Chingo Bling

Latino Music's Many Styles Charge Austin's Pachanga Fest

Pachanga Fest Latino Music Festival Feat. Los Lobos, Celso Piña, Intocable, 3BallMTY, y más Fiesta Gardens, Austin May 10 & 11, 2013 Since 2008, the annual, family-friendly Pachanga Fest Latino Music Festival has showcased the vibrant blend of Latino-created music and art and its impact on Americ ... More >>

10 Cool & Cheap Weekenders: November 2-4

UPDATED (9:30 a.m.): Per @FitzLiveMusic, Rakim has canceled due to Sandy-related travel difficulties. :( Indian Jewelry Walters, November 2 Houston is a better place for Indian Jewelry still being here. They could have moved somewhere hipper long ago and been welcomed with open arms, but Tex Kersc ... More >>

Rap Round Table: Wu-Tang vs. N.W.A. vs. A Tribe Called Quest

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: Mic Skills, E.S.G., Chingo Bling, D-Risha, Kiotti, Mac, Yung Redd, Damien Randle, Yung Truth, Fat Tony Not Invited: Whoever gav ... More >>

Which Houston Rapper Bet "Whatever" On the NBA Finals?

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, Mug, Killa Kyleon, TroubleSum, Propain, hasHBrown, Yung Truth, O.N.E., Chingo Bling, more. Not Invited: Steve Francis and ... More >>

Circle Takes The Square: Casting The H-Town Version of Hip Hop Squares

News broke last week that MTV2, MTV's sister network nominally dedicated to actual music, is reviving the classic Hollywood Squares format as Hip Hop Squares, an over-the-top tic-tac-toe game featuring urban personalities including actor/comedian Nick Cannon; record producer DJ Khaled; rappers Fat J ... More >>

Somehow, Red Bull Has Become Very Important To Underground Rap In Texas

A white guy, two black guys and a Mexican walk into a club. Harharhar. This coming Wednesday, February 1, Warehouse Live will host the inaugural show of the Red Bull Skooled tour. (If you've any concerns about the validity of the relationship Red Bull has rap, you're encouraged to read this, whi ... More >>

Rap Round Table: Which Houston Rapper Needs His Own Television Show?

Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday that isn't a national holiday, Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. This Week's Panel: Pyrexx, Preemo, Chane, Z-Ro, Slim Thug's grunt, D-Risha, Medicine Girl, Renzo, Kyle Hubbard, D ... More >>

What Is Jay-Z's Best Album?

Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday that isn't a national holiday, Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. Photo illustration by John Seaborn Gray​This Week's Panel: Bun B, Slim Thug, Z-Ro, Chingo Bling, Chane, Pyr ... More >>

Is Tha Carter IV Really Better Than Watch The Throne?

Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday that isn't a national holiday (and soon after when it is), Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. Photo illustration by John Seaborn Gray​This Week's Panel: Chane, Kiotti, Dough ... More >>

Swagometer: Brawling Strippers & Fat Tony's Filthy New Band Name

Despite what you may have heard, swag isn't dead yet; at least not in Houston. Have any swagged-out projects or general ideas? E-mail alliswagoner@gmail.com. Ryan GrimesBest. Photo. Ever.​Aside from working every day at Girls Rock Camp Houston, this week provided Rocks Off with its usually co ... More >>

Rappers Choose Their Favorite Fresh Prince Episode

​Today's Panel: Delo, Chane, Mr. Wired Up (Oh Boy), Mac, Brad Gilmore, #Thurogod, A.D.D., Renzo, Kiotti, Chingo Bling Not Invited: Uncle Phil Today's Prompt: Earlier today, "Fresh Prince" was trending on Twitter. Naturally, we reached over to a bunch of Houston rappers to see which episode o ... More >>

Jay-Z & Kanye West's "Otis": Hit Or Miss?

Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday (that isn't a national holiday) Rocks Off will have some of them hear discussing issues relevant to their culture. Photo illustration by John Seaborn Gray​This Week's Panel: Chingo Bling, Jack Freeman, Fat Tony, Brad Gil ... More >>

More Local Music News Than Angry Easter Bunnies

Good Friday? How about great Friday? Here at Rocks Off we try to ensure that each and every Friday our readers get a full and healthy dose of local music news set to tide them over until we return. So without further ado, we present the newest installment of Magnolia City Mixtape. ​The soundt ... More >>

More Local Music News Than Record Store Day Exclusives

Welcome once again to another installment of our smash hit series, Magnolia City Mixtape. This week is just like all the rest, with a bumper crop of local music news for your eyes and ears. ​We'll start off with our soundtrack, which happens to be an EP from local rock outfit Rivers, entitled ... More >>

Chingo Bling, Fat Tony

Upcoming: Billy Joe Shaver, Def Leppard, Stephen Marley, Etc.

​"20th Annual KTRU Outdoor Show" With Washed Out, Real Estate, Fat Tony, Young Mammals, Grandfather Child, The Tontons: Sat., April 9. Rice University. Billy Joe Shaver: Sat., June 18. Dosey Doe Coffee Company. Chingo Bling, DJ Ebonix: Fri., April 8. Bronze Peacock Room @ House of Blues. C ... More >>

Slim Thug: Now Tweeting Church!

Aren't we all, Slim?​Welcome to another fabulous edition of Magnolia City Mixtape. Rocks Off doesn't want you to miss even a smidgen of news from Houston's music scene, so we mine the Internet, sifting through Twitter feeds and Facebook profiles and harvesting every piece we can find. So witho ... More >>

What Do Rappers Read?

Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday that isn't a national holiday, Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. Photo illustration by John Seaborn Gray​This Week's Panel: Bun B, Chingo Bling, The ARE, Kyle Hubbard, Rob G ... More >>

This Week in Deliciousness

We have no words for how cool this is.​Welcome back to the weekly roundup here at Eating Our Words, where the holistic headache cure of choice is gravy and lots of it. To the surprise of no one, we started the week off with some marijuana-laced soda. After that, we were really, really excited ... More >>

Like Hell Yeah

Upsets and upstarts at the 2010 Houston Press Music Awards

Vanilla Ice And 11 Other Artists Dallas Can Keep

​Tomorrow night at 2016 Mainstage, Houston gets to relive its (our?) dark white-rap past when Dallas native Vanilla Ice hits the stage at the venue formerly known Sammy's On Main. Yes, that Vanilla Ice, from our haughty neighbors to the north who can do no wrong in the eyes of Texas Monthly. ... More >>

A Playlist For Our Wetbacks in Arizona And For All Who Pray For Them

"It may well be that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition is not the glaring noisiness of the so-called bad people, but the appalling silence of the so-called good people."- Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.​There's something so powerful about music. It gets us through life's bu ... More >>

Chingo Bling's They Can't Deport Us All Makes Good Census; Still Missing Selena

​ Our weekend was full of political conversations with folks who we never have political conversations with; let us tell you, we couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised. We decided we were going to try and convince everyone we knew back home to fill out the census. Three different conversatio ... More >>

Magnolia City Mixtape: Houston's Grammy Haul, A Brown Dog Affair, New York Times Lauds Houston Symphony, And A Bunch of New Music

Once we realized what she was singing, Rocks Off was hoping Beyonce would include the "Would she go down on you in a theater?" line when the six-time winner sang Alanis Morrissette's "You Oughta Know" at Sunday night's Grammys. She didn't, and she didn't drop the f-bomb either (though she came pret ... More >>

Up on His Hustle

How Lucky Luciano went from pimping strippers to stacking six figures.

Rocks Off's 2010 Predictions: The Fate of Owl City, Chingo Bling vs. Chamillionaire, the Next Twilight Soundtrack and Madchester In Katy

www.flickr.com/photos/dherholz/​ Adam Young of Owl City will mystify the scientific community, yet surprise no one in the music community, when he is hacked in half in a freak sawmill accident, and it's discovered he is filled with gummi bears. The Arcade Fire/Flaming Lips feud is resolved when ... More >>

The 2010 Census Launches the Latino Underground Into the Mainstream; Other Bold Predictions for the Coming Decade

Will Lil Young be one of this decade's breakout Latino rap stars?​ Can Latino hip-hop in Houston continue to thrive as a black-market force, of sorts, whose sales are invisible to the IRS, and evolve into a powerful underground economy without the acknowledgement or praise of mainstream music medi ... More >>

Getting "Passed" Up OK with Houston's Latino Rappers... Well, Not Really

There's no doubt that Corporate America knows how to enter a market, break down consumer attitudes and needs, and sell them a product they're going to buy. Pepsi's been around for a minute so you know they know what's up. But in an effort to sell the urban community more of their product (trust us ... More >>

Lucky Luciano: Boss of Houston's Latino Rap Family

​ Deep underground; way below the mainstream music land of Top 40 Billboard Charts and MTV countdowns thrives another existence entirely, made up of independent, Houston Latino hip-hop artists who didn't get the memo. You know the one. It reads: "All aspiring artists must plead big record compani ... More >>

China Girls (and Boys)

Five Spot: Slim Thug is Back

Welcome back to Five Spot. Every Friday, we'll examine a recent bit of music news and list five reasons why it's either brilliant or dumb-assed. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. Photo by thebestbradley Numerous emails from PR people over the last two or so months have informed us that but a ... More >>

Grand Theft Auto X: The Screwston Chronicles

763 MP3s and Nothing On

Paul Ford heard more SXSW acts than anyone else, without leaving New York

Meet Paul Ford, the 763 mp3 Guy: He Covered the Waterfront like No Other, from Over 1,000 Miles Away

Googlism with Houston Musicians, or Why Beyonce Is Stealing My Mojo

The Houston 100: From Guy Clark to Don Williams

Houston Rap: Kicked to the Curb?

Chingo Bling: They Can't Deport Us All

Vandalism, gunshots and hate mail mark a local entertainer’s transformation from comedian/rapper to rapper/activist

What's in Your Favorite Singer's Backseat?

John Popper, Chingo Bling and John Mayer

SXSW Lineup Announced

Fat Beats

The real reason Houston stays near the top of the chunkiest-city charts

Told You So

Racket gets his gloat on

On Da Lingo, Part II

Confused by what all our hometown rappers are talking about? We’re here to help.

Where's the Beef? Right here in H-town

T.I. and Lil' Flip rumble in Cloverland, bringing one of the great rap feuds of recent years to a head

The Return of the Band of Rhythm and Pleasure

The Hollisters reunite to rock the East Texas pines

Letters

On Da Lingo

Tracing Houston roots in three omnipresent hip-hop terms

Defending the Dirty Thirty

And coping with Yankee slander

Always Darkest Before the Dawn

Trotting out the clichés for a year-ender piece

Brown Suga Suga

Roots reggae, doo-wop, Tom Petty -- and bales of ganja -- fuel Baby Bash's Latin rap