Green City

An aggressive hip-hop crew from Killeen, Texas, Green City first reached legendary rapper Scarface through an unexpected encounter at a Houston gym. While the onetime Geto Boy was there, he noticed several boxers playing a Green City mixtape during their workout. Astonished that the outfit—which fused the approaches of Paul Wall, UGK, and Scarface himself—had never crossed his radar, he was equally stunned to learn they remained unsigned. Fresh from establishing his Underground Railroad imprint with the Product, Scarface added Green City as the label’s second signing and immediately booked them alongside Mannie Fresh and producer the Champ to cut their debut single, “Like a Porn Star.” An edited take titled “Party Like a Rockstar” went to radio, where Spark Dawg, Mike Hee, Yung Texxus, MJ, J. Scott, Big Spade, and G-Ni soon heard the track in heavy rotation on Houston’s influential Z-92.3 FM. Big Spade managed only two songs for the project before a parole violation returned him to prison, yet producer Noki Swazay steered the remaining members to completion in time for the June 2008 release of Brand New Money, which was promoted by the follow-up single “Do It Like I Done It.”