The Weekly Coos

My introduction to BigXthaPlug came earlier this summer when he appeared on a record with Shaboozey. Since then, I’ve delved into his craft and left astounded by the maturity he imbues, despite reflecting on certain content that seems more apropos than not in Hip-Hop. It only heightens with time, and with his latest release, Take Care, we sit through a meta-therapeutic session with BigXthaPlug, except he doesn’t let it come across as preachy or direct. He allows audio clippings and thematic samples to help tell the story as he lets it all bare on his sleeves through his raps, giving continued substance, especially as he comes solo dolo. Though previous projects have seen him break down his walls, there is more of an onus to focus on Take Care, looking at self-care, whether mental or physical well-being. It’s a surprising moment that bolsters the final impact, considering some of the production follows a linear throughline that doesn’t offer much to a creative mind outside minor details influenced by the Hip-Hop sounds of Texas. It’s a weak point that doesn’t fully diminish it all, but it stops it from being something more profound.

BigXthaPlug’s flows show a creative spirit that wants to expand beyond his horizons; unfortunately, he’s mildly truncated by production that doesn’t do much to elevate the platform. It is more of a balance beam that allows him to spit his truth fluidly without much drawback. It highlights how even samples or other overlays can’t overcome some of my feelings of being slightly unimpressed with the beats; sometimes they don’t need to impress, further becoming a separate conversation as BigXthaPlug raps like he is feasting on the drums. He sounds hungry while allowing the pain inside to show, or the bravado hunger where he flexes with nuance as he does so on “Law & Order,” over some clean soft rock riffs from the guitar in the backdrop. Not all beats thread a similar needle, but any rare wow factor can become another afterthought due to BigXthaPlug’s quality writing and flow/performance stealing the limelight. It makes the more maligned one-note sampling of the first few tracks feel more thematically resonant with what is heard from him, especially since most of the time, the significant part is in the beginning. It allows the minimalist jazziness of “Planting Seeds” land.

What makes Take Care potent is how pronounced BigXthaPlug is on many tracks, specifically via his brash loud bravado that makes you pay attention to his words more closely. It’s a definitive high that showcases what kind of rapper he wants to portray himself as, despite treading into some more popular driven tracks, like the one with Shaboozey. Yet, he goes through the motions between introspective or humbling bravado that expresses an earned factor, elevating the poignancy that comes with the ups and downs that come in life, like trying to express again that money and fame don’t change the person, as he does in “Change Me.” In rap, some rappers don’t stick to being their authentic selves and force upon themselves a more popular sound to heighten notoriety, and it isn’t something permeating through here. It’s one of the key reasons why this album flows so smoothly. In a way, BigXthaPlug accepts these faults; that makes the oblique 70s samples on “Mhmm” and “Rich Off Rap,” feel as fun as his flows, and synths and horns in the latter respectively—quite the unique antithesis to tracks like “Therapy Sessions” and “2 AM.”

“Mhmm” and “Rich Off Rap” come near the end, and though they have their moment in the sun, they don’t fit in with the rest, feeling looser than the more confined flexors, like “Back On My BS” and “The Largest,” which are more direct and tonally grounded with his serious. It’s a benefit that it comes as part of a fantastic four-track run that starts at the former and ends on the latter with the significant “Story of X” in the middle. Biographical, we hear a shift in motivation and direction by BigXthaPlug as he recounts how it was hustling pre and post-pandemic, trying to make his living and rapping, despite the hardships. It’s eye-opening, considering earlier in the album he raps about losing love for the fakes who show a different relationship pre and post-career jump. These unique details add the depth needed for this album to excel off the headphones and into your brain. BigXthaPlug has that large Texas swagger pouring out his body and you hear it significantly; it’s an underrated element that ties this all together with sheer force and will. 

That Texas swagger is heavily potent, resonating in much of the album’s overall ethos and sound. It’s this indication of who BigXthaPlug is as a rapper, more so an artist who wants to be seen as bigger than he presents himself. He isn’t timid and comes with a big personality that helps establish and push connections with some of the content he spits, even if there is a delineation happening due to clout or status; emotions still have parallels and you feel it through his hunger and pain, depending on the track. It’s high key, a good album that lands as expected and will create fans through fresh ears.