Antwan "Big Boi" Patton

Win Tickets to Scoremore's Jambalaya Festival Right Now

Normally Rocks Off's first post of every week is our selections for the best shows happening in Houston for that given Monday through Thursday. This week we'd like to try something a little different. Houston being what it is (a city we love, of course), the weekday live-music options can be somewh ... More >>

The Rocks Off 100: Mike Meegz, Scoremore's Houston Lieutenant

Welcome to the Rocks Off 100, our portrait gallery of the most compelling profiles and personalities in the far-flung Houston music community -- a lot more than just musicians, but of course they're in there too. See the entire Rocks Off 100 at this link. Who? Mike Migl, aka Mike Meegz, is Houston ... More >>

The Best Shows In Houston This Week: Rihanna, Suzanna Choffel, Wavves, etc.

Rihanna Toyota Center, April 15 Rihanna has combined her athletic stature, formidable vocals, down-for-whatever attitude and some alarming life choices to become a flashpoint pop star, a lightning rod for controversy that even Lady Gaga would have trouble rivaling these days. Musically, the Barbado ... More >>

5 Folk Acts Who Wandered Down the Synth Road

Mandolin enthusiasts Mumford and Sons have been on top of the world the past couple of years, dominating rock-driven radio with a folk sound that apparently touches the hearts of hard-rock bros around the world. Given that they have an apparently winning formula, one wouldn't expect them to change i ... More >>

Enjoy These 5 Dancing GIFs From Outside Lands

The following is a dispatch from Outside Lands Festival, from our VVM sister paper SF Weekly. One thing crowds at San Francisco's Outside Lands festival do pretty well is get down. Despite the relentless wind, heavy fog, and numbing temperatures, we saw plenty of good moves last weekend -- and ... More >>

El-P and Killer Mike Collaborate

"Mad Old Men" rejuvenates underground rap.

Rap Round Table: The Most Ridiculous Rap-Related Crimes Of All

Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Each week, Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. This Week's Panel: Mac, Kiotti, D-Risha, Brad Gilmore Not Invited: The guys behind those World's Dumbest Criminals TV shows. This Week's Prompt: ... More >>

Rap Round Table: The Best Skit On A Rap Album Is...

Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Each week, Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. This Week's Panel: Kyle Hubbard, Preemo, Rob Gullatte, Chuckway, Propain, Delo, Renzo, Yung Truth, Show, Brad Gilmore, more. Not Invited: W. Balls ... More >>

Top 9 Comments On Summer Fest 2012: Where's The Women?

As most of Houston and the surrounding area knows by now, Free Press Summer Fest announced its 2012 lineup in the wee hours this morning. By now Rocks Off has had a few more hours to reflect on the festival, entering its fourth year at Eleanor Tinsley Park June 2 and 3, and also to take a shower. O ... More >>

Hip-Hop, Interrupted: 7 Rappers That Should Be More Active

Hip-hop is a genre full of guys who put out a new album or mixtape seemingly every single month. They just can't stop, even when they're incarcerated in some cases (see: Lil Wayne, Gucci Mane, and TI). It's as if rapping really is as much of a competition as they make it out to be and they're in a r ... More >>

Rap Round Table: Which People DO NOT Need To Be Involved In Hip-Hop In 2012?

Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Each week Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. This Week's Panel: Chingo Bling, Chuckway, Mac, Carolyn Rodriguez, D-Risha Not Invited: 2011. God, we are so over her. This Week's Prompt: Which p ... More >>

Tips For A Successful NYE from David Anderson, Houston's Party King

Remember that one awesome party, the invite-only one with the open bar that was sponsored by a liquor company, where everyone was beautiful and hip, and you got to mingle with Big Boi or Pharrell Williams or Bun B? Either you do remember, because you wish that every party you attended was half as am ... More >>

Chafing 101: Rocks Off's 2011 Music Festival Odyssey

Music festivals are now a part of our lives, just like deadlines, angry commenters, lack of sleep, and eye fatigue. And eating at our desk. That sucks. But at least we have food and a desk, right? Rocks Off ventured all over the state -- OK, really mostly Austin -- to cover festivals for the blog. ... More >>

