dallas ties were not widely known at the time. In the mid-2000s, Dirty South Rydaz, the crew that included Big Tuck, signed to Universal Records, and Dorrough later reached the Billboard Hot 100. Bobby Sessions performed in and around Deep Ellum through the 2010s and signed to Def Jam Recordings. Yella Beezy, who the Dallas Observer reports had an “Oak Cliff upbringing,” reached the Hot 100 with “That’s On Me” (2017); The FADER reported that Asian Doll’s 2018 deal with Gucci Mane’s 1017 Eskimo Records made her, in the outlet’s words, the “first female artist signed to 1017”. Mo3 was shot and killed on Interstate 35E in Dallas in 2020. More recently, BigXthaPlug debuted on the Hot 100 in late 2023 and has logged several RIAA certifications through UnitedMasters. Post Malone, born in Syracuse, New York, moved to Grapevine, Texas at age nine, where his father worked in concessions for the Dallas Cowboys.

This Rap Atlas entry documents ten core acts and nine labels, radio outlets and venues, along with a dated history of the scene, drawn from the verified registry behind this page. Where a source distinguishes it, place attribution is split into born, raised or based; where a source offers only a general description, such as “Dallas rapper” or “the Dallas native,” this article quotes that description instead. Where the record could not confirm a detail, this article says so.

Timeline: Dallas–Fort Worth Rap, 1983–2025

In 1983, Cisco Soul and the Party Patrol began a hip-hop radio show in Dallas; KNON and KKDA-FM (K104) also carried hip-hop programming that decade, and the Fila Fresh Crew and Nemesis performed at venues including Down Under One in Oak Cliff, New York Connection in North Dallas and City Lights in South Dallas, according to the Dallas Observer.

The D.O.C. (Tracy Lynn Curry), a Fila Fresh Crew alum who had relocated to Los Angeles, released No One Can Do It Better in 1989; the exact release date is not confirmed in this edition. The earlier RIAA search reading recorded a gold certification dated April 21, 1994, while the Dallas Observer (September 6, 2016) describes the album as having “went platinum” — this edition records the discrepancy rather than resolving it pending a fuller RIAA certification history. On November 14, 1989, The D.O.C. was in a car accident on the Ventura Freeway in Los Angeles and suffered facial injuries, per the Los Angeles Times. The Dallas Observer (2016) reports that he lost his voice as a result of the crash, that it improved partially in 2015 without returning to its original strength, and that he performed at The Bomb Factory in October 2015.

Dirty South Rydaz, the Dallas crew that included Big Tuck, signed with Universal Records in October 2005, in a deal D Magazine described as worth several million dollars across six albums. Big Tuck’s major-label debut, Tha Absolute Truth, was released on Universal Records in October 2006, per the Dallas Observer.

The earlier RIAA search reading recorded Dorrough’s “Ice Cream Paint Job” as platinum dated August 2, 2010, through E1 Music/Ngenius; its full certification history has not been rechecked.

On June 13, 2018, The FADER reported that Asian Doll and Gucci Mane’s 1017 Eskimo Records had announced a signing — the outlet frames June 13 as the announcement date rather than a confirmed signing date — describing her as the “first female artist signed to 1017”.

Early on October 14, 2018, Yella Beezy was shot on the Sam Rayburn Tollway in Lewisville, Texas; the Dallas Observer (December 18, 2018) reports an 11-day hospital stay with release on October 24. The same article, which also describes Yella Beezy’s “Oak Cliff upbringing,” reports that “That’s On Me” (2017) had been on the Hot 100 for roughly the last five months, helped by airplay from Dallas radio station K104. The earlier RIAA search reading recorded a gold certification for the track dated February 27, 2025, while a March 2025 Dallas Observer report says both the original and remix were certified platinum — this edition records that discrepancy rather than resolving it.

In September 2019, a mural of Bobby Sessions by artist JD Moore was unveiled at the corner of Canton Street and Trunk Avenue in Deep Ellum; D Magazine reported on October 9, 2019 that finishing touches were still being added.

