Billboard Scorching 100 hits and Coachella units had been by no means a part of BigXthaPlug’s plans for himself. Rising up in Dallas, the 26-year-old with the deep, bellowing voice had gridiron desires of enjoying within the NFL — and even at his Billboard photograph shoot, he throws a soccer round and speaks of his success within the sport’s phrases.
BigX compares his trade journey to that of former quarterback Cam Newton, who starred at a junior faculty earlier than turning into a Heisman Trophy winner at Auburn College and, finally, an NFL MVP. “I mainly simply pulled a Cam Newton,” he states. “As an alternative of going by all of the steps, I simply went loopy at that [junior college] and will’ve rattling close to went to the league.”
Raymond Alva
This digital cowl story is a part of Billboard’s Style Now bundle, highlighting the artists pushing their musical genres ahead — and even creating their very own new ones.
To rap followers, BigX’s story — his path from drug supplier to artist — isn’t international. “Pops” — the 6-foot-7 man with an enormous body identical to BigX’s, who’s along with his son in Los Angeles at present — “had a lure home, and in the course of that spot was a spherical picket desk and a mic,” BigX remembers of his first time in entrance of a microphone. “[Pops] was like, ‘Y’all n—s can’t rap. My son bought greater than y’all bought.’ I used to be scoring on ’em, and I assume it was sounding good. He was like, ‘You good. It’s essential rap for actual.’ ”
4 years in the past, BigX signed with UnitedMasters, which he nonetheless calls the “neatest thing I might’ve did.” He credit his first supervisor — an uncle who basically ran off after BigX paid him $20,000 upfront — for steering him towards sustaining his independence with the distributor.
BigX has stood out amongst hip-hop’s melodic-leaning mainstream along with his soulful manufacturing and booming chopped-and-screwed flows which have drawn comparisons to The Infamous B.I.G. — and the previous 12 months have been significantly essential in his ascent. He earned his first Scorching 100 entry in December 2023 when the groovy “Mmhmm” reached No. 63. In October, he opened up about his insecurities, ache and triumphs on his second album, Take Care, which reached No. 8 on the Billboard 200.
“I really feel like for the previous decade it’s been lots of mumble rap. Folks not speaking about nothing,” he says. “I’m speaking about one thing. A whole lot of the older individuals who love music, that’s what they grew up on — precise substance. Right here’s this younger dude that sound previous, however he on these young-old beats. I actually combined all the pieces up so all people might find it irresistible.”
BigXthaPlug photographed December 4, 2024 at Electrical Pony Studios in Los Angeles.
Raymond Alva
Raymond Alva
BigX’s in-house producer, Tony Coles, provides, “He has this kind of Martin Luther King Jr. ingredient to him the place it’s [a] preacher nearly and his voice could be very highly effective, and you bought the badass manufacturing behind it.”
Subsequent up, BigX — who Shaboozey tapped for a function on his 2024 album, The place I’ve Been, Isn’t The place I’m Going — will join along with his Texas roots for a rustic mixtape slated to reach in 2025 and have a star-studded visitor lineup together with Jelly Roll, Morgan Wallen, Luke Combs and Submit Malone. “Submit Malone, Luke Combs, all these guys,” BigX says. “They declare I’m their favourite rapper.”
This story seems within the Jan. 11, 2025, difficulty of Billboard.