ACL Find: The Cave Singers At The Vista Equity Tent

Craig Hlavaty​ We found ourselves in front the Cave Singers on Friday afternoon with a few hundred folks, escaping the Sun and the cheerfulness and pomp of the other bands going at the same time (Big Boi, Foster The People) for some dark art at the Vista Equity Tent. About halfway through t ... More >>

ACL: Adele & Mumford & Sons - Not Here, But Here

Photos by Marco TorresTrain a-Comin': The Secret Sisters​3:30 p.m. Still they file in. Watching the crowds trudge along Barton Springs Road, their eyes fixed on the pavement about five yards in front of them (not their phones), always reminds Rocks Off of a pilgrimage. And each festival has i ... More >>

Trae Is Regal, Menacing On New Album Street King

​Unless you have some prior issue or grievance with Trae Tha Truth - like he punched you in the nose or headed a grassroots campaign attacking your company's character or whatevs - he's pretty much made it impossible to root against him. He works like a horse, is apparently loyal to a fault, ... More >>

ACL Fest Schedule Released; Your Guide To The "Death Duels"

Stevie Wonder on FacebookStevie Wonder: Even My Morning Jacket will be watching.​This morning, the organizers of the Austin City Limits Music Festival announced the schedule for the September 16-18 Zilker Park throwdown. We all knew there would be some tough choices, but Rocks Off found that w ... More >>

Trae Tha Truth

Love It Mayne: Houston Web Awards Welcomes Fat Tony

Rocks Off is pleased to announce that Houston rapper Fat Tony will be our special guest at the first-ever Houston Web Awards, 7 p.m. Thursday, June 30 at Momentum Audi (2315 Richmond). Tony, who is still riding high off last year's full-length debut RABDARGAB, will DJ throughout the evening, prese ... More >>

Which Rapper(s) Should Headline Summer Fest 2012?

Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday that isn't the day after a gigantic local music festival, Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. Photo illustration by John Seaborn Gray​This Week's Panel: Trae, Wreck, Roosh Wil ... More >>

Summer Fest Saturday: A Sizzler With Beirut, Big Boi, Black Joe, Fucked Up, Sharon Jones, Ween & More

Ed. Note: We're not done yet... Chris GrayRusted Shut​Chris Gray: I think the quickest way to sum up Summer Fest, environmentally, is in fact biologically: In eight hours at the festival Saturday, hydrating continuously with mostly water, I made my own water once, shortly before Beirut. Sunda ... More >>

Summer Fest Sunday: Peak Fun With B L A C K I E, Hayes Carll, Guitar Wolf, Yeasayer, Robert Ellis & More

Jim BrickerGood ole boy done good: Hayes Carll had a productive homecoming.​Chris Gray: Not long after I got to Summer Fest Sunday, I spotted festival honcho Omar Afra finishing up one of local musician/yogi Tyagaraja's yoga workshops in the wooden glade known temporarily as the Budweiser Beer ... More >>

Summer Fest Critic's Guide: Who We're Seeing At Tinsley

Jermaine Rogers​In three very short years, Free Press Summer Fest has gone from an experiment most people thought would fail to destination music festival most people wouldn't dare miss even if it is going to be 105 degrees outside. Rocks Off has seen quite a bit of online chatter from people ... More >>

Summer Fest Releases Stage Schedule, Set Times

Jermaine Rogers​If Rocks Off learned anything at iFest these past two weekends, it's that we should have started our own bottled-water franchise. And that when you go to a music festival, it's a good idea to know who is playing and when. Running around willy-nilly is all well and good unless i ... More >>

Summer Fest Adds Big Boi, Beirut, Girls, Killing Joke

Jermaine Rogers​Free Press Summer Fest has added four headliners to the two-day festival scheduled for June 4 and 5 in Eleanor Tinsley Park, organizers Free Press Houston and pegstar.net announced this morning. Atlanta rapper Big Boi (still one-half of OutKast, we think), Balkan-tinged indie- ... More >>

Remember hasHBrown's Relationsh*t?