On November 11, 2020, Mo3 (legal name Melvin Noble Jr., 28) was shot on Interstate 35E in Dallas, on the Oak Cliff side between Illinois Avenue and Clarendon Drive near the Dallas Zoo, and was pronounced dead after being taken to a hospital, per the Dallas Morning News (April 23, 2021), which also reported that a second suspect, Devin Maurice Brown, was indicted by a Dallas County grand jury on April 21, 2021. The Dallas Police Department’s April 24 update confirms a murder charge but does not give the indictment date; the indictment itself has not been reviewed. An indictment is not a finding of guilt.

In March 2021, Bobby Sessions was credited as a co-writer on Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé’s “Savage” and won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Song; Grammy.com lists him among the track’s credited songwriters for that win.

BigXthaPlug’s “Mmhmm” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 93 in the chart dated December 16, 2023.

In 2025, BigXthaPlug’s “All the Way,” featuring Bailey Zimmerman and appearing on the album I Hope You’re Happy, reached No. 4 on the Hot 100 and No. 1 on Hot Country Songs. The Dallas Observer reported that Take Care was certified platinum on August 13, 2025, while the earlier RIAA search reading recorded gold for that date — this edition records the discrepancy pending a fuller certification-history check. The earlier RIAA search reading recorded “Texas” as platinum dated September 24, 2025; its full certification history has not been rechecked.

Districts and Venues

This edition covers Dallas, Texas — including Oak Cliff, Deep Ellum and South Dallas — and the wider Dallas–Fort Worth metro. Oak Cliff is documented as Yella Beezy’s upbringing (Dallas Observer) and as the location, on Interstate 35E, where Mo3 was shot in 2020 (Dallas Morning News); it does not follow from the shooting location that Mo3 lived there. Bobby Sessions is documented as Dallas-based with performances in and around Deep Ellum (Dallas Observer, D Magazine), which is also home to several venues: Trees, which opened in May 1990, per its official site; and The Bomb Factory, which reopened after renovation in 2015 with capacity for “over 4,000 guests,” per its official site. South Side Ballroom, per its official event listing, has scheduled hip-hop dates including Isaiah Rashad on September 17, 2026 and Lucki on September 19, 2026; its historical opening year and capacity are not confirmed in this edition. Gilley’s Dallas, an event complex of roughly 92,000 square feet per its official site, includes South Side Ballroom among its venues. Fort Worth-specific and Pleasant Grove-specific district ties were not confirmed in the A-grade sources retrieved this session.

Representative Acts

Asian Doll. The FADER describes her as “the Dallas-born MC.” On June 13, 2018 — reported as an announcement date rather than a confirmed signing date — she and Gucci Mane’s 1017 Eskimo Records announced a deal that The FADER described as making her the “first female artist signed to 1017”. D Magazine (2019) separately describes her as a “prolific Dallas rapper.” Her full legal name and specific Dallas neighborhood are not confirmed in this edition.

Big Tuck. Credited by AllMusic as Cedric Tuck, born March 29, 1979, in Dallas. He was a member of Dirty South Rydaz, which signed with Universal Records in October 2005 in a deal D Magazine described as worth several million dollars across six albums. His major-label debut, Tha Absolute Truth, featuring Erykah Badu, Paul Wall, Bun B, Chamillionaire and Slim Thug, was released on Universal Records in October 2006, per the Dallas Observer. The specific Dallas neighborhood where he grew up is not confirmed in this edition. This entry is marked partial.

BigXthaPlug. Described by Billboard as “the Dallas native.” “Mmhmm” debuted on the Hot 100 at No. 93 in the chart dated December 16, 2023. Released through UnitedMasters, “Take Care” was certified platinum by the RIAA on August 13, 2025, per the Dallas Observer, while the earlier RIAA search reading recorded gold for that date — this edition records that discrepancy pending a fuller certification history. The earlier RIAA search reading recorded “Texas” as platinum dated September 24, 2025; its full certification history has not been rechecked. “All the Way,” featuring Bailey Zimmerman and appearing on the album I Hope You’re Happy, reached No. 4 on the Hot 100 and No. 1 on Hot Country Songs. His full legal name, date of birth and specific Dallas neighborhood are not confirmed in this edition.

