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10/27/2025
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HeadHuncho Amir comes from a family of hustlers. Amir’s father, Antong Lucky, is a well-known dot connector around Dallas. The former gang leader-turned-activist even had a record label while Amir was growing up.
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However, Amir was intent on blazing his own path and not relying on his father’s name and connections. In fact, Lucky was one of the last to find out Amir rapped — and it was his friends who told him about his son’s budding music career.
“Just being around people like my pops, my mom, my grandfather, like my family tree was always full of hustlers,” Amir tells Billboard. “Everybody in my family doing something to make some money.”
In the two years since his first performance, Amir has notched a deal with 300 Entertainment and is at the forefront of the New Dallas movement, uniting the city and bringing the rap spotlight back to the Big D, alongside peers like Montana 700 and Zillionaire Doe.
“We’re letting the world know unity is cool and you ain’t gotta hate on nobody,” he explains. “We genuinely mess with each other, this ain’t for the camera. It’s cool to support your homie. If you want to see everyone win, you could say New Dallas.”
HeadHuncho Amir drives in the motivational rap lane, taking inspiration from Jeezy’s caffeinated trap tales and Rick Ross’ boss talk, but with fewer frills. He spun the block for a second project in 2025, earlier in October, with 50 Year Run, a manifestation of leaving a legacy.
“I’m trying to be on Jay-Z status,” he proclaims. “We just trying to be here for a long time, handling business.”
The East Dallas rapper, who never wears a pair of his crisp white Nike Air Force 1s more than once, is Billboard‘s Hip-Hop Rookie of the Month for October. Get familiar with Amir as he talks about his upbringing, New Dallas and getting mistaken for fellow Dallas native BigXthaPlug at a Mavericks game.
Who were some artists you were bumping growing up that you were inspired by?
I’d so Yo Gotti, Rick Ross, Young Jeezy and Houston artists like Lil Keke, Big Moe, Z-Ro and Pimp C. That’s what I grew up listening to every day. I’m getting in the car and that’s the music I was hearing.
It’s my understanding your pops had a record label. What was your entrance into rap?
When I was younger, I watched a bunch of 106 & Park and MTV Cribs. I was infatuated with music. My pops had his own record label at the time. They had a movement going. I’m hands-on and in the studio and around the music every day. At the time, I wasn’t telling everyone I wanted to be a rapper. I’d be freestyling and playing around with my cousin, putting on beats. Since a kid, it was a God-given talent. I was good at it. I had kept it a secret for a while. That’s when I had came out and started letting everyone know that I rap.
When was this around?
When I started telling everyone I rap, it was like high school days. I would probably say like 11th grade or going into senior year. I started actually going to the studio and paying for studio time and making songs. At the time, i wasn’t putting the songs out. I was just putting it on Instagram and Snapchat seeing what people’s reaction was. That’s when I had shot a video and once I started getting feedback that everyone liked my music, that’s what made me take it serious. I really wasn’t being serious at the time. I’d drop a few videos and then stop.
Once I had dropped a song called “Real Members,” the feedback I had got back from it was crazy. I didn’t have that many followers on Instagram, but I had got a lot of comments and shares. This promoter, DY, he had booked me for a show in the city for free. He’s like, “I believe in you, you hard. I want you to come perform.” I pulled up and it was packed. A lot of people already know me and they say me rapping and they ain’t know I rapped, but they liked what I was rapping about. I did the show and I had my mom, uncles and cousins with me. I still got the videos in my phone. The crowd’s going crazy and they vibing with it. And from that day forward, I said, “Oh yeah, I can’t be playing. I gotta take it serious.”
Coming from a family of hustlers, how did you apply that to your music?
My pops is well known for what he does in the city. There’s one thing about about our family, like either somebody selling houses, doing her own a beauty shop, selling clothes. Just being around it and growing up around that environment of hustlers in my family, like they groomed me well, from when I got older to know you can’t be lazy. I’m rapping about my life — stuff I’ve either seen or did. It just fell with the music so good because everything I’m saying is real life and not made up.
Your dad didn’t want you to rap, right? You had a bar on “Trap Again” about him passing the game down to you.
