Key Takeaways
- BigXthaPlug returns to rap after his country crossover with Better Over Time, an 18-track fourth album arriving October 30 through 600 Entertainment and UnitedMasters.
- The nine-guest lineup includes GloRilla, Lil Yachty, Leon Thomas, Ava Max, and Belly Gang Kushington, who appears on lead single “LITE.”
- BigX supported the album with hometown billboards for its featured artists, singles “LITE” and “BURN,” and a companion short film that tells his story through his parents’ eyes.
It’s been a little more than a year since BigXthaPlug released his country album, I Hope You’re Happy, which gave him his highest-charting album to date, peaking at No. 7 on the Billboard 200.
Now the rapper is back, and he’s focusing fully on rap again. On October 30, he’ll release his 18-track album Better Over Time out under exclusive license to UnitedMasters in partnership with 600 Entertainment.
The album looks to be a return to his pure rap roots, while keeping the storytelling that makes him one of the best rappers in his 20s. It features nine guests, including Belly Gang Kushington, who appears on the single, “LITE.”
Here’s everything you need to know about Better Over Time.
What Is Better Over Time?
Better Over Time is BigXthaPlug’s fourth studio album.
It follows 2023’s Amar, 2024’s Take Care, and 2025’s I Hope You’re Happy. It drops Oct. 30 through his own label, 600 Entertainment, and UnitedMasters, the independent outfit he’s been with since his debut.
This is Big X’s first solo album this year, but not his only release. 600 Entertainment dropped its group project, 6WA, back in March, featuring signees like Ro$ama and Yung Hood.
While Better Over Time isn’t a country album, it will still blend genres. According to a press release, the album expands on the Dallas rapper’s “sound, storytelling, and ambition.”
Better Over Time is an apt title for a career that’s only gone up. Since breaking out with “Texas” in 2022, Big X has gone from local phenomenon to one of the best rappers, racking up more than 10.7 billion global streams along the way.
The album’s cover reflects that growth: It’s a collage of the faces from his previous album covers. It’s something he’s been teasing, too. In the week before the announcement, fans noticed Big X had scrubbed his face off the artwork for Amar, Take Care, and I Hope You’re Happy on streaming services.
Official Tracklist & Release Date
Better Over Time, BigXtHaPlug’s fourth studio album, arrives October 30, 2026. Here is the tracklist:
1. "STAND ON BUSINESS"
2. "NO LIMIT (feat. Leon Thomas)"
3. "BURN (feat. Ava Max)"
4. "I GET IT"
5. "CRACCED"
6. "DA FUCC (feat. Ro$ama)"
7. "PEACE OF MIND"
8. "LITE (feat. Belly Gang Kushington)"
9. "FREE MY MEMBERS"
10. "BELIEVE (feat. Babyface Ray, Lil Yachty)"
11. "I LIKE IT (feat. Loe Shimmy)"
12. "GIVE IT ALL"
13. "FAF (feat. GloRilla)"
14. "DOUBTED ME"
15. "LATELY F RAP"
16. "DIE4U"
17. "HEAL ME (feat. Fridayy)"
18. "ONE"
There are nine guests who appear across the 18-track sequence. Unlike the last album, none are country artists. Here are the nine artists that appear on the album.
- Leon Thomas: The “Mutt” singer is featured on “NO LIMIT,” the album’s second track.
- Ava Max: The singer is the most unorthodox guest on the album. She appears on the single “BURN,” which is more of a melancholy ballad.
- Ro$ama: The 26-year-old rapper is a childhood friend of BigXThaPlug. He first made noise with “Fedex” in 2022. He is featured on track 6, “DA FUCC.”
- Belly Gang Kushington: The Atlanta rapper is one of the most exciting young rappers right now, and he’s doing it by embracing an old-school Atlanta trap style. He is on “LITE,” a single that also has a video.
- Babyface Ray: The Detroit rapper appears on track 10, “BELIEVE.”
- Lil Yachty: Lil Boat has a good working relationship with Detroit rappers. He appears alongside Babyface Ray on “BELIEVE.”
- Loe Shimmy: One of the breakout rappers of 2026, he is featured on “I LIKE IT,” track 11.
- GloRilla: The Memphis rapper is on “FAF,” track 13.
- Fridayy: The Philly singer is on “HEAL ME,” the second-to-last track.
What Are the Better Over Time Singles?