Bobby Sessions. A Dallas-based MC with documented performances in and around Deep Ellum, per the Dallas Observer, who signed to Def Jam Recordings (the specific signing date is not stated in the retrieved article). In March 2021, he was credited as a co-writer on Megan Thee Stallion featuring Beyoncé’s “Savage” and won the Grammy Award for Best Rap Song, per Grammy.com. In September 2019, a mural of him by JD Moore was unveiled at Canton Street and Trunk Avenue in Deep Ellum, with finishing touches still being added as of D Magazine‘s October 9, 2019 report. In the case involving his cousin James Harper, a federal civil jury found the officer not liable in that lawsuit in August 2019, according to XXL. This account has been checked against the report; the verdict and judgment themselves have not been reviewed. His birthplace and the neighborhood where he was raised are not confirmed in this edition.

Dorrough. A rapper described as Dallas-based by the Dallas Mavericks. The earlier RIAA search reading recorded “Ice Cream Paint Job” as platinum dated August 2, 2010, through E1 Music/Ngenius; its full certification history has not been rechecked. His birthplace, the neighborhood where he was raised and any Fort Worth connection are not confirmed in this edition. This entry is marked partial.

Mo3. Legal name Melvin Noble Jr. He was shot and killed on Interstate 35E in Dallas on November 11, 2020, at age 28; see the Timeline above for date, location and the reported indictment of a second suspect. The shooting location does not indicate where he lived. His birthplace and the neighborhood where he was raised are not confirmed in this edition. This entry is marked partial.

Post Malone. Born in Syracuse, New York. He moved to Grapevine, Texas at age nine, where his father worked in concessions for the Dallas Cowboys, per a PaperMag interview. His exact date of birth is not confirmed in this edition.

Tay Money. Named a “Dallas rapper” in D Magazine‘s November 2019 feature on North Texas hip-hop artists to watch; the article does not specify a neighborhood or classify her as raised in or based in Dallas. Her birthplace, upbringing and label history are not confirmed in this edition. This entry is marked partial.

The D.O.C. Tracy Lynn Curry, a Fila Fresh Crew alum, released No One Can Do It Better in 1989 after relocating to Los Angeles. The earlier RIAA search reading recorded a gold certification dated April 21, 1994, while the Dallas Observer (2016) describes the album as having “went platinum,” a discrepancy this edition records rather than resolves. On November 14, 1989, he was in a car accident on the Ventura Freeway and suffered facial injuries, per the Los Angeles Times. The Dallas Observer (2016) reports that he lost his voice as a result, that it improved partially in 2015 without returning to its original strength, and that he performed at The Bomb Factory in October 2015. His birthplace and the neighborhood where he was raised are not confirmed in this edition. This entry is marked partial.

Yella Beezy. The Dallas Observer (2018) reports an “Oak Cliff upbringing”; D Magazine (2019) separately refers to him as “Oak Cliff’s Yella Beezy” without specifying whether that reflects where he was raised or is based. “That’s On Me” (2017) reached the Hot 100, helped by airplay from Dallas radio station K104, and per the Observer had been charting for roughly five months as of December 2018. Early on October 14, 2018, he was shot on the Sam Rayburn Tollway in Lewisville and was hospitalized for 11 days, released October 24. The earlier RIAA search reading recorded a gold certification for “That’s On Me” dated February 27, 2025, while a March 2025 Dallas Observer report says both the original and the remix were certified platinum — this edition records the discrepancy. His full legal name and date of birth are not confirmed in this edition.

Labels and Crews

Universal Records signed Dirty South Rydaz, the crew that included Big Tuck, in October 2005, in a deal D Magazine described as worth several million dollars across six albums; Big Tuck’s major-label debut, Tha Absolute Truth, followed in October 2006, per the Dallas Observer.

Def Jam Recordings is Bobby Sessions’ label, per the Dallas Observer, which does not state the specific signing date.

1017 Eskimo Records, Gucci Mane’s label, announced a deal with Asian Doll on June 13, 2018, which The FADER described as making her the “first female artist signed to 1017”.

UnitedMasters is BigXthaPlug’s release outlet; both Take Care and I Hope You’re Happy are reported by Billboard as UnitedMasters releases.

