The TwoGether Land event over Memorial Day weekend in Dallas set the tone for a hip-hop festival that respects the city’s influence on mainstream pop culture. When the lineup was announced in February, it teased Hollyhood Bay Bay’s Dallas All-Stars, which included Big Tuck, Erica Banks, Yella Beezy, Chalie Boy, Dorrough, and more.
This was Dallas’ moment to inspire a new generation of listeners who came to see Lil Wayne, Latto, or Key Glock that Dallas hip-hop is ours and ours only. Preserving its history at Fair Park on the TwoGether Land stage, with the African American Museum as a backdrop, felt like a win for the unsung heroes keeping the sound alive.
When walking into Fair Park, TwoGether Land offered a little bit of everything: a day party, an outdoor concert featuring hip-hop and R&B, an Art Overdose experience showcasing artists and vendors, and hangout spot near a roller rink and a mechanical bull to test your skills. Or you could chill with rapper Curren$y at his JetLife Lounge, which gave out samples of his Jet Life THC Soda.
The sponsor activations were unique activities in-between sets, especially Martell’s Vibe Check Bar, which had participants get their brainwaves scanned using brain-sensing headsets to interpret their emotions through vibrant colors and patterns, mapped out to signature cocktails you got to choose from based upon your results.
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Rapper Dorrough performs at the first TwoGether Land hip-hop festival in Dallas.(Eric Diep)
Over at the TwoGether Land Live Stage, there were opportunities to sit in on a live recording of a podcast. Concertgoers could catch Texas’ Marcus Adams of Mazi’s World interviewing rap group Dirty South Rydaz about their early mixtapes.
“It was kind of new to us,” Dirty South member Big Tuck said of their popularity at the time. “For the most part, we were just trying to make good music for the city. Represent the city the right way.”
Chalie Boy, who had Victoria Monét sample his song “I Look Good” on “On My Mama,” was interviewed next and shared his thoughts on his 2009 song remaining a Dallas classic. “When you remix a song or you recreate a song, it gives new life to the new one and renewed life to the old one,” Chalie Boy said.
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During a weekend when the Dallas Mavericks were up in the NBA’s Western Conference Finals, D-Town pride and celebration spread throughout TwoGether Land. If it wasn’t Chalie Boy’s “I Look Good” getting spun by numerous DJs around the fairgrounds, Cali Swag District’s “Teach Me How to Dougie” got some play too, which spawned from the homegrown D-Town Boogie movement.
It was all build-up to Bay Bay’s afternoon slot on Sunday that captured the best representation of Dallas hip-hop from the early beginnings to the current era. Certainly, other festivals have been held in Dallas and featured Post Malone, but none have attempted to spotlight an entire Texas music movement like TwoGether Land has.
Due to North Texas storms, Sunday’s set times were pushed back and gate openings were delayed. The 5:15 p.m. time slot worked in Bay Bay’s favor, as the crowd stuck around after a set from That Mexican OT, another rising Texas rapper who went viral for his song named after the Vietnamese Houston jeweler Johnny Dang.
Bay Bay, who is always animated, started his show with dancers before bringing out Tum Tum for “Home of Killaz.” Bay Bay wanted to summon the old Dallas swag, bringing out Big Tuck for a DSR reunion as Tuck and Tum Tum performed “Southside Da Realist” and “Not a Stain on Me.”
Then it was time for North Dallas to get recognition, as Bay Bay called on Mr. Lucci to perform “Diabolical” solo before being joined by Mr. Pookie for “Crook for Life.” For the average rap fan, these names aren’t immediately recognizable and are considered underground unless you were jamming to them in high school or college. Think of it as an important history lesson, bringing attention to these rappers performing at a festival in their city.
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Bay Bay then treated fans to a D-Town Boogie blitz of artists, shouting for Fat Pimp, who did his dance to “Rack Daddy,” Lil Wil for “My Dougie” and “Bust It Open,” Trap Starz Clik, and Dorrough for “Walk That Walk,” “Get Big” and “Ice Cream Paint Job.” Bay Bay’s connections to the city’s talent run deep, continuing with Chalie Boy for “I Look Good” and “Thick Fine Woman.”
Fans were treated to The Party Boyz, Treal Lee and Prince Rick for “Throwed Off,” and even GS Boyz who hit the Stanky Legg like it never left. Fans saw Yung Nation, M.E., Lil Ronny MothaF, and Big Homie Sho serving up jiggin’ dance songs for a full-blown party.
But Bay Bay wasn’t done yet.
He turned his attention to the Dallas rap stars of today, bringing out Erica Banks for twerk anthems “Buss It” and “Toot That.” Though it wasn’t explained, Yella Beezy was absent from the set. Instead, Bay Bay capped it off with Gunna Meize and OG Bobby Billions, who performed “Outside (Better Days)” as a Mo3 tribute, and Montana 700 with Zillionaire Doe.
It wasn’t the big finale we expected since the audience was unfamiliar with some names. It could’ve used someone like BigXThaPlug or buzzing Dallas artist 4Batz, who was seen walking around TwoGether Land on Saturday. But the sentiment of promoting the new Dallas faces was appreciated.
