Third time's the trillest

Bun B, Drake, and hip hop all-stars cowboy up at historic RodeoHouston performance

Thanks to help from his super friends, Trill City turned into the epicenter of the hip-hop world on Tuesday, March 12 as Bun B reclaimed his title as the most-attended male rap performer in RodeoHouston history with 75,005 paying attendees.

On a night that sizzled hotter than a double-patty Trill Burger being served at one of the locations on the NRG Stadium concourse, the 33-song, 90-minute set featured a who’s-who of internationally recognized stars, including Drake, Nelly, Rick Ross, Eve, Ying Yang Twins, That Mexican OT, and DMC of Run-DMC.

It was a coup de grace from the Port Arthur-raised, long-time Houston-cultural ambassador and entrepreneur. The affable and influential artist built his name to bucking bull-sized levels at RodeoHouston since he first brought his rap spectacular to the dirt and dust in 2022 as his H-Town Take Takeover. In 2023, he grew the show to his Southern Takeover, which drew an impressive 74,573 fans.

The 2024 performance expanded even further into the All-American Takeover, promising to bring in some of the biggest rappers on the planet, promoters wisely announcing artists in the weeks leading up to the show. However, demand for tickets reached a fever pitch when Drake was announced last week, skyrocketing resale prices into the hundreds of dollars.

The anticipation was palpable walking up to the stadium and on the rodeo grounds, people dressed in an eclectic mix of Western-wear and leisurewear, and sometimes a mash-up of both. In other words, it was a perfect encapsulation of the music that makes Houston great.

Videos by popular sports, comedy, and music luminaries introduced artists throughout the night. Shannon Sharpe and several Houston Astros kicked off the show and hyped up the crowd on-screen before Bun B started things off with his solo hit, “Draped Up,” dressed up in a tricked out leather poncho and black cowboy hat, backed by an impressive nine-piece band that took songs to another level.

Bun, always the savvy showman, then ceded the spotlight to his many guests for most of the evening. Marshawn “Beast Mode” Lynch video-introduced California rapper E-40, who got people dancing in the aisles with “Snap Ya Fingers” and “Tell Me When to Go,” dressed in an all-red jacket-pants outfit, gold glasses and cowboy hat.

E’s funked out beats gave way to West Coast rap pioneer Too Short for the classic “Blow Tha Whistle,” and the first singalong of the night. He wrapped up his, ahem, too short, two song set with the jazzy track, “The Ghetto.”

Cedric the Entertainer introduced a still-youthful-looking Nelly, representing the Midwest with a four-song medley of his biggest songs, including “E.I.,” “Country Grammar,” “Over and Over,” and “Hot in Herre,” easily the best moment of the show up to that point. If a late Gen Xer/early Millennial closed their eyes hard enough, they’d be transported directly back to the set of MTV’s Total Request Live.

Questlove and Black Thought of The Roots brought out another star of the TRL era, the versatile and fantastic Eve, gorgeously dressed head-to-toe in black leather adorned with a black cowboy hat. Her Latin-flavored “Who’s That Girl” sounded as fresh as it did when it was released in 2001. The Dr. Dre-produced “Let Me Blow Your Mind” highlighted her sultry flow, finishing with a call out to the ladies in the house.

“If you’re still having a good time, shout hell yeah,” Bun proclaimed between songs. And Houston shouted, “Hell yeah.”

Lil’ Jon queued up ATL’s Ying Yang Twins, “Say I Yi Yi,” turning up the heat another notch, the crowd now fully invested in the party. “Miss New Booty,” “Whistler While You Twerk,” and “Get Low,” recalled a bump-and-grind nightclub, the earworms working their way up the rafters, a guitar solo on the latter song making it absolutely nasty in a good way.

DJ Khaled teed up Florida’s Rick Ross, drawing a huge response with his anthem, “Hustlin’.” Thong-and-fishnet clad booties accentuated “Pop That” on the big screens.

The focus turned back towards the Gulf Coast with Scarface introducing Baytown’s fast rising That Mexican OT. He paid homage to past Tejano rodeo shows with an all-white cowboy attire, running through his tracks “Cowboy Killer” and “Johnny Dang” before wrapping up with an enthusiastic “Muchos gracias.”

It wouldn’t be a RodeoHouston Takeover without slab cars, Bun B taking back the mic for “Get Throned” as Lil’ Keke came out in a black Cadillac. Yellowstone star Ryan Bingham then joined in on acoustic guitar for “One Day,” one of the quieter moments of the evening.

