Hear and Now

The H-Town music scene, Third Coast hotbed of hip-hop and longtime outpost of outlaw country cool, is increasingly influential and, like the city itself, diverse. Meet the rising stars of the most fascinating tune town in America today.

Julie Soefer
Portrait

Editors’ Note: CityBook’s fourth annual musicians portfolio hits next week! This is how the tradition began, at White Oak Music Hall, back in 2017.


Shot on location at White Oak Music Hall in the Heights

Text by Evan W. Black and Daniel Renfrow, with Chris Becker

Styling Support by Molly Jodeit

Makeup by Jennifer Aronson

Women’s Hair by Travis Player and Brandy Perez for Tease Color & Style Bar

Men’s Hair by Destiny Sebreth for Estilo Salon and Spa

Photography Assistance by Dylan Aguilar

Listen to the artists featured in the May issue:

H-Town rap artist and producer Timothy Russell, aka GUILLA, may have only released Children of the Sun — a sci-fi-inspired album that includes a collaborative track with HGO soprano Alicia Gianni — last spring, but the 28-year-old, quick-witted rap artist already has a followup dropping this month. His fourth full-length album, Crunchy Roll & Chill, features 14 tracks that are more biographical in nature — there’s a track about his love for girls who cosplay — than his previous, highly esoteric work. It’s also less heavy in tone. “I feel like we’re in a time of extreme darkness right now and everybody is kind of pissed off,” says Russell, who plans on touring Texas this summer, “so Crunchy Roll & Chill is full of upbeat music. I want to put smiles on people’s faces again.”
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