AUSTIN, Texas--Some of the biggest names in hip-hop have mined the world of weed and women with legendary results, but it's hard to think of anyone who does so quite like the hilarious, soulful Devin the Dude.

Devin the Dude at SXSW.

The Houston rapper performed last night at Visions, playing a short set of both old and new tracks that focused almost exclusively on the subjects of marijuana and the ladies, but he did it with such a self-deprecating, humorous style that he could've kept the crowd rapt for hours without straying from those subjects.

Devin's set was prefaced by a seemingly never-ending string of talented rappers from Houston's Coughee Brothaz crew, each of whom played a track or two and balanced fierce lyricism with that unmistakable gospel soul of the South.

As a rapper named Blind Rob took to the stage, he needed a hand from a friend, but once he got there, he spit fire across it, blazing through a series of tracks with fantastic lyrics and soulful hooks.

As the night went on, more and more rappers gathered on the stage, with Devin seeming like each one's biggest fan, mouthing the lyrics to every song and cheering along.

When his turn came, Devin proved that, despite the across-the-board strength of all of the performers before him, his wordplay is unmatched. He dropped simple lines with a rapid cadence like, "I'm higher / than a thumb tack on a flyer / of Reba McIntire / in the hood / its all good."

Devin also showed an ability to be raunchy on the sly, singing hooks that would make most blush but doing so with such soul that he sounded like he was in a church choir.

In the land of indie rock at SXSW, a rapper with his tongue firmly planted in cheek, and a hip-hop crew that literally had strength in every one of its numbers, ruled this night.