Music

Playlist: These black artists are the sound of Houston

Bigg Fatts, STOO, Kam Franklin, Attxla -- learn their names

Joey Guerra June 1, 2020Updated: June 4, 2020, 9:35 am
Bigg Fatts, clockwise top left, Lyric Michelle, Kam Franklin, STOO, Robyn Troup, Attxla Photo: collage

It's been said repeatedly, exhaustingly that Houston is all about diversity.

Yes, it's true. But it's not always highlighted in, ironically, the most diverse way. Let's change that.

"Bang, bang/Smilin' on the outside, hurtin' on the inside/Bang, bang/You're a pretender/You strut with the weight of the world on your shoulders/What's the cost, baby? What's the cost?" 

Houston's community of black artists is its own showcase of multiple sounds and styles. There's rap and R&B, sure. But there's also pop and electronic and showtunes.

The Spotify playlist above includes Kam Franklin of The Suffers covering the Korn classic "Freak on a Leash." Bling St. channeling New York City balls in the '80s. Morena Roas chopping up a pop power ballad. Robyn Troup of Yung Kobra urging us to "Relax."

"It is the elephant in the room that consumes us/That invokes a sense of honor, of duty that compels us to act/That same compelling voice is violently strangled as we make the choice to avert our eyes/But you and I both know that suffering does not end just because you pretend not to see it/So if ignorance is bliss, then the hell you live in after hearing the truth of it must be unbearable"

The best part? This is just a small piece of what Houston has to offer.

  • Joey Guerra
    Joey Guerra

    Joey Guerra is the music critic for the Houston Chronicle. He also covers various aspects of pop culture. He has reviewed hundreds of concerts and interviewed hundreds of celebrities, from Justin Bieber to Dolly Parton to Beyonce. He's appeared as a regular correspondent on Fox26 and was head judge and director of the Pride Superstar singing competition for a decade. He has been named journalist of the year multiple times by both OutSmart Magazine and the FACE Awards. He also covers various aspects of pop culture, including the local drag scene and "RuPaul's Drag Race."