See, my pops didn’t care about buying your shoes every week or clothes. You know how you got some parents buying Jordan stuff every week? My pops wasn’t with none of that. He’s asking, “What your schoolwork like?” He want to know when the report card comes out.
My pops used to own a bail bond company in South Dallas. I remember sitting there and a song came on and one of my uncles was like, “I bet you don’t know what movie that beat’s from?” I’m like, “Yeah, Set It Off, at the end when Queen Latifah had died.” He like, “Bruce, I feel like nephew gonna be a rapper when he get older. He be on point with it.” I remember my pops’ response: “Nah, he ain’t finna be no rapper. He finna go to college. We ain’t finna put that in his head.” So when he said that, at the time, it kinda shocked me, because I [already] know how to rap.
I’m probably 12 or 13, but when he said that it made me shy away from him with the rap. I went in a zone like, “I’ll never tell my pops I know how to rap, because he don’t even know that I know how to rap right now.” As I got older, I never played my music around him. Everyone around him knows I rap. I’m letting his homeboys and family members hear it, and it starts getting back to him, “You ain’t been listening to your son? You need to mess with your son!” He’s all confused. They started sending him the music, so it got to a point like, “Nah, son, you got something. You can rap.” He was like the last one to know.
Touch on the New Dallas movement as well, which has been dope to see you guys making noise. Between you, Montana 700 and Zillionaire Doe uplifting the city.
The New Dallas movement going crazy. I can’t even remember around what time we started seeing it, but I remember we were all in the studio. Doe was like, “Bro, we the new wave in Dallas. We the New Dallas. The city’s in a dark spot, Mo3 just passed. We finna uplift the city and bring back that good feeling and let people know it doesn’t matter what side you’re from.” We’re not a group, we’re a movement.
What does 50 Year Run mean to you?
When I say 50 Year Run, I mean longevity, like I’m trying to leave a legacy. I’m trying to be here for a long time. It’s about getting your health together, just making sure your mindset is on the right track. You trying to get to the next level. I’m finna put this work in. I’m trying to be here forever. Everybody should be on a 50-year run — feeling good and getting their health together.
How did the project come together?
I’m a studio junkie. I make songs so much, so the process of putting it together, it really be the certain beats I hear. When I hear a certain type of beat, it makes me write. I don’t freestyle. Every beat on the tape, I was in a different vibe. Some of ‘em I made in Dallas, some of ‘em I made in Cali, some of ‘em I made in New York. It’s new vibes on there. I linked with new producers, but of course I linked with Ziggy Made It. I linked with ChopSquad DJ, me and him got a good relationship and made a hard song “Everytime.” We picked the best songs that we felt fit. I hope everyone messes with it as much as I mess with it.
You mentioned “Everytime,” talk about that “Party Like a Rockstar” sample inspiring you to rap?
I made that in LA. It was me and Chopsquad DJ. He was telling me about all the artists he worked with like Lil Durk. He’s going through a beat pack and I asked him if he had something with a sample. He played it and I thought it was cool. We vibing out and I go in the booth and write something quick. When I get done with the song, I didn’t even like it. That ain’t even really my type of vibe. It sat with me for a minute. The team and the label was vibing with it. I didn’t think that was my style. I put it out there to see if they messed with it and we played it in a club and it went crazy. I got so many DMs and texts. I’m like, “We might got something.” I went to another club and got the same reaction.
Do you feel like rap can go back to drug-dealing music rather than the drug user music dominating now? Do you see it that way?
Yeah, I see it that way. I see it both ways, like, drug dealer music, drug user music. But when you listen to my music, you gon be like, “Man, Amir just motivate you. He put you in a different zone, like, I gotta go get some money. I can’t just be sitting around.” Like, I just really be trying to make that feel-good music, that motivational music.
I see Moneybagg Yo, Bossman Dlow and Sexyy Redd tapped in. What’s it like getting those cosigns?
When Bagg had tweeted some lyrics from “A Boss or a Leech,” I was like, “Nah!” Bagg’s tapped in. Dlow hit me and Kevin Gates hit me. It’s crazy because I grew up bumping Moneybagg. He’s one of them ones. Dlow hit me when “Get in With Me” just dropped. He was getting on the scene. It just feel good, and I linked with Moneybagg in L.A. at writer’s camp, and he let me know, “You hard, keep going.” He gave me that motivation. It feels good to have rappers I listened to hitting me up.