K104 (KKDA-FM) is a Dallas radio station that the Dallas Observer credits with helping push “That’s On Me” to national attention; its founding year and format history are not confirmed in this edition.

Inclusion, Exclusion and Correction Policy

Rap Atlas does not sell placement and does not rank the selected artists. The full criteria are published at Rap Atlas criteria; the points that governed this edition are below.

• A core act qualifies under the published Rap Atlas criteria: Criterion 1 is an official streaming release record plus verifiable national or specialist-media coverage, a documented performance, or chart evidence; Criterion 2 requires a historical role in the regional scene confirmed by multiple independent sources. Four entries are marked verified (Yella Beezy, Asian Doll, Bobby Sessions, BigXthaPlug); six are marked partial (The D.O.C., Big Tuck, Dorrough, Tay Money, Mo3, Post Malone).
• Where a source distinguishes it, geography is stated as born, raised or based, and only from the body text of an A-grade source; where a source offers only a general description, this article quotes that description instead. Wikipedia was used only to find leads and appears nowhere as a basis or citation.
• Order is alphabetical by the English names displayed here (including an initial The) and carries no ranking.
• Legal matters are handled minimally, following the published policy: this edition records only a dated event and, where applicable, a single neutral outcome, with no further narrative. For the case involving Bobby Sessions’ cousin James Harper, this edition records only the neutral August 2019 civil-jury outcome; the dates recorded for Mo3’s death appear in the Timeline and Representative Acts sections.
• The D.O.C.’s No One Can Do It Better, BigXthaPlug’s Take Care, and Yella Beezy’s “That’s On Me” have conflicting earlier search readings (gold) and Dallas Observer reports (platinum). As of September 11, 2026, full RIAA certification histories remain unverified for these three works, Dorrough’s “Ice Cream Paint Job” and BigXthaPlug’s “Texas.” The earlier readings are not confirmation of the award level or its date.
• Corrections: send evidence via the contact page. A contributor is named only on request; anonymous corrections are accepted. Acts outside this edition’s scope, including Trapboy Freddy, Lil Ronny MothaF and Yung Nation, could not be confirmed against an A-grade source in this session and are the primary target of the reader-supplement window. Erykah Badu is not included as a core act in this edition. The Dallas Observer’s “Beat down” (1998) documents ties between Badu and Dallas hip-hop producers. Her guest credit on Big Tuck’s Tha Absolute Truth is documented in the separate 2008 article “Big Tuck Heading To Waco Sunday To Dip In Da Lac.” The retrieved sources describe her primarily as an R&B/soul figure; her exclusion here reflects this edition’s selection scope rather than an absence of any documented connection.

Evidence Limits and Uncertainty Register

Verification was carried out on September 10, 2026, retrieving each cited page directly where possible and, where a publisher blocked automated access (Billboard, AllMusic, Dallas Morning News), via the r.jina.ai text-extraction proxy; this section records only the sources this edition could confirm by one of those two methods, not a guarantee that every reference was retrieved in full. The session began with the WebSearch quota exhausted, and Bing and DuckDuckGo returned CAPTCHA challenges rather than results, so source discovery was limited to Wikipedia’s external-links lists (used only to locate candidate A-grade URLs, never as a citation itself) plus direct fetches of RIAA, Grammy.com and outlet sites. Two original Billboard articles about BigXthaPlug could not be retrieved directly and were confirmed only through the r.jina.ai proxy; this edition treats those facts as confirmed within that limit rather than against Billboard’s own page directly.

Confidence is high on several points. The Dallas attribution of all ten acts agrees across the retrieved sources. Grammy.com directly confirms Bobby Sessions’ 2021 Best Rap Song win as a credited songwriter on “Savage.” The Dallas Morning News directly confirms Mo3’s legal name, age, and the date and location of his shooting and death. The Dallas Observer directly confirms Yella Beezy’s Oak Cliff upbringing and his 2018 shooting and hospitalization. Billboard directly confirms BigXthaPlug’s December 2023 Hot 100 debut, within the retrieval limit noted above. The FADER directly confirms the June 13, 2018 announcement of Asian Doll’s signing to 1017 Eskimo Records. D Magazine‘s December 2005 issue directly confirms Dirty South Rydaz’s October 2005 Universal Records deal, distinct from the October 2006 release date for Big Tuck’s Tha Absolute Truth confirmed separately by the Dallas Observer.

