When I was growing up in D/FW in the ‘90s, local hip hop was not on my radar. Even today, for as large a metropolitan area as it is, D/FW hip hop isn’t thriving in the way that Houston is. In the past few years, a couple of acts have surfaced, such as DMG$, but right now they are the exception and not the rule. I could take the time to speculate why, but I’d rather take this time to focus on a talented emcee from Dallas who has recently grabbed my attention: Playdough. He’s won a slew of freestyle battles and has been putting out records since 2002. Hotdoggin’ is his third full length, and it’s one funky good time.

While the production is handled by several different people, I can’t seem to find a full list of production credits anywhere. Playdough co-produced the majority of the album under the name Harry Krum, which helps the album cohere as a listening experience. It’s full of late sixties and early seventies soul and rock samples, and the energy is kept at a high level for the whole record. If you can’t find a track to play at your next party, I’m not sure I want to be there.

Playdough definitely shows his battle roots on the record, with plenty of clever turns of phrase and creative smack downs. That’s not all there is to Hotdoggin’, though. Playdough is also a thoughtful artist who happens to be a Christian as well. This isn’t to say he’s some self-righteous “Christian Rapper,” but an artist who discusses his views on life, and those happen to be informed by his religion. I think the strongest songs on the album come when he finds the perfect balance between all of the sides of himself, such as “1 Day,” a song in which he hypothesizes about having one day left to live and how he would spend it. He mentions feeding the poor, yelling at cops, kissing his girlfriend, quitting his job, apologizing to emcees he’s dissed, having “Redemption Song” by Bob Marley played at his funeral, and requests that after he’s gone, you should spread God’s good grace and smack Nelly in the face (Sweat/Suit was absolutely terrible, so I’ll consider it). There are other times when songs don’t quite come together, such as all the hot dog and bologna metaphors in the title track. I’m sure what I’m supposed to make from lines like “Sweet relish to embellish what’s exactly deserved/ And pack a packet full of pistols on a pack Hors d’œuvres,” but it’s still a good a party track if you don’t try to sit down and if you try to parse it out. “Singleminded Female” is probably the weakest track on the album, a song that’s meant as a tribute to his girlfriend, but the chorus about how everybody wants to steal his girlfriend doesn’t really work for me.

It’s not perfect album, but there’s plenty to like here. Playdough can get a party going, rock a crowd, knock down a wannabe emcee, and make you think. While there are a few swings and misses, I don’t mind because he’s making a good effort even when it doesn’t come together. More than anything, Playdough has finally given me an emcee from Dallas that I can champion. It’s about time.