Houston's history is dotted with albums that, fairly or not, have been swept aside. We'll examine them here. Have an album that you think nobody knows about but should? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. ​hasHBrown Relationsh*t (Council Music Group, 2011) Relationsh*t is hasHBrown's third tape. It ... More >>

Remember Dante Higgins' School Boy Music?

Houston's history is dotted with albums that, fairly or un, have been swept aside. We'll examine them here. Have an album that you think nobody knows about but should? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. ​Dante Higgins School Boy Music (Self-released, 2010) Dante Higgins is a baby-faced college kid ... More >>

The Rap Renaissance

Genre's local and national acts came back hard in 2010.

Music We're Thankful For This Year

​After the turkey comas subside and Black Friday opens the holiday retail floodgates, this year in music will be all but over. Yes, there's another month until the calendar flips over, but from here until early January, the only "new" music coming out will be the tide of reissues, box sets and ... More >>

Janelle Monae

Top Five Rap Duos That Will Probably Never Happen

The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to sheaserrano@gmai ... More >>

First Play: Kyle Hubbard's "New School Slang" Vs. hasHBrown's "Grand Champion"

Houston exists largely as its own market. As such, rappers here tend not to like - on the record, anyway - ranking themselves, their albums or their songs against each other or each other's. So we'll do it for them. Email sheaserrano (at) gmail (dot) com. Kyle Hubbard​The Songs: Kyle Hubbard' ... More >>

Upcoming: Buzzfest XXV, Chuck Prophet, Deer Tick, Lights, Posies, Etc.

Update/correction (10:03 a.m.): Big Boi is not playing Ghoulsfest after all. But if you happen to be on the U.S.S. Yorktown aircraft carrier in Charleston S.C. on October 28, you can see Sir Luscious Left Foot there. ​Bob Schneider: Thu., Oct. 28. McGonigel's Mucky Duck. Buxton, Cotton Jone ... More >>

What Are The Two Best Rap Songs Of The Year?

Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday Rocks Off will have some of them hear discussing issues relevant to their culture. Photo illustration by John Seaborn Gray​This Week's Panel: Bun B, Chuckway, Preemo, Fat Tony, LeS, Killa Kyleon, Scooby, hasHBrown, Propai ... More >>

Is Bun B's Trill OG Really Worth The Source's Highest Rating?

Ed. Note: Unlike The Source, Houston Press style abbreviates "microphone" as "mike." ​Bun B's Trill OG has become the first hip-hop album to earn 5 mikes in The Source since 2005. In case you haven't picked up a copy of the magazine since the Clinton administration, here's a breakdown of its ... More >>

Big Boi's Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Best Rap Album Of The Year

​Big Boi has never been a particularly imposing rapper. He just hasn't been. Now wait a second, fuckers. Before you get all "No, he's phenomenal!" just out of sheer contrarian instinct, think on it for a second. When have you ever heard his name mentioned in any Greatest Rapper Ever discussio ... More >>

SXSW Journal: Wild Moccasins, Day 2

[How bassist Nicholas Cody of Houston's Wild Moccasins spent his SXSW Thursday.]Nicholas CodyBig Boi Bumps the Austin Music HallAfter playing three shows in one day, including our official showcase, we all looked forward to being able to relax and having time to watch some free day shows. Thursday b ... More >>

Ozone Awards Update: There Were Some Winners, Too

Highly Anticipated Albums of 2008

Idlewild

OutKast's depression-era hip-hop musical has a loving respect for the Old South

The Orange Show

Spain Colored Orange takes home four Press Music Awards

Santana

All That I Am

Mouth of the Dirty South

The Geto Boys showed the nation hip-hop with real staying power

Last Night at the Alamo

A Grammy party at a local theater turns into quiz night down at the local pub

Feelings, Nothing But Feelings

The New York Times misses the point in its attack on "rockism"

The Class of '03

Grab your gift certificates and trade in your white elephants -- here's what you really wanted for Christmas

Always Darkest Before the Dawn

Trotting out the clichés for a year-ender piece

Jaylib

Champion Sound (Stones Throw)

OutKast

Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (Arista)