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If you went on Saturday and Sunday, the organization and flow of TwoGether Land made it easy for fans to schedule what they wanted to see and arrive whenever they desired through an app that gave reminders of when the next act was on.
Rapper Lil Wayne performs at the first TwoGether Land hip-hop festival in Dallas.(Eric Diep)
Lil Wayne, Latto, Jeezy, and Gucci Mane were the most scheduled by fans, but the joy of TwoGether Land came from its balance of R&B acts with Amerie, Dru Hill, The-Dream, and Summer Walker if you felt moved by slower jams. The lineup was a well-curated, regional set of Southern pillars that mixed artists from Memphis, New Orleans, and Atlanta with Texas names.
Some highlights of both days were Shaboozey teasing his new album and single with BigXThaPlug, Three 6 Mafia’s DJ Paul joking that the sweat on his shirt made the shape of Texas, Gucci Mane sharing the stage with his wife Keyshia Ka’oir for “Freaky Gurl,” Jeezy saying he always got love for Dallas, The-Dream commenting that his real fans have kids because they listened to his music, and Latto channeling her heavily sexual “Big Mama” persona.
By the time Lil Wayne was getting ready to close out the weekend, it was a victory lap for artists of Wayne’s generation who reached mainstream sustainability. After a slight delay due to a few fans suffering from heat exhaustion, Wayne soldiered through a tight 45-minute set covering his Hot 100 singles, guest features, mixtape cuts, and Tha Carter III classics like “Lollipop” and “A Milli.”
As the night went on, Wayne was amazed by the crowd rocking with him after being in the sun for hours. He was thankful that fans skipped the Mavericks game to be with him, telling us who won in case we didn’t check the score. He was happy to still rap in front of an audience after all these years.
“This is love,” Wayne said.
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The crowd kept cheering for him. His parting words are his standard if you’ve seen him live before, but telling us he isn’t anything without us rang true more than ever at the first TwoGether Land. Texas loves you, Weezy. And Weezy loves us back.
A violent crash involving a Dallas police cruiser has injured two officers and shut down a major roadway in Northwest Dallas.
According to police at the scene, officers were in the area near 3100 West Northwest Highway in Dallas because of a carjacking at another location.
Police said the suspect ended up hitting a squad car head-on as officers arrived.
Two officers were injured in the collision, police said. Both were transported to a local hospital and are expected to be okay.
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According to police, a suspect was killed during the incident, but details surrounding the circumstances of the death have not been released at this time.
West Northwest Highway is shut down in both directions at Webb Chapel Road as a result of the crash. Traffic is unable to pass through in either direction.
As of 6:45 a.m., both cars are on scene and have not been towed. Officers expect this area to be shut down and blocked to traffic for at least the next two hours as they conduct their forensic investigation.
Check back and refresh this page for the latest update. As developments unfold, elements of this story may change.
The Dallas Park and Recreation Board approved on Thursday usage of land in Far West Oak Cliff for a new Dallas Wings practice facility.
Board members specifically authorized using a portion of Joey Georgusis Park at 1200 North Cockrell Hill Road for the WNBA team’s facility, which will cost $55 million.
While some board members had questions about other options considered for the facility and why this location was chosen, support for the item was generally widespread.
“I just appreciate that southern Dallas is on the table,” Council District 3 representative Vana Hammond said. “And we appreciate the Wings for considering southern Dallas.”
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Council District 8 representative Bo Slaughter said he’s “sick and tired of teams saying that they’re Dallas teams, but they’re in Fort Worth or in Mesquite or something … so I’m supportive of this.”
The park board’s action comes a week after the City Council approved a proposal 12-3 to design the facility at the park that would open before next season. The Wings’ offices would also be based in that area of southwest Dallas.
Some council members at the May 28 meeting wanted to delay the vote to learn more about how public dollars will be spent and were confused about why they weren’t briefed about the new site before the meeting.
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But the maneuvers are the result of delays to the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center redevelopment that pushed back the Wings’ move-in date,The Dallas Morning News reported May 23.
The team expected to move to Memorial Auditorium in 2026 under a 15-year, $19 million use agreement that also included the construction of a practice facility.
The April 2024 agreement with the Wings binds the city to its duty to provide the facility on time. The Dallas City Council will vote June 11 to adjust its contract with the Wings, who practice and play home games at UT-Arlington’s College Park Center.
For the park board, approving the land was “a no brainer,” board president Arun Agarwal said.
Council members Paul Ridley, Kathy Stewart and Jesse Moreno recently wrote in a signed memo to the city manager that spending $55 million on the practice facility “raises significant concerns.”
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They asked the city manager to reconsider support for the project and to refer it to the appropriate committee for further review and discussion. The council members said the Wings “may utilize interim practice venues until the permanent facility is constructed.”
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Dallas officials estimate they need an additional $178.5 million to build a 20-acre police academy at the University of North Texas at Dallas and a 60-acre public safety complex that could be constructed near Wilmer-Hutchins High School in southeast Oak Cliff.
