Though the rap subgenre, Plugg, is native to the Dirty South, a newer, fresher take of the alternative genre spawned out of the northeast: specifically, out of Northern New Jersey. From around 2017 until today, a pioneer of sorts has been cultivating a new generation of Plugg, infused with his own herbs and spices found in other genres of music.
The man who put it all on the map is none other than Texako.
Texako is an artist and producer through and through. The 23-year-old grew up listening to a wide variety of genres, but R&B resonated with him the most:
“I'm really big into melodies and chords,” the artist noted. “So, you know, R&B Slow Jams; you find a lot of gems in there.”
The Jersey-native took a liking to Plugg, noting that he was “mesmerized” by artist MexikoDro and producer Stoopidxool. In his high school days, Texako found himself taking a liking to their sounds and carving out his own sub-sub genre:
“(...) My version of Pluggnb is completely different from what you would hear Summrs and others do. Mine is more genuine and more, you know, (the) authentic type.”
So, what exactly is “Pluggnb”? Or, at least, what is Texako’s version of Pluggnb?
Believe it or not, the answer is in the name itself: it is an eclectic combination of R&B-inspired melodies and sounds with a Plugg-like foundation. Texako put it this way:
“I (actually) like it to sound like actual R&B. I like to use samples. (Other Pluggnb) is more technology-based – more synthesized and everything. And me? Since I’m such a calm person, I don’t really yell much. So, I like to rap on the OG R&B because I’m a calm, smooth person.”
The producer clings to a more traditional means of producing a song, but is still able to deliver a fresh sound to his listeners.
A Plugg beat without an attention-grabbing sub-bass and hard-hitting percussion just simply isn’t a Plugg beat, according to Texako.
“Mainstream songs don’t use (those) types of drum sounds and we specialize in using certain drum sounds that aren’t normally as heard,” the creative explained.
“You’ll hear a lot of producer tags – certain stuff that just don’t be included in other genres.”
Harnessing such a unique style, the artist doesn’t find himself collaborating with others in his genre often. That is, until he’s creating something special with a good artist friend of his, BoofpaxkMooky:
“We could chill in the crib all day and make eight songs back to back and we won’t need nobody’s help,” he noted. “We got the chemistry to go back and forth to do anything without having to discuss it. We don’t even have to speak; everything is just perfect.”
In terms of producing, Texako typically prefers that the producers he collaborates with have some background knowledge of music theory or instrument-playing; it all goes back to his love for purely authentic music.
Whether you find yourself listening to “generic plugg”, “dark plugg”, “emo plugg”, or any one of the many “umbrellas” of plugg, you can be rest assured that Texako had something to do with it.
At the end of the day, it all comes down to one thing:
“I just want people to actually connect with the music”
To him, that’s the end-all-be-all. In between every chopped-up R&B melody and drum sequence, Texako just wants the listener to feel the music on a level that ventures below the surface.