Explain the sun chain you had on when you came to the Billboard office. What’s the Only Sun Music Group and 2700?
2700 is where I’m from. It’s a block in East Dallas. My granny got a house on that block and it’s a dead end that I grew up at. My uncle owns a house right there so I’ve been there my whole life. It’s so much history. The sun chain, shout-out to uncle, he got so much jewelry. He had the sun chain and when I started rapping, before I could buy my own, he gave me the sun chain to wear. It stuck out so people knew me by the chain. Amir with the sun chain, that’s how they identified me. It’s been in the family so long and people know me by the chain. I’m the only one in the city with a sun chain.
How’d you end up signing to 300 Entertainment?
Before I signed, I had a lot of labels trying to sign me. I had my entertainment attorney going over different contracts. After going through all of them, he let me know the real about every one. When we got to 300, he checked me, “This a good move.” He let me know, like, “I’m not gonna put you in position where I feel like it ain’t the right move. This a good move.”
I had met Selim [Bouab], Montana 700 is my brother, and he’s signed to them. I been knowing him since 7th grade and he was telling me good things about the label. They came down for Montana’s birthday and I met Selim at a bar. I didn’t know who he was at the time. He called my name and let me know, “I’m watching you. You hard!” I end up going to New York and they end up coming to Dallas. We made it happen.
Who’s your dream collab?
Future, Lil Baby and Rick Ross. That Wham and Future era was just different. I know almost all their songs. That’s like a dream collab. I know I’m hard. If I make a song with them, I know it’ll be one of them ones.
When you were up here in New York, you said you step out in a new pair of Air Force 1s every day. Is that true?
That’s anti-cap. That’s facts. I literally wear my Air Force 1s one time. I do a show and as soon as I walk out, I’ma take them off and put my slides on. Video shoot, go out of town or in town, I’m putting them on one time. I’m an Air Force 1 head. As a kid, I wanted the J’s, but I couldn’t get ‘em. My mom was working two or three jobs and the Air Force 1s were more affordable. They were like $75. I fell in love with the Air Force 1’s. That’s my favorite shoe.
What’s the biggest purchase you’ve made in the last year?
Probably getting my dad that car for his birthday. It was a Bentley two-door coupe. My mom’s birthday is coming up Sunday, and I’m asking her what she wants. She not a picky person. I’m trying to decide if I’ma give her some money. She keeps saying she don’t know.
Did people mistake you for BigXthaPlug at a Mavs game?
That’s facts. I get that a lot. I wasn’t as known in the city as I am now. I was going to get something to eat and kids were running up on me like, “BigX!” So many people wanted to take pictures with me. I took it as motivation. I posted videos of me taking pictures with everyone and tagged BigX like, “This motivation.” He’s putting on for Dallas.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years?
We on a 50 Year Run right now. My goal in 10 years — I want to be one of the top charting artists. I want to have a bunch of real estate. I want to be taking care of my family and my health in good condition. I want to be one of them household names in the industry. Keep giving the fans good music, doing what I’m supposed to be.
Trending on Billboard With just over a week until Election Day, NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani made a surprise appearance during PinkPantheress’ Brooklyn concert on Friday (Oct. 24). The British singer’s “True Romance” performance was interrupted by a Mamdani cameo, as the Democratic candidate — who was in the audience — appeared on the screen, […]
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Weeks after Sean “Diddy” Combs was sentenced to over four years in prison on prostitution convictions following a sweeping sexual abuse case, inmate records posted by the federal Bureau of Prisons show that Diddy, 55, is now expected to be set free on May 8, 2028.
Combs had already been expected to serve less than the full sentence, thanks to roughly a year of time-served as he sat in jail awaiting his trial and verdict. But the newly-revealed release date would represent an even-earlier release than previously thought — only roughly two years and seven months after his date of sentencing.
Such dates are just estimates, reflecting the “inmate’s projected release date based on BOP calculations.” The earlier-than-expected date could reflect that Combs will serve the final few months of his sentence at a residential reentry center, or halfway house, or his participation in BOP’s drug abuse rehab program, which can sometimes shave months off an inmate’s sentence.
