When one goes to list notable Lone Star State hiphop DJs, a couple names probably come to mind: Screwed Up Click founder DJ Screw (RIP), and Swisha House's DJ Michael "5000" Watts. These cats are known for slowing down and chopping up rap records to match the molasses-slow, mind-bending high of the Dirty South's favorite drank, promethazine-laced prescription cough syrup. Ever since Mike Jones's woozy monster smash, "Still Tippin'," however, the Texas grind has been accelerating at a feverish pitch; Jones, Paul Wall, and Chamillionaire are moving millions of drawl-dripping Houston rap. Nothing matches that aesthetic more than the frenetic, high-energy blends and mixes of Austin's own DJ Rapid Ric, who has the already red-hot asphalt of the Texas hoods boiling. Which is only right, mayne—to quote the classic cut from Port Arthur, Texas, rap legends UGK, it's supposed to bubble.

Born and raised in the small border town of Del Rio, Ricardo Almeda was a stone's throw across the imaginary line from Ciudad Acuna, where his best friend's father owned a club. There, an underage Almeda would hone his skills, get drunk, and host his own parties, spinning national rap hits to horny college kids. By the time Ric went off to the University of Texas in Austin, he knew just what he wanted to do, and after scoring an internship at local radio station KQBT, set out to get in the local mix-tape game.

In true Texas fashion, Almeda built his own network from the ground up, playing dates and working with the cats in the trenches. Compiling the Austin Powers tape with a hungry local talent like Mr. Blakes and Dok Holiday, Ric quickly found himself plunged into the burgeoning Houston scene, too, as acts like the Color Changing Click (then-partners Paul Wall and Chamillionaire), Chingo Bling, and the Swishahouse all found their individual grinds starting to pay in dividends. Bringing together an extremely diverse mix of Southern artists (from hard drug raps to the more melodic underground stuff), Ric (AKA "The Mix-Tape Mechanic") meticulously fine-tuned his rep, dropping the white-hot Whut It Dew mix-tape series, ingeniously flipping the Mountain Dew logo to illustrate the South's favorite greeting. The result? Rapid Ric is now one of the South's fastest-rising DJs, and a key tastemaker for Texas hiphop, bringing its soulful swagger and independent-as-fuck, out-the-trunk nonstop hustle worldwide.

Texas is oil country, gasoline country, big-ass car country. Listening to any handful of selections from Chamillionaire, Slim Thug, or Z-Ro will yield countless references to "switchin' lanes," gripping wood-grain steering wheels; piloting a candy-painted gas-guzzler is not just advocated, it's mythologized. Fittingly, the first single from Rapid Ric's own upcoming album is titled "Pullin Up," with raps from the Ricster's Whut It Dew Family, an ad-hoc association of top Tay-Has rap talent, including ex-Swishahouse member Magno, Charlie Boy, and Ryno.

"Pullin Up" is a spectacular example of big-screen Dirty South rap, with its requisite chopped-up hook, woozy synth stabs, and stuttery kicks all gliding majestically under the silky, melodic hook and the witty slicker-than-ya-average verses, where Ryno promises to have you "speed-dialin ya orthodontist." The accompanying video is naturally full of cameos by Texas's top up-and-coming talents, reflecting not only the state's hiphop artists' newfound solidarity, but also the goodwill Rapid Ric has built up in the community. Ric claims it's rap's first 35 mm clip, which he hopes will launch his Whut It Dew movement into suburban living rooms everywhere.

That said, what better way to enjoy the Lone Star emissary than at a "Dirty South BBQ Party"? Friday, June 30, the War Room's rooftop looks to be temporarily transported below the Mason-Dixon to the smoky, rowdy backyards where hood-rich trap stars and platinum-grilled rap stars connect to slap dominoes, talk shit, and sip drank. Except, of course, it'll most likely be a white, fun-loving Capitol Hill audience outside of the tall tees and medallions of its natural setting, Rapid Ric's brand of regional slab-rap funk is championed chiefly by hipsters; out-of-town gigs often find Ric sharing bills with prime Fader fodder. But it's all good, and Rapid Ric seems just as comfortable in either setting. Rule number one in the hustler's handbook: Get your money, baby!

hiphop@thestranger.com