Jump to content

Z-Ro

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by 70.243.42.38 (talk) at 06:42, 23 June 2007 (→DJ D). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Z-Ro

For the 1950s television show, see Captain Z-Ro.

Z-Ro (born Joseph Wayne McVey on June 6, 1976) is an American rapper from Houston, Texas, known for his "up-from-nothing" rise to fame, flexibility in rhyme and extensive collaboration with other rap artists and musicians. Z-Ro's popularity has increased rapidly, as has been featured on Bun B's single "Get Throwed" with Pimp C Jay-Z, and Young Jeezy.

Early life

Z-Ro was born in Missouri City, Houston, Texas and was raised in the "Ridgemont 4" neighborhood in Missouri City on the SouthWest side of Houston -- an area notorious for being rife with both gang violence and drug dealing. Z-Ro became involved in such activities at an early age after his mother's death, which was due to complications from cancer.

Early career

It was through hip-hop that Z-Ro found a channel for his experiences in the hood. In his late teens, he relocated to his birthplace of Missouri City(MoCity to the locals) and befriended a local rap group, Street Military, who were signed to EMI. Now a member of Street Military's Killa Klan collective, Z-Ro found himself inducted into DJ Screw's infamous Screwed Up Click in 1997. However, Screw wasn't the only one to pick up on Z-Ro's talent, and what followed over the next five years were a string of independent albums, which are considered by fans and critics around the world to be Down South classics.

Z-Ro's first solo release, Look What You Did to Me, was described by Murder Dog magazine in 1998 as a "ground-breaking record" and a "masterpiece". 1999 saw the release of the equally lauded Rise by the Guerilla Maab, a group Z-Ro formed with his cousin Trae, and brother Dougie D. In 2000 Z-Ro vs. the World, Ro's first album to crack the Billboard charts, was released, followed by King of da Ghetto in 2001. With the release of three solo albums in 2002 - Screwed Up Click Representa, Z-Ro and Life - and a new Guerrilla Maab album, Resurrected, Z-Ro became very well known in Texas as well as around the Southern United States.

In 2004, Z-Ro Tolerance was released by a record company that Z-Ro was no longer affiliated with, but had the rights to publish what material of his they had, and pieced together an album. Less than a month later Z-Ro's first wide release album, The Life of Joseph W. McVey was released on Rap-A-Lot records. Although the album cracked the Top 200 on the Billboard Charts, it failed to meet sales expectations. However the album spawned a hit single, I Hate You Bitch, which garned many spins throughout the South. Soon after that, the first of many legal troubles for the rapper lead him in and out of bars during the summer of 2004.

Recent events

Asylum Records, an independent subsidiary of Warner Bros. Records, struck up a deal with Houston-based Rap-A-Lot Records after seeing major success from fellow Houston-ite rappers Mike Jones and Paul Wall, and Z-Ro's Let the Truth Be Told was released in April of 2005. Once again, the release failed to meet sales expectations, but Z-Ro's national appeal was growing as it debuted at #69. Depite that, it was Z-Ro's best selling album to date, and a favorite amongst his hard-core fanbase. Later in that year, he was featured on Bun B's single "Get Throwed" with Pimp C, Jay-Z, and Young Jeezy, and also made an appearance in the music video.

Since, Z-Ro has been arrested multiple times, and his 2006 album, I'm Still Livin' was released on November 21 while the rapper was in prison. The album sales were similar to his previous album, proving that his profile is still on a steady rise.

On May 8, 2007, Z-Ro will release an independent underground album, Power, through his King Of Tha Ghetto Entertainment label. The majority of this album was recorded at his personal home studio in late 2006, just before his re-incarceration. He handled all of the production duties, and featured artists Pimp C, Mike D and Lil Flip.

Z-Ro is currently incarcerated In The Gist unit in Beaumont,Texas, for possession of a controlled substance. He will be released July 9 of 2007. It is unknown whether or not he will continue to record for Rap-A-Lot after his release, as he'd been unhappy with the label.

On Friday July 13th, 2007, Z-Ro is scheduled to perform in Austin, Texas at Club Spiros for a 'welcome home party' for him. Pre-sale tickets are available now for those in the Central Texas area.

Controversy

Trae & ABN

Since late 2005, Z-Ro and Trae have not been seeing eye to eye due to their creative and personal differences. That story was further solidified during Trae's first interview after signing with Rap-A-Lot early 2006. Trae stated that they aren't 'plexin', but they just aren't going to be doing music together. Also adding to the fire are Trae's bitter feeling towards Ro's close friend, Lil Flip.

