Image via Drexthejoint
While suburban figures defined Orange County’s hip-hop scene at the height of the Soundcloud era, Drexthejoint has torn down any postcard view of his city. Tank tops and board shorts gave way to oversized jeans and Pro Clubs, while surfboards and Jeep Wranglers were swapped for Hellcats and pistols.
A year into his career, the Santa Ana native moves with intention, cutting through the noise and reaffirming that you can still be dope without going viral. Drex’s music is a testament to staying true to your regionality, which has catapulted him into the conversation of the West Coast’s next breakout star.
Exploding onto the scene in early 2024 with “527 Freestyle,” Drex flipped early acclaim into a huge run, with his style blending vulgarity and swagger. The success of “Bounce Out” and “OC 2 SGV” were a regional battle cry. The Santa Ana rapper would be taken seriously. His delivery is instinctual, the words tumbling out as fast as they enter his head.
Drex’s 2025 debut record, The One Who Did, strikes the perfect balance between spontaneity and precision, delivering a 37-minute blitz of reckless energy and West Coast bravado that will have to be forcibly dethroned as the So-Cal street tape of the year. It’s the soundtrack to a function that could either go up in flames or last until the sun comes up. It’s ratchet, raw, and built on brazen shit talk.
Every punchline on the tape lands with the confidence of the party’s rowdiest instigator, but beneath lies something much heavier. As much as it revels in the chaos of youth, The One Who Did carries an undercurrent of tension, a reminder that thrill and danger live side by side. It’s curated like a night destined for endless motion, until a split second decision brings everything to a halt. Where opening tracks like “Bop Shit” and “Toot That Shit Up” personify the ratchet energy of a house party in full tilt, songs like “Section” and “I’m Him,” serve as a sobering reminder of the grim realities waiting outside the house. Drex is both the loudest voice in the room and the one whose instincts keep him on edge, scanning the crowd just in case.
Timing also plays a role. The One Who Did dropped just as the West Coast was caught in a feeding frenzy, every rapper with a mic trying to stake their claim before the buzz of Kendrick’s victory lap wore off. But while most were flinging loosies into the void, Drex sat back, let the anticipation simmer, and struck. It wasn’t luck; it was chess. A debut that doesn’t just capitalize on the region’s momentum, but bends it to his will. – Diego Tapia
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