Spend any amount of time in Houston, Texas and you become quickly acquainted with slab culture. Vintage cars in candy-coated paint and dazzling rims poking outwards cruise the local streets. You’ll see them swangin’, where drivers slowly veer and sway from side to side on the road in unison with other cars. Meanwhile, inside the car, they’ll play classic Houston rap songs with the heftiest bass you could imagine. That’s why they’re called slabs after all— it’s an acronym for “slow, loud, and bangin’.”
For those uninitiated with the rich culture in Houston, Noisey has selected four songs that you’ll definitely hear booming out of slabs.
4 of the Best Songs You’ll Hear out of a Slab in Houston
‘Pimp Tha Pen’ by Lil Keke & DJ Screw
You can’t call yourself a Houstonian without bangin’ Screw, let alone ride a slab. “Pimp Tha Pen” is one of the defining Houston rap songs in its history, coded in a distinct language you could only understand after Googling or immersing yourself in the culture. “I’m draped up and dripped out, know what I’m talkin’ ’bout/Three in the mornin’, gettin’ the gat out the stash spot,” Lil Keke raps. Think of “Pimp Tha Pen” as a starter guide to Houston slab culture. The more you’re around it, the more you see what Lil Keke was rapping about.
‘Swangin In The Rain’ by Paul Wall
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