It all stems from an interview Z-Ro did for 'On The Real Magazine', where he was taking minor shots at Trae and his people. While Trae understood that Z-Ro has been in his own world lately, he said that it wasn't an excuse for the 'smart remarks' he was saying towards him.

Both of the two cousins have stated that they are grown men now, who need to take their own paths in their lives. While Z-Ro still represents ABN Gang, it unlikely that he will be featured in any of their work anytime soon.

Trae's hit single No Help, which featured Z-Ro, wasn't a recent collaboration of the two. It was actually an old song they had recorded for their planned 2nd ABN album together. Trae had recorded new verses with the ones already there from Z-Ro to make it appear as if they were collaborating together.

The same could also be said for Trae's appearances on I'm Still Livin. Trae has not spoken of Z-Ro in publicly as of late, in interviews or concerts. However he did say that at the end of the day they are family, and this period of non-communication would eventually come to an end.

In the early summer of 2007,In a verse that was recorded in 2006 before Z-Ro turned himself into custody Z-Ro spoke on the situation with Trae on wax. On Cl'Che's new single "Alone" he spits a very heartfelt verse of how everyone he's been affiliated with has turned they're back on him. The song can be found on YouTube as well as Cl'Che's myspace page.

DJ Micheal Watts

Z-Ro had beef with DJ Micheal Watts over what he said in the magazine murder dog but during the source photo shoot Z-Ro and Micheal Watts discussed the situtation and put the beef to a end.

DJ D

As he has with Michael Watts, Z-Ro has been openly critical of the Houston-based DJ D. Z-Ro feels that DJ D has wrongly profited off of mimicking the slowed-down style of DJ Screw. In the Down-South.com interview, Z-Ro proclaims,

"The mothafuckin style of music is called screw, its not called DJ D, its not called DJ Bone, its not called Watts its called screw music. It always say chopped and screwed by, it don’t say chopped and watted or chopped and D’d or whatever the fuck else."[1]

In his song "Screw Did That", Z-ro raps, "This for all the DJ A, B, C, D's, wanna be motherfuckers Whoever you is, my nigga DJ Screw created this style."

Despite the criticism, DJ D has remixed several of Z-Ro's albums, including King of Da Ghetto.

Thug life bitch

50 Cent

Z-Ro accuses 50 Cent of talking down on the south, and says that 50 was talking down on Trae and Big Moe, he says in the Down-South interview:

"If somebody say somethin negative about somebody you fuck with thats not violent you’d have to be a punk to sit there and be like “Oh you talkin bout my brother or you talkin bout my partna, yeah he’s a punk” cause naw thats not how we handle business down south. If a nigga got a problem with Trae then a nigga got a problem with Z-Ro and vice versa"[2]

Lloyd Banks

Z-Ro made a quick diss towards Lloyd Banks of G-Unit saying, "fuck a nigga named Lloyd Banks" at the end of his first verse for "Going Down in the South" from his album Power. The diss was over Banks' dissing Big Moe on a G-Unit freestyle track.

Banks has yet to respond.

Killa Kyleon

Also on the Power album, Z-ro made a diss to Boss Hogg Outlawz member, Killa Kyleon in the last verse on the track "I'm a Gangsta".

Discography

Main article: Z-Ro discography

Albums

Solo Singles

  • 2000: "Swang On 4's" feat. Big Moe & Cl'Che
  • 2000: "Steady Ballin" feat. Big Hawk
  • 2000: "Lookin Good" feat. Papa Rue
  • 2000: "Lets Chill" feat. Mexican D
  • 2001: "I Found Me"
  • 2001: "Grippin Grain" feat. Den Den
  • 2001: "Hater's Song (Let It Go)" feat. Slimm Chance & Trae
  • 2002: "Still Standin"
  • 2002: "What's My Name"
  • 2002: "Sunshine" feat. Lil Keke
  • 2002: "Mirror, Mirror On The Wall"
  • 2002: "Life Is A Struggle & Pain" feat. Cl'Che
  • 2003: "Theze Niggaz"
  • 2004: "I Hate You"
  • 2004: "King of the Ghetto"
  • 2004: "Hey Lil' Mama"
  • 2005: "Platinum"
  • 2005: "The Mule" feat. Devin the Dude & Juvenile
  • 2005: "From The South" feat. Paul Wall & Lil Flip
  • 2006: "T.H.U.G.(True Hero Under God)"
  • 2006: "Continue 2 Roll" feat. Tanya Herron
  • 2007: "Lovely Day" feat. Lil Flip

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.down-south.com/content/view/21/36/
  2. ^ http://www.down-south.com/content/view/21/36/
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Z-Ro&oldid=140066409"