Kirko Bangz

Kirko Bangz is a rapper and singer from Houston, Texas, who emerged around 2009 as part of a new generation of Houston hip-hop artists that followed the city's mid-2000s screwed-and-chopped boom associated with names like Slim Thug, Paul Wall and Mike Jones. He built his early following through two mixtape series, Procrastination Kills and Progression, blending melodic, singsong hooks with a laid-back Houston flow that made him stand out from more straightforward street rappers.

His breakthrough came with «Drank In My Cup», a Sound M.O.B.-produced single from the 2011 mixtape Progression 2: A Young Texas Playa, which became a national hit and helped define a moment when Houston's trap-influenced, syrup-soaked sound crossed into the mainstream. Follow-up tracks like «What Yo Name Iz?» and «Keep It Trill» reinforced his reputation for hooks that lean as much on R&B melody as on rap delivery, drawing comparisons to other genre-blending artists of his generation.

Kirko Bangz was named to XXL's Freshman Class in 2013, cementing his place among the decade's rising rap talents. After a recording hiatus from around 2014 to 2016, he returned with the album Back Flossin, followed by the mixtape Progression 17, continuing to develop the melodic, radio-friendly style that first brought him attention.