The first single from the album was “LITE,” which was released on September 18th. Alongside the song was a video, directed by BigX and his longtime collaborator Jerry Morka, that features the two linking up on a journey that goes from the club to hitting the streets.
The rapper first teased the song in August. BigX was arrested for driving while intoxicated, possession of less than 2 ounces of marijuana, and unlawful possession of a firearm in Collin County, Texas. After making bail, he released a video previewing the song from his house, with the caption “THAT SHIT LITE 🤦🏾♂️…ALBUM OTW…”
He followed up that song—which charted as high as 38 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart—with “BURN,” featuring the electric pop singer Ava Max. The video and song both dropped on October 9. The video, again directed by BigXthaPlug, shows him and Ava on trial together after being betrayed. While they’re in the courtroom, the room erupts into flames and chaos begins to fill the streets.
Who Produced Better Over Time?
Production credits for Better Over Time have not been released yet, but we do have production for the two singles: “LITE” was produced by BandPlay and Tony Coles, and “BURN” was produced by Tony Coles, Charley Cooks, and JULiA LEWiS.
These are producers who have a long relationship with BigX. BandPlay and Charley Cooks produced “Mmhmm.” The former connected with Tony Coles for BigX’s biggest hit, “The Largest.” All three co-produced the title track of I Hope You’re Happy, which features Darius Rucker.
How BigXthaPlug Rolled Out Better Over time
BigX is going big rolling the album out. After months of snippets of “GIVE IT ALL” spreading around online, he officially announced the album on Sept. 26 with a cinematic football-themed trailer. That trailer traced his life from childhood to becoming one of the biggest rappers in the game. What followed is when things got innovative.
It started with an Instagram post featuring a stack of TVs, with all the guests on the album popping up on the screens.
From there, the rollout went from online to IRL. The rapper had billboards with the faces of each featured artist on the album popping up in the respective cities they represent. The rollout touched seven cities, from Atlanta to Memphis to Los Angeles.
Here is each artist and the city where their billboard went up.
Atlanta: Lil Yachty, Belly Gang Kushington
Memphis: GloRilla
Los Angeles: Ava Max, Leon Thomas
Miami: Loe Shimmy
Dallas: Ro$ama
Philadelphia: Fridayy
Detroit: BabyFace Ray
What is the Better Over Time movie?
On Monday, Oct. 26, BigX held an album release session in his hometown. Not only did he play the album, but he also revealed the short film that will accompany the album.
The movie is also called Better Over Time.
According to the Dallas Observer, the movie follows the rap star’s life through his parents’ eyes. According to the publication, there is a major cliffhanger.
“There’s never been nothing done like this before from a Dallas artist,” Dee “DJ Bubba” Brown, the rapper’s DJ, told the audience before the screening.
How Does Better Over Time Compare to I Hope You're Happy?
BigX was already a monster on the rap charts. But I Hope You’re Happy put a Dallas rapper on the country charts. The album debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200, No. 2 on the Country chart, and No. 2 on the Rap chart. It was also critically respected; it was considered one of the best albums of the year by Complex and got a Best Country Album nomination at the American Music Awards.
Better Over Time is his return to hip-hop, so don’t expect to see him on the country charts. However, songs like “BURN” show that there will still be some genre blending, even if not as heavy-handed as before.
What has BigX said about the album?
In February, BigXthaPlug gave fans a preview of what to expect.
Speaking to Complex, he talked about having some unfinished business in hip-hop: “I’m stepping back to the rap game with a chip on my shoulder.” He mentioned that he’d never been invited to the BET Awards or gotten a hip-hop award despite what he put into the game. Compare that to the success he found in country despite being in the genre only a couple of months.
At the listening event in Dallas this week, he was thankful for the fans but a little mum about the bigger themes presented on the album. He said, “First off, I just want to say, I appreciate all of y’all for doing what y’all did, man. For even being here. Celebrating me and supporting me all the way through. I hope y’all enjoyed the show, man. We’re going to try to turn it into something long. I know it might have been real short, but I promise y’all we’re going to turn it into something longer, and we’re gonna make this something, for sure.”
Where can you listen to Better Over Time?
BigXthaPlug’s Better Over Time will be available on all DSPs, including Spotify, Apple Music, and YouTube, on Oct. 30.
He will also have the album on vinyl and CDs. He had a bunch of signed vinyl and CD bundles that came with hoodies and shirts, but those have mostly sold out. You can still get the album on CD. You can also buy the album directly from his website for $7.99.
