There was a point in the mid-90s when Suave House arguably had one of the most stacked rosters of lyricists in all of rap music.  Memphis rappers Tela, MJG, and Eightball, and Houston natives, Mr. Mike, Crime Boss, and Thorough were all signed to the Houston-based indie rap label, and their early albums helped established early southern rap.

The label later added Chicago group Psychodrama, New Orleans duo, NOLA, and Rick Ross, and equipped with lush blues-based production mostly courtesy of T-Mix and Slice-T, Suave created a unique sound that was relatable and familiar, but difficult to emulate.

Founded by Tony Draper (he was born in Memphis and raised in Houston), and starting out completely independently with Eightball & MJG’s celebrated 1993 debut, Coming Out Hard, the label eventually gained distribution through Relativity, and later, Universal. Suave, alongside Sick Wid It and Rap-A-Lot, was an early archetype for independent rap labels, and its output throughout the decade make it one of the most lauded labels in southern Hip-Hop history.

Here are 25 of Suave House’s greatest songs.