“We dedicate this song to all of our fallen friends and fallen soldiers,” Bun said as he asked the crowd to light the stadium with their cell phones, remembering the Houston scene’s lost members. “If you are here missing someone, put up a light for them.”

“And to thank you for all that you’ve done for me and my family, I present to you, the boy,” he said as three black cars drove towards the stage. “This is our newest resident, please make some noise for Drizzy Drake.”

A collective scream rose through the building, the moment many had been waiting for, Drake kicking into “Energy,” wearing a burnt orange tinsel-tassel jacket, tasseled black track pants and a Bun B Trill album t-shirt. Drizzy put down his microphone to let the audience take over for a few bars on “Sicko Mode.” “God’s Plan” and “Hotline Bling” touted his crowd work skills, a fireworks and pyro display taking things over the top.

“The first time I did this song in Houston, Texas was at Warehouse Live,” Drake said, before officially announcing his move to H-town with an ode to the local scene on “November 18th.”

An appearance by the legendary Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of Run-DMC followed and brought a quick dose of NYC East Coast rap for “Bun’s House.”

And the only fitting way to end the night was with a group jam session on UGK’s “Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You),” the lights coming on as the set passed curfew.

The guest rappers that performed across the night smartly covered a broad swath of classic hip-hop eras and cities, mostly catering to those who grew up in and around the chopped and screwed years that put Houston on the map. But those fertile years of rap in the 713 were only one part of nationwide hip-hop movement so well represented on Tuesday night.

“Houston, I love you! Now go outside and get you a Trill Burger,” Bun B said, donning a crown as he rode off on the back of a pick-up truck, the after-parties surely just getting started.

There’s no word whether Bun B will be back next year, but if so, this record-setting performance would surely be hard to top. No doubt, we’d all line up again to pay our respects to the King of Trill.

Setlist
Draped Up, Bun B
Snap Ya Fingers, E-40
Tell Me When To Go, E-40
Blow Tha’ Whistle, Too Short
The Ghetto, Too Short
E.I., Nelly
Country Grammar, Nelly
Over and Over, Nelly
Hot in Herre, Nelly
Who’s That Girl, Eve
Rich Girl, Eve
Let Me Blow Your Mind, Eve
Tambourine, Eve
Say I Yi Yi, Ying Yang Twins
Miss New Booty, Ying Yang Twins
Whistle While You Twerk, Ying Yang Twins
Get Low, Ying Tang Twins
Hustlin’, Rick Ross
BMF, Rick Ross
All I Do/Pop That, Rick Ross
Cowboy Killer, That Mexican OT
Johnny Dang, That Mexican OT
Get Throned, Bun B
One Day, Bun B ft. Ryan Bingham
N 2 Deep Intro, Drake
Energy, Drake
Nonstop, Drake
Sicko Mode, Drake
God’s Plan, Drake
Hotline Bling, Drake
Rich Baby Daddy, Drake
Bun’s House, Bun B ft. DMC
Int’l Players Anthem (I Choose You), Bun B featuring group

Drake Bun B All American Takeover Rodeo 2024

Photo by Marco Torres/@marcofromhouston

Drake performed seven of his biggest hits.

concerts celebrities rodeohouston rodeo

Awards Season

CultureMap critic's guide to the 2026 Oscar Best Picture nominees

Michael B. Jordan and Miles Caton in Sinners

Photo courtesy of Warner Bros.

Sinners leads all films at the 2026 Academy Awards with a stunning 16 nominations.

The nominations for the 2026 Academy Awards have been announced, with 10 films vying for Best Picture. Leading the way is Sinners with an astonishing 16 nominations, the most in Oscars history.

The other top films include One Battle After Another, which earned 13 nominations, and Marty Supreme, Frankenstein, and Sentimental Value, which each got 9 nominations.

As a refresher, below are links to the full reviews for each of the nominees covered by CultureMap in the past year, as well as brief thoughts on the films and their various nominations.

Movie fans will have plenty of time to catch up with each of the nominees, as this year's Oscars ceremony will not take place until Sunday, March 15.

Here's the list of Best Picture nominees, in alphabetical order:

Bugonia
Yet another off-the-wall film from director Yorgos Lanthimos features two great performances by Emma Stone (nominated for Best Actress) and Jesse Plemons at its center. Written by Will Tracy (nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay), the conspiracy theory film is alternately brutal and funny as the characters played by Stone and Plemons use their form of power to try to manipulate the other. With a fair amount of intrigue and two great actors going head-to-head for much of its running time, it gives even more Oscar pedigree to its filmmakers and stars.

F1
The biggest surprise among the Best Picture nominees has to be the racing movie F1. It was a technical marvel, to be sure, as its nominations in Film Editing, Sound, and Visual Affects attest. But the fact that it has no other nominations in any of the above the fold categories indicates that its other qualities are lacking. As a showcase (aka advertisement) for the sport it depicts, the film works relatively well. As a complete movie, though, there’s not much to recommend, to the point that it almost negates any of the positives that come from the racing scenes.

Frankenstein (not reviewed)
Writer/director Guillermo del Toro (nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay) loves himself a monster movie, and he takes on one of the classics with his new version of Frankenstein (now streaming on Netflix). Oscar Isaac plays Victor Frankenstein, who brings to life The Creature, played by Jacob Elordi (nominated for Best Supporting Actor). With a slew of nominations in technical categories, there's a chance this film goes home with a lot of awards at this year's ceremony.

Hamnet (not reviewed)
Writer/director Chloé Zhao (nominated for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay alongside co-writer Maggie O'Farrell) gets back to her Oscar-worthy skills for the first time since 2020's Nomadland (after the unfortunate detour into the MCU with Eternals). A story about love, loss, and grief involving William Shakespeare and his wife, Agnes, the film is most notable for the performances of its two leads, Jessie Buckley (nominated for Best Actress) and Paul Mescal.

Marty Supreme
There was no other movie this year, or maybe even this century, like Marty Supreme. Directed and co-written by Josh Safdie (nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay alongside co-writer Ronald Bronstein), the film is an almost continuous blast of pure energy for 2 ½ hours. So many different things happen over the course of the film that the story defies conventional narratives. At its center is the fast-talking, powerhouse performance by star Timothée Chalamet (nominated for Best Actor), who cements his status as his generation’s movie star one year after playing the polar opposite role of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown. Look for the film to be a strong contender in the inaugural Best Casting category, as Safdie fills the film with non-actors who are crucial to the film's success.

One Battle After Another
Writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson (nominated for Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay) has an acclaimed career going back 30 years, but has yet to actually win an Oscar. That will change this year, as One Battle After Another is one of the favorites to win Best Picture thanks to Anderson's stellar filmmaking, as well as multiple great performances that earned the film four acting nominations (Leonardo DiCaprio for Best Actor, Teyana Taylor for Best Supporting Actress, and Benicio Del Toro and Sean Penn for Best Supporting Actor). Add in a story with a very timely political critique (that's getting more relevant by the day) and you have the recipe for a big winner on Oscar night.

The Secret Agent (not reviewed)
No foreign country has quite the influence on the Oscars as Brazil, which for the second straight year has gotten one of its films nominated for both Best International Feature Film and Best Picture. Written and directed by Kleber Mendonça Filho, the film is anchored by the performance of Wagner Moura (nominated for Best Actor) as a technology expert in the late 1970s who flees from a mysterious past to try to find peace in his hometown.

Sentimental Value (not reviewed)
For the third year in a row, two international films made the cut in the Best Picture race (but whither It Was Just an Accident?). Directed and co-written by Joachim Trier (nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay alongside co-writer Eskil Vogt), the film is tied for the most acting nominations this year, earning nods for Renate Reinsve for Best Actress, Elle Fanning and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas for Best Supporting Actress, and Stellan Skarsgård for Best Supporting Actor.

Sinners
It takes a special kind of filmmaker to make movies that are both popular and Oscar-worthy, and writer/director Ryan Coogler (nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay) has done it again, seven years after helming the Oscar-winning Black Panther. Both a tribute to Black music history and a gnarly vampire movie, the film is led by Michael B. Jordan (nominated for Best Actor) in dual roles as twins Smoke and Stack. With a story infused with all manner of subtext and a bunch of great supporting performances, including Best Supporting Actress nominee Wunmi Mosaku, the film demonstrates Coogler's great filmmaking abilities that should keep him in demand for years to come. Amazingly, there was only one category for which it was eligible in which it did not receive a nomination.

Train Dreams (not reviewed)
The second Netflix movie this year to be nominated, Train Dreams is a contemplative film about a logger (played by Joel Edgerton) in early 20th century America who tries to adapt to a rapidly-changing world. Nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay for the script by director Clint Bentley and co-writer Greg Kwedar, the film is most notable for the work done by Adolpho Veloso (nominated for Best Cinematography), who showcases the Pacific Northwest in all its glory.

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