That’s in addition to $96.5 million already secured by the city, which would bring the total estimated price tag of the project to $275 million.
City officials are hinging their bets on covering the funding gap with nearly $50 million in private fundraising and proceeds from the sale of city-owned real estate to cover 20% of the gap. They also anticipate a potential $6 million sponsorship for the public safety complex, according to a presentation.
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“I’d like to see more certainty about how we can reduce the cost of the facility or raise more money to close that gap,” council member Paul Ridley told The Dallas Morning News.
Nearly a dozen public speakers arrived at City Hall on Wednesday to voice opposition to the academy. A handful called instead for resources to be devoted to other social issues.
Council members spent a significant portion of the day behind closed doors, where they were scheduled to discuss the agreement between the city and UNTD to lease the training academy site. However, after four hours of closed session deliberations, the City Council adjourned the meeting within moments of returning at about 5:30 p.m.
“We decided to defer the remaining items for the briefing because our executive session went so long,” Ridley later said. He added that the City Council wanted to discuss the academy with fresher eyes.
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City officials are expected to vote June 11 on whether to enter an agreement with the UNTD college campus to lease the site of the facility to train new recruits.
“I think we need to get each hurdle cleared before we go to the next one,” council member Paula Blackmon said.
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The first hurdle is nailing down the real estate needed for the second facility. The next step is finalizing the property and the pieces that will go into it. “We just need to be very thoughtful and methodical and just clear each hurdle,” she said.
This is the second delay. City officials had planned to update council members with the academy’s progress on May 21, but the briefing was pushed back.
Another question the city will have to consider is how it prioritizes revenue from real estate sales, especially as Dallas continues to suffer billions of dollars of deferred maintenance on existing roads, buildings and neighborhoods.
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Mandates outlined by the passage of Proposition U in last year’s election also hang over the city. The ballot measure required the city to maintain 4,000 officers in the force and divert half of any new revenue year over year into the uniformed pension system as well as other public safety initiatives to recruit and retain more first responders.
Council member Cara Mendelsohn said she supports the academy initiative.
“It’s the most important investment for Dallas to make,” she said. “We must be able to have a space that helps us recruit, retain, and [professionally] train our police officers. It shows we prioritize public safety and value those who take the oath to protect and serve.”
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Changing plans
The News revealed in February the city quietly changed plans for the police academy, despite millions of dollars committed to the project. UNT Dallas’ campus in southern Dallas had been billed since 2021 as the training site for all future Dallas police hires.
The current police academy in Red Bird has been a pain point for years for officers. It spans 63 acres across two sites in industrial warehouses. Mold and sweat, weathered training rooms, insufficient storage and limited parking spots spurred talk about a new state-of-the-art facility.
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Despite past fanfare about the UNTD space housing new recruits, documents obtained by The News showed the city decided to move the academy to an undetermined location. UNTD, according to the documents, would house only a training facility for officers already in service.
Since then, plans have continued to change.
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The latest iteration harkens back to the original idea of UNTD housing a facility for new recruits, but added a separate “public safety complex” with a driving track and shooting range. Officials have said they’d begin a feasibility study this year to determine the best site for it.
Of five locations reviewed by the city, including Hensley Field and Cadillac Heights, officials appear to be leaning toward the Wilmer-Hutchins High School area, noting it in Wednesday’s presentation as the site that “meets most of the criteria.”
Similar facilities have carried budgets between $180 million to $1.5 billion, the presentation noted. Three facilities the city reviewed had average budgets of $330 million.
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Opposition during public comment
Tamera Lanay, a district two resident, highlighted the uncertainties in Wednesday’s briefing. The city is yet to finalize the project’s location for the complex, which also includes a simulated tactical village.
The briefing, Lanay said, also does not acknowledge that Dallas’ violent crime has seen a decline in the last four years. The city’s focus on the new facility comes amid deep uncertainty in the job market and withdrawal of rental assistance through potential U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development cuts.
“When you look at the city budget, there’s a stark difference in public safety funding compared to social services,” Lanay said. “In fact, I got no help from the city of Dallas for rental assistance and instead relied on mutual aid from my community.”
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People resort to crime when they don’t have the wages and job needed to pay bills, afford mental health and put food on the table for their families, she said.
“This new facility is not a crime deterrent,” she said. “To make us feel safer in our city, investing in our health, job stability, food security and housing security is a true crime deterrent. We know all of you are going to proceed forward with this facility, but you will see this poor investment will have dire results.”
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Lindsay Linderman, a law student at the UNTD, said the new project and “a militarized police force” would not prevent crime. She suggested more resources for the community in education, housing and food security.
The current policing structure and constitutional language, Linderman said, punishes rather than protects residents, and does not match the expectations of what public safety entails.
“I wonder why proposition F, which allocated millions of taxpayer dollars to this facility, was labeled as public safety facilities,” she said. “I believe that Prop F was intentionally confusing, misleading and vague by lumping together this academy with necessary repairs to fire stations in our area.”
