Common (Rapper)

Hot to Trot

Houston's 10 best spots for a first date.

Found Art: A Collection Of NBA All-Star Party Flyers From The Streets Of Downtown Houston

Yes, these were picked up off the ground along 100 yards of Polk near the Toyota Center, including a cool one from the City Of Houston about parking. The flyers are for parties, parties, and more parties, with appearances by Diddy, LeBron James, Kevin Hart, Gary Payton, Jay-Z, Casey Anthony, Cassi ... More >>

Top 5 Songs That Sample Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Today we all have a nice long weekend thanks to the birthday of one Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Many people just see it as a day off, others just don't seem to understand why we celebrate it. But Dr. King was a civil rights pioneer who still inspires many to this day. He inspires artists so mu ... More >>

Does Anybody Really Care About Psy's Anti-American Rap?

When we all first saw "Gangnam Style" on YouTube and fell in love with South Korean sensation Psy, none of us could have imagined that a few months later we'd find out that he rapped in 2004 about killing Americans. Rewind: Why Psy and the Innocence of the Muslims Guy Are Nothing Alike The exact ... More >>

#MadeInAmerica: Jay-Z, Obama & G.O.O.D. Music Close Out Day 1

Rewind: #MadeInAmerica: The Heat, Crowds & Fireworks of Day 1 The setting was grand: One of the most iconic set of stairs in the world, in one of the most historical cities in the country, showcasing one of the most successful people in the entertainment business. The very same steps that Rocky Bal ... More >>

A Very Special Message: The 10 Best Rock-Star Public Service Announcements

Ever since the Ad Council introduced the "Rosie the Riveter" poster, public service announcements have either warned us of the dangers of such risky behaviors as having unsafe sex, as well as reasons you should vote, or even to spay and neuter your pets. As rock and roll became more popular, artists ... More >>

Top 5 Musical NBA Players

The NBA All-Star Game is coming up in a couple of weeks. There may not be any Rockets on the roster - even ex-Rocket/Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin didn't blow up in time to be added as a reserve - but musical names such as Kanye West, Rihanna (the halftime entertainment), Lenny Kravitz, Josh Groban, ... More >>

Jon Black Dreams Up Five Collaborations The World Needs

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@gmail. ... 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 with tw ... More >>

Eight Shows MTV, VH1 & BET Should Bring Back

We live in a time where crappy reality television has taken over three of the networks that were once originally dedicated to music videos, artist interviews and delivering current events from the younger generation's perspective. With all the flack that MTV (Music Television) gets about not really ... More >>

Black Star

Bill O'Reilly, Battle Rapper: The Blowhard's Illest Beefs

"I got dirt on you, doggy!" ​Pac and Biggie... Nas and Jigga... Bill O'Reilly and every rapper who has had some commercial success. You can't exclude O'Reilly from battle rap, he is a heavy-hitting contender in the hip-hop arena. Remember when he insisted that people boycott Pepsi products be ... More >>

Seven White House Musical Guests Sketchier Than Common

whitehouse.govWe've always wanted to run that photo credit.​Our man Rizoh did a fine job yesterday detailing how, despite what the Fox News brigade may think, Common is a pretty standup guy. In fact, compared to some of the other musicians who have been invited to the White House, he's practic ... More >>

5 Things Sarah Palin Should Know About Common

gowherehiphop.com​Dear Sarah Palin, we smelled the stench of desperation and traced it down the Twitter hallway. It led us to some foul words about rapper Common. It started when Michelle Obama scheduled a poetry event at the White House and invited several poets, including Common. Conservativ ... More >>

Shot In The Dark: The Ones Who Got Away (So Far)

UPDATE (3:23 p.m.): Promotional video by Monica Fuentes added after the jump. Jay LeeLittle Joe Washington at the Continental Club's 10th anniversary, July 2010​Slowly but surely, Rocks Off has been getting ready for our "Shot In the Dark" photo exhibition at Warehouse Live's Studio next Thur ... More >>

Last Night: Free Energy At Fitzgerald's

Photos by Marc Brubaker​Free Energy Fitzgerald's February 3, 2011 See pics from last night's set in our slideshow. "This cold does some crazy shit to Houston," remarked Free Energy front man Paul Sprangers to his sparse but devotedly enthusiastic Fitzgerald's crowd Thursday. The band played ... More >>

Five Top Rappers' Ideal Corporate Jobs

technology-digital.com​The U.S. economy has been limping for a while now, causing more and more people to seek innovative ways of generating revenue. Rappers, it turns out, aren't immune from the economic turmoil. Just ask will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas, who recently secured a second job wi ... More >>

Bun B Hosting Ugandan Breakdance Doc Screening

"I'm not a politician, so I'm not going to use politics. I'm not a soldier, so I'm not going to hold a gun. I'm a B-boy." - Abraham "Abramz" Tekya, Founder, Breakdance Project Uganda ​Thursday at 7 p.m. on the Rice University Campus, a screening of the inspiring documentary Bouncing Cats will ... More >>

What Is The Best Album Cover Ever?

Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. ​This Week's Panel: Bun B, Lil Flip, Hollywood FