That Mexican OT - 2024 XXL Freshman Freestyle, Interview and More

GOV'T NAME: Virgil Gazca
AGE: 25
REPPIN': Bay City, Texas
X: @ThatMexicanOT_
INSTAGRAM: @thatmexicanot
TIKTOK: @thatmexicanot
NOTABLE RELEASES: Songs: “Johnny Dang” with Paul Wall and Drodi, “02.02.99,” “Twisting Fingers” with Moneybagg Yo, “Point Em Out” with DaBaby; Mixtapes: Nonsense and Mexican Sh*t, Lonestar Luchador, Texas Technician; Guest Appearances: Paul Wall’s “Covered in Ice,” Maxo Kream’s “Talking In Screw”
LABEL: Manifest/GoodTalk/Good Money Global/Capitol
CURRENTLY WORKING ON: Recess project dropping this summer.
WHO ELSE SHOULD BE PART OF THIS YEAR'S CLASS: “Probably Hogg Booma. He definitely a Bay City legend where we from. I’m gonna put him just because I f**k with his music. I’m gonna definitely say Drodi. Drodi deserves it because just the work he’s putting in.”
INFLUENCED BY: “So much. From A to Z and everything in between. I just like good music. Hopsin and Eminem were, for sure, the two that helped me figure it out and paved the way for me. Of course, we got Paul Wall, of course, we got Slim Thug and especially Lil Keke.”
AS A FRESHMAN IN HIGH SCHOOL: “I was a good kid, but I was f**king up ’cause I was just fighting a lot. I liked history a little bit just because it had some cool facts. I feel like the whole point of history, or knowing it, is to keep it from repeating itself.”

TRUTH ON BEING AN XXL FRESHMAN: “[XXL Freshman was a big deal to me] when I seen Kevin Gates on there. The 2014 one is my favorite and I still talk about it to this day. You had Vic Mensa on there, Chance The Rapper was on there, Isaiah Rashad. Even August Alsina on the hook. Sh*t was crazy.

I think me just being a fan is what keeps me motivated. ’Cause at the end of the day, we’re all rapping because we f**kin’ love it. We listen to it, we jam. It’s what we want to do. It’s important to my career and the people that are watching because, obviously, it’s a stamp. It’s like you’re doing something right. You got motion-type sh*t. It’s a damn near once-in-a-life-time thing. I mean, it’s XXL. It’s a big staple. I feel like it's just good to have on the résumé.

I definitely done a lot. I didn’t think I was gonna be here. A lot of times, I be thinking, is it gonna end? I get that fear and then I remember, I do this sh*t. So, it’s a beautiful thing. It keeps me humble, keeps me level-headed. I feel like I’ve been doing it for like 20 years now, but it’s only been two-and-a-half. It’s all God’s timing. I didn’t choose it, he chose it.

[My fans] are gonna be so happy. Them fans worked hard. They worked hard for me and I’m grateful for that. I got fans that love me and act like they know me like I’m from their family. I can already see the texts like, ‘I love you, cousin, I’m so proud of you.’ But that’s why I love my fans. They just make me feel like home. They make me feel welcomed and loved. [When I celebrate] I’ll pour some drink. A deuce or some drink, cheers, get right back to it.”

Watch That Mexican OT's 2024 XXL Freshman Freestyle

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That Mexican OT has quickly established himself as one of the most consistent rising stars in the rap game. That applies just as much to his cadence and lyrical ability as it does to his musical output and love for his home state of Texas. His rough-and-tumble rhymes about life coming from Bay City, Texas are invariably delivered with double entendres, comedic undertones and a flow that never falters. The 25-year-old self-described "country boy" checks all those boxes in his own slab-centric way with his 2024 XXL Freshman freestyle.

As his signature tongue rolls slide flawlessly through his iced-out grill, That Mexican OT only needs roughly 35 seconds to prove why he is a solid staple of the 2024 XXL Freshman Class. The Texas Technician's rapid-fire yet cantillating cadence allows viewers of his freestyle to sit shotgun in his Cadillac as he paints a perfect picture of the ways in which he likes to live in the fast lane.

As he rocks a white 10-gallon hat with cowboy boots to match, much like the heroic figures of classic Western cinema, OT glides a cappella-style with a vivid lyrical journey that includes explicit escapades, gang banging in Escalades and even country cuisine.

"I'm from the Southside of the map, killers get killed, jackers get jacked," That Mexican OT raps in the video below. "I can't trust this h* singin' 'Dat B**ch', I slow boogie in my ’Lac/This h* tryna Dougie in my lap, I'm just tryna f**k her then hit a lap."

At that point, the Lonestar Luchador seamlessly switches up the flow to a more sing-songy tone, but the message remains loud and clear: That Mexican OT loves the ladies. "Ride with a truck full of strippers ’cause we gon' slide with a pole/If you ain't down to die ’bout this s**t, I can't call you my loc/She say, 'I got somethin' to say,' I say, 'I already know'/You gotta let a h* be a h* and just let the sh*t go," he raps.

That Mexican OT then wraps up his freestyle in the same way he entered the hip-hop space by representing the tough side of Texas. "Country boy cookin' armadillo/I'm from a place that's called be careful/Bleed out blue and piss out yellow/Don't mess wit' Texas, you should know better."

OT certainly raps as if he's brimming with confidence and he has every right to feel that way. Prior to making the grade as a member of this year's XXL Freshman Class, his 2023 breakthrough anthem "Johnny Dang" featuring his friend Drodi and legendary Texan, Paul Wall, became certified platinum. Along with over 128 million Spotify streams, the track also landed the MC his first-ever appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, peaking at No. 65. Over the past year, That Mexican OT delivered two stellar projects in the form of 2023's Lonestar Luchador and 2024's Texas Technician, both of which received universal critical acclaim.

However, despite his overtly braggadocious demeanor on wax, the man behind the mic is much more humble. OT treats the spotlight as if he's still the same Latino kid who fell in love with the game while rapping for his dad and uncles as a child. In fact, that's the very reason he is choosing to name his upcoming project Recess, which is due out this summer.

"The next one, I want to call it Recess just because I'm still being a kid with all of this s**t," That Mexican OT tells XXL. "I still feel like I'm at the cafeteria lunch table with my homeboy, beating on the table. I still feel like I'm rapping for my dad in the kitchen."

Check out That Mexican OT do what he does best in his 2024 XXL Freshman freestyle below.