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Reps for Combs did not immediately return a request for comment. Reps for the federal Bureau of Prisons were unavailable for comment, citing the government shutdown.
Once one of the music industry’s most powerful figures, Combs was arrested and charged in September 2024 with racketeering (RICO) and sex trafficking violations. Prosecutors said he ran a sprawling criminal operation aimed at facilitating “freak-offs” — elaborate events which he allegedly forced ex-girlfriend Cassie Ventura and other women to have sex with male escorts while he watched and masturbated.
Following a blockbuster trial this spring, jurors issued a verdict clearing Combs on the RICO and sex trafficking charges that could have seen him sentenced to prison for life. But he was still convicted on two lesser counts for transporting Ventura and others across state lines for the purposes of prostitution.
At a sentencing hearing earlier this month, Judge Arun Subramanian sentenced him to 50 months in prison on those convictions. That was far less than the 11 years sought by prosecutors, but well more than the 14 months his lawyers had asked for. Counting his year of time-served credit, that sentence would seemingly have seen the star released at some point in September or October 2028.
Regardless of BOP estimates, Diddy’s release date could change dramatically if he wins his appeal, which he launched last week at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. His lawyers will challenge not only the length of his sentence, but also his underlying convictions themselves.
If such arguments are successful – read what Diddy’s lawyers might argue here – he could get out even earlier than May 2028. But the appeals process is often slow, and Combs will likely serve a sizeable chunk of his prison term before the case is even decided.
That is, unless he’s pardoned or commuted by President Donald Trump – the other big factor could significantly change his release timeline. Though Trump confirmed that Diddy’s team reached out to the administration about such an edict, the White House has publicly denied that it is considering clemency for the convicted mogul.
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Snoop Dogg is celebrating his time with the No Limit crew.
The veteran hip-hop star made a surprise appearance on Saturday (Oct. 25) to show support for his former record label during its battle against Cash Money Records at ComplexCon in Las Vegas.
The “Drop It Like It’s Hot” rapper hit the stage to perform C-Murder’s classic “Down 4 My N****z,” sending the crowd at the Las Vegas Convention Center into a frenzy.
After leaving Death Row Records, Snoop joined Master P’s No Limit Records in 1998, releasing three albums — No Limit: Da Game Is to Be Sold, Not to Be Told (1998), No Limit Top Dogg (1999) and Tha Last Meal (2000) — during his brief time at the label.
Saturday’s Verzuz showdown celebrated two of Louisiana’s most iconic rap labels. No Limit’s lineup included Master P, Mia X and Silk the Shocker, while Cash Money brought heavy hitters like Juvenile, B.G., Mannie Fresh and Birdman.
Fans were treated to performances of legendary tracks including “400 Degreez,” “I’m Still Fly,” “Bling Bling,” “Break Em Off Something,” “How U Do That There,” “Slow Motion,” “Project Chick,” “Bout It Bout It,” “Real Big,” and “Make Em Say Unh,” according to Complex.
In early October, Complex announced a partnership with Verzuz to relaunch the music battle series at ComplexCon. “Rather than talking so much, we just want to get to the action,” Verzuz co-founders Swizz Beatz and Timbaland said in a joint statement.
Verzuz was launched in March 2020 by Timbaland and Swizz Beatz as a creative outlet during the COVID-19 pandemic. The platform was sold to Triller Network in March 2021 but had been largely dormant for nearly three years. Its most recent battles before ComplexCon included Cypress Hill vs. Onyx; 8Ball & MJG vs. UGK; Omarion vs. Mario; and Luny Tunes vs. DJ Nelson.
Watch Snoop’s surprise appearance at the No Limit-Cash Money Verzuz battle on Instagram here, and see more photos from the event here.
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2Pac‘s classic song “Brenda’s Got a Baby” was inspired by a true story — and the story continues.
The rapper wrote the song addressing teen pregnancy in America’s ghettos while he was filming his star-turning role as Bishop in Juice after coming across a story in the news about a 12-year-old girl who threw her baby in a trash chute after being impregnated by her 21-year-old cousin. The track has since become one of the late entertainer’s most important records in his extensive catalog.
Enter bestselling author Jeff Pearlman.
