The Outfit

About

Born and raised Texans Dorian, JayHawk, and Mel make up the hip-hop band The Outfit, TX. Consisting of two producers and three emcees, TOTX's story begins in the city of Dallas, where all three members are born, raised, and currently reside. Enrollment at the University of Houston in 2006 brought middle-school partners Dorian and Mel to JayHawk and three years later, The Outfit, TX was formed.​ Since their commencement, TOTX has been hard at work developing their patented brand of "Cooly Fooly Space Age Funk." They have released several notably successful, local projects, including a 2010 OG Ron C hosted “Chopped Not Slopped” self-titled debut project, and a buzzworthy 2011 mixtape with regional powerhouse DJ Mr. Rogers. Thus, these three individuals appear fully cognizant of both their respective sounds and their collective sound, blending unabashed southern credo with smooth synth bass, moogs, 808s, and synthesizers.​ Their first official studio album, "Starships and Rockets: Cooly Fooly Space Age Funk The Album" exists as a perfect exhibition of that. It was voted one of the “Best Underground Rap Tapes of 2012" by Houston Press Magazine, receiving coverage from the likes of 2 Dopeboyz, Dallas’ Central Track, Fox Austin, Complex Magazine, and SPIN. MTV Hive calls them "The Best Rap Group You're Not Talking About (Yet)". Their most recent project, the double-disc album, “Cognac/Four Corner Room,” exists as two varying solo projects, conjoined at the hip to represent the juxtaposed unity that makes up TOTX. Entirely produced, written, and engineered by Mel and Dorian, Cognac/Four Corner Room takes listeners deeper into the individual spirits of the two founding members of the triumvirate that is The Outfit, TX. Complex ranks it as one of the top ten Texas Rap Mixtapes of 2013. ​TOTX has performed with the likes of J. Cole, Wiz Khalifa, The Niceguys, The Clipse, and Kendrick Lamar. They headlined their first sold out show at Warehouse Live in Houston, TX in March 2013, then hit the road, performing at several music festivals including A3C’s “Best in Texas” Showcase, and Spune’s Index Fest in Dallas, TX.​ The future holds much more for the three southern gentlemen that comprise The Outfit, TX, having recently relocated back to Dallas from Houston. They might have put it best, describing their artistry as "one small step for Texas, one giant leap for southern kind."