Several points remain unresolved rather than confirmed. Three RIAA certification levels — The D.O.C.’s No One Can Do It Better, BigXthaPlug’s Take Care, and Yella Beezy’s “That’s On Me” — show a discrepancy between a one-time reading of the RIAA search interface (gold in each case) and Dallas Observer reporting (platinum in each case); this edition records both readings rather than resolving the conflict, since a full certification history was not retrieved this session. Fort Worth-specific and Pleasant Grove-specific artist ties could not be confirmed in A-grade sources. Trapboy Freddy, Lil Ronny MothaF and Yung Nation do not have standalone English-language Wikipedia pages this edition could use to locate candidate A-grade sourcing, and no other path to a source was found this session, so they are not included. Six entries (The D.O.C., Big Tuck, Dorrough, Tay Money, Mo3 and Post Malone) are marked partial because a birthplace, upbringing neighborhood, full legal name, date of birth or additional certification detail could not be confirmed in A-grade full text this session. Big Tuck is credited by AllMusic only as “Cedric Tuck.”

Registry review date: 2026-09-10. Last verified: 2026-09-11 for the corrections documented below; full RIAA certification histories and judicial originals remain unverified.

Main References

The sources below support the claims made throughout this article; this edition does not carry inline citation links next to individual sentences. As a rule of thumb: certifications trace to RIAA, the Grammy credit to Grammy.com, and chart placements and narrative details to the news sources listed below.

• Dallas Police Department — Homicide Investigation: April 24, 2021 update
• Billboard JAPAN — U.S. Hot 100, page published September 14, 2009
• Dallas Mavericks — The Huddle: Dallas-based artists
• Dallas Observer — Beat Down, Straight Outta Dallas — The D.O.C., Big Tuck — Tha Absolute Truth, A New Literary Project by Shea Serrano Examines Dallas Hip-Hop, Yella Beezy — After Being Shot in a Drive-By, Dallas Rapper Arrested for Capital Murder in Mo3 Shooting, BigXthaPlug Arrested in Dallas Before Album Release Party, Bobby Sessions — Manifest
• Dallas Morning News — 2nd Man Charged With Murder in Fatal Shooting of Dallas Rapper Mo3, Dixon Circle
• D Magazine — 10 North Texas Hip-Hop Artists to Watch in 2020, Bobby Sessions Gets His Own Mural in Deep Ellum, Pulse, December 2005
• The FADER — Asian Doll Signs to 1017 Records
• XXL — Bobby Sessions’ Cousin James Harper, Yella Beezy Arrested in Connection to Mo3 Killing
• Billboard — BigXthaPlug’s Hot 100 Debut, BigXthaPlug Interview
• Grammy.com — Bobby Session, Jr.
• RIAA (artist/title-specific certification searches) — The D.O.C., Dorrough, Yella Beezy, BigXthaPlug — Take Care, BigXthaPlug — Texas
• Los Angeles Times — The D.O.C. Car Accident
• AllMusic — Big Tuck Biography
• PaperMag — Riding With Post Malone
• Venue official sites — Trees, The Bomb Factory, South Side Ballroom, Gilley’s Dallas

Related Guides and Coverage

Rap Atlas

• Japanese version: Rap Atlas US: Dallas (JA)
• Rap Atlas: United States hub — Dallas entry
• Rap Atlas: all regions
• Rap Atlas criteria and correction policy

Corrections

• Send a correction or a supplement
• 2026-09-11: Corrected The FADER quotation about Asian Doll’s 1017 signing. Limited the James Harper case to the August 2019 civil-jury outcome and arranged the Representative Acts and summary list alphabetically by the displayed English names, including an initial The.
• 2026-09-11: Added a link to the published Japanese version.
• 2026-09-11: Distinguished earlier RIAA search readings from unverified full histories and reporting from unreviewed judicial originals; registered Dorrough’s location/chart sources, clarified the mural date and Badu source attribution, and aligned the organization FAQ.