Assholes by Nature

Five Spot: Five Reasons Not to Mess With Trae

Rap-A-Lot's J Prince Wins SEA Image Award

Trae's Son Lil Jared Joins tha Family Business

This iced-out lil' playa is Lil Jared, 8-year-old son of Houston rapper and Assholes by Nature ringleader Trae tha Truth. By his own admission, Jared has been "wreckin' the mic ever since I was two," and even has his own adorable little Assholes by Nature chain. Although he's already appeare ... More >>

Making Sense of a Trying Year

This iced-out lil' playa is Lil Jared, 8-year-old son of Houston rapper and Assholes by Nature ringleader Trae tha Truth. By his own admission, Jared has been "wreckin' the mic ever since I was two," and even has his own adorable little Assholes by Nature chain. Although he's already appeare ... More >>

Trae

Houston's "King of the Streets" doesn't mince words

Trae Cool

An underground legend teams up with Rap-A-Lot in a bid to break nationwide

Turning the Screw: All-Houston Edition with GT Garza, Trae Day, Trouble Sum, Jay'Ton, Paul Wall, Z-Ro, Letoya vs. Slim Thug, Coast, Z-Ro, Juan Gotti and More

Welcome back to Turning the Screw, Rocks Off's weekly rap post. It probably won't rhyme, at least most of the time. E-mail tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. Thanks, homies. Single of the Week: GT Garza, "52 Pick Up" (We've listened to a bunch of GT's stuff, but this remains to be the rawest thin ... More >>

It's Trae Day... and Everybody's Celebratin'

To commemorate the one-year anniversary of the City of Houston's proclamation of "Trae Day," the chairman and CEO of Houston's Assholes by Nature is throwing a giant block party from 3-9 p.m. in the parking lot of TSU Stadium at Cleburne and Tierwester in the Third Ward (or, appropriately enough, t ... More >>

Five Spot: Trae's Brother Jay'Ton's Got It by Tha Ton Mixtape

Welcome back to Five Spot. Every Friday, we'll examine a recent bit of music news and, sometimes awkwardly, tie it to a bit of Houston rap. It's five videos and occasional cussing. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. ​ Since just about the oblivions, Jay'Ton, little brother to Trae, has ... More >>

Y'all Musta Forgot: Guerilla Maab's Rise

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. Guerilla Maab Rise (Resurrection Music Group, 1999) ​Guerilla Maab was a gangsta-rap quartet turned ... More >>

"Hood Politician" Delo Chooses A Cabinet Of H-Town Rappers

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 introducingliston@ ... More >>

Remember ABN's It Is What It Is?

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. Assholes By Nature It Is What It Is (Rap-A-Lot, 2008) ​A.B.N. is Z-Ro and Trae's unduly short-li ... More >>

Out of the Box

Banned from KBXX 97.9, Trae tha Truth takes his case courtside.

Top 10 Trae & Z-Ro Collaborations

​Trae and Z-Ro: The Hakeem Olajuwon/Clyde Drexler tandem of Houston hip-hop, if The Dream spoke with a deep voice and Drexler's face was frozen in a perpetual snarl. Arguably the best one-two punch Houston has ever witnessed, over the years these rapping cousins have connected on several slam- ... More >>

Trae, Z-Ro Turn Video Shoot Into ABN Reunion

Photos by Marco Torres​Recently, rumors about an impending reunion between Trae and Z-Ro began to populate the atmosphere. It seemed mostly like hogwash; though neither of them ever officially acknowledged a rift between the two, everyone pretty much understood that something had pushed the tw ... More >>

Pickin' on Nashville

Vince Gill centers himself through bluegrass and digs Miranda Lambert.

Saturday Night: Slim Thug, Z-Ro & J-Dawg At Arena Theatre

Photos by Marco Torres​Slim Thug, Z-Ro, J-Dawg Arena Theatre January 22, 2011 Houstonians from the Northside, Southside and everywhere in between gathered at the Arena Theatre on Saturday night to celebrate two kings. January 17 was Martin Luther King Day, and the 19th was Southwest-side rapp ... More >>

Remember The Ballaticians' Full Course?

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. ​The Ballaticians Full Course (Self-released, 2010) The Ballaticians are a new-ish rap group. ... More >>

Houston Rap, In The Most Graphic Possible Terms

Graphics by Shea Serrano​Here at Rocks Off, we have some very talented writers who think so far outside the box it's more like a Palma Square lidded wicker basket from Crate & Barrel. One of these is Shea Serrano, whose unorthodox interviewing style has caused many an Artist of the Week design ... More >>

Eat It: Houston Rappers Love to Write Songs About Eating

Photo by Chase Steely ​One thing Houston rappers are proficient in-besides rapping great-is eating well. Many of the more influential artists were/are big and fat: Fat Pat, Big Pokey, Big Moe, Big HAWK, Big Mello, and Big Steve. Even DJ Screw was a husky man. That's not to say that their wei ... More >>

Z-Ro, Trae the Truth

Photo by Chase Steely ​One thing Houston rappers are proficient in-besides rapping great-is eating well. Many of the more influential artists were/are big and fat: Fat Pat, Big Pokey, Big Moe, Big HAWK, Big Mello, and Big Steve. Even DJ Screw was a husky man. That's not to say that their wei ... More >>

8 Hip Hop Collaborations We'd Like to See in 2012

​If we learned anything from hip-hop collaborations in 2011, it's that beef ain't what's hot anymore. Gone are the days where an argument manifests itself into a 40-minute mixtape or a DVD. The shelf life for fresh rap beef is approximately 24 hours. Not even two days ago, Twitter was flooded ... More >>