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During a recent appearance on The Rich Eisen Show to promote his new book Only God Can Judge Me: The Many Lives of Tupac Shakur, Pearlman dropped a bombshell after being asked if he came across anybody that didn’t want to talk to him when he was trying to put the book together. “I didn’t get Dr. Dre or Snoop Dogg, but they’re hard to get anyway,” he said. “I did find most people. The vast majority. Classmates, people who worked with him in music, even Death Row employees were pretty open about talking.”
He then revealed that he “had a breakthrough very early on.”
Pearlman found the man who heard the baby crying in the trash chute and interviewed him, but it wasn’t until he spoke with Leila Steinberg, who the author referred to as a former associate manager/confidant. According to him, Steinberg made a comment about whether the story about the baby was true and wondered what eventually happened to the baby, which then sent him on a side mission to see what he could find.
He then reached out to genealogist Michele Soulli to see if she would be able to locate the baby. A few days later, she gave him the number to a Las Vegas resident named Davonn Hodge. They two met up, and Hodge told Pearlman that he found his relatives with the help of Ancestry.com and had a reunion but his mother wasn’t there. Pearlman again employed Soulli to help him find the mother and a few days later, she got in contact with a woman that was living in Newark, NJ.
Now, this is where things get really weird.
The woman expressed shock and excitement and told Soulli that she had to go back home to New York City to reunite with her baby. When Soulli asked where she was at the moment, the woman said she was in Vegas for a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert.
She was reunited with her son Davonn later that night after 34 long years.
You can check out the full conversation below.
Trending on Billboard Cardi B is using some discretion when it comes with her ongoing beef with fellow rapper BIA. During a recent X Spaces, the Bronx rapper told fans listening in that she has no intentions of dissing BIA’s album sales as she was in the middle of a rant about bullies. “I don’t […]
Trending on Billboard As Outkast’s “Ms. Jackson” celebrates its 25th anniversary on Friday (Oct. 24), Erykah Badu revealed her doubts about being the muse behind the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 hit. Explore See latest videos, charts and news Badu joined Popcast for an interview earlier this week, where she discussed being the subject of […]
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10 years ago, the late Mac Miller made his major-label debut with GO:OD AM, a frank, melodious rumination on addiction, recovery and fame that reached No. 4 on the Billboard 200. On Friday (Oct. 24), the Grammy-nominated rapper’s estate shared three new songs to celebrate the LP’s landmark 10th anniversary.
Led by the Vinny Radio-assisted “Royal Flush,” the expanded 10th anniversary edition of GO:OD AM also includes new cuts titled “Cable Box” and “Carpe Diem.” All three songs are sourced from the original GO:OD AM recording sessions, which at the time, resulted in a 17-track set featuring Miguel, Chief Keef, Lil B, Little Dragon, and Ab-Soul. “100 Grandkids” served as the album’s lead single, reaching No. 100 on the Hot 100, and the Miguel-assisted “Weekend” followed with a No. 46 peak on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
To accompany the new songs, Miller’s estate also teamed up with artist Danaé Goset for a series of visualizers, including one for “Rush Hour,” a deep cut from the original GO:OD AM tracklist. Gosset has long been a close collaborator of the Miller estate, having worked on the Balloonerism visuals and the “Star Room (OG Version)” music video that arrived for the 10th anniversary of Watching Movies with the Sound Off.
GO:OD AM (10th Anniversary) is just the latest in a series of moves to celebrate Miller’s beloved third studio album. Last month (Sept. 18), his estate unveiled GO:OD AM (Time Flies, Try to Catch It), a 15-minute, Sam Balaban-helmed documentary chronicling the making of the record. Available on YouTube, the intimate mini-doc has amassed over 320,000 views in just one month.
It’s been a particularly active year for the Miller estate. At the top of the year (Jan. 15), they unveiled Balloonerism, the Pittsburgh rapper’s second posthumous album, which he recorded around 2014. Featuring collaborations with SZA and Delusional Thomas, his alter ego, Balloonerism reached No. 3 on the Billboard 200, marking Miller’s seventh consecutive studio album to reach the chart’s top five. The accompanying animated short film of the same name, which is currently available to stream on Apple TV+, earned a best longform video nomination at the 2025 MTV Video Music Awards.
Check out the “Rush Hour” visualizer below.
