Subject: Chingy

• Five Spot: Axl Rose is Not Impressed by Dr Pepper's Fun and Games

  Welcome back to Five Spot. Every week, 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.   Back in March, Dr Pepper (easily one of our favorite doctors, right behind J., Scholls and Dre) set forth a proposition to aged rockers Guns 'N' Roses: release Chinese Democracy this year and everyone in America would get a free soda. Seemed a clear enough challenge, if not a blatant publicity stunt.

  November 28, 2008

• Artist of the Week: Benjamin

  Each Wednesday, Rocks Off arbitrarily appoints one lucky local performer or group "Artist of the Week," bestowing upon them all the fame and grandeur such a lofty title implies. Know a band or artist that isn't awful? Email their particulars to introducingliston@gmail.com. It didn't strike us until recently, but there are no real poppy male R&B singers of consequence from Houston. There's Marques Houston, but he's from California. There's Houston Summers, who sang "I Like That" with Chi

  April 15, 2009

• All's fair in love and war for St. Louis rapper Black Spade

  First Come, First Serve

  July 10, 2008

• Encore or Bust?

  Stressing about the 'Stros begins anew

  April 7, 2005

• Feelings, Nothing But Feelings

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

  November 11, 2004

• Blizzard of Oz

  Dubya, Ashlee and Bill O'Reilly have spun Racket's mind into the twilight zone; also, two local retro-cool institutions bite the dust

  November 4, 2004

• Local Rotation

  Lil' Flip, U Gotta Feel Me (Sony Urban/Suckafree/Columbia)

  Paul Wall, Chick Magnet (Paid in Full)

  June 3, 2004

• Family Feud

  Hip-hop turns 25, and the battle lines are drawn

  April 1, 2004

• Bash-ing the Bigwigs

  Come Super Bowl week, you can still party downtown, even if you're not very important

  January 22, 2004

• Hip-hop, Tejas

  December 4, 2003

• Dirty South Mix Tape Tour

  Sunday, August 24

  August 21, 2003

• Serious Cinema

  Set in 1948, Kedma explores a present-day problem

  August 21, 2003

• Turning the Screw: Bun B, Trae & Lil Keke, Rihanna, Snoop, Eminem vs. Nick Cannon, Jay-Z, T.I., E-40, South Park Mexican 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: "Grey Cassette," Trae feat Bun B and Lil Keke Wire To Wire Ummm, we're not going to link to them, but should you be curious to see some pictures of Rihanna sans clothes, you presumably know how Google works. (And, wow.) All is not well in the house that Run built: Jo-Jo arrested. Snoop Dogg does not ha

  May 11, 2009

• Local Album of the Week: Paul Wall's Fast Life

  Paul Wall Fast Life www.grillsbypaulwall.comDid high gas prices kill off Paul Wall? Not really - that's just a coincidence. Rather, the H-Town artist known for his candy cars and diamond grills has suffered from being too closely identified with a regional sound that is no longer fashionable. Just as Chingy stopped selling records after the St. Louis "right hurrrr" movement fell off, Wall has been hurt because the chopped and screwed sound has lost popularity. It's too bad, because his latest al

  May 14, 2009

• Paul Wall: Fast Life

  May 21, 2009