“We gon’ turn the world onto some Dirty South shit,” chants Coool Dundee, one half of texas duo DMG$ (formerly known as Damaged Good$) in the hook to “Dirty South”. It’s the penultimate track on Hello World, and as a mission statement, it works pretty well. The problem is, it’s a lie.

On Hello World, DMG$ teams up with German producer Xrabit for 13 tracks of future-leaning hip-hop, and there’s plenty to be found on the album to recommend it. Of particular note is the fantastic production from Xrabit himself, who can turn some seriously old-school samples into something perfectly contemporary (“Follow the Leader”) or he can create something that might be described as glitch-disco out of nothing much at all (“Are We Friends”).

What doesn’t hold up is the rapping, which relies too much on pop-culture references and one-liners. While a line like “I’m so dope / Call me Amy Winehouse’ piss test” is cute and worth cracking a smile over, it’s already dated. While I’m thrilled to hear “Thundercats - Ho!” at the beginning of “Thunderkats”, it’s unfortunate that it had to be turned into a booty anthem. It’s well-delivered, but none of it is memorable. Check Hello World for the beats, but don’t be surprised if you don’t remember a word that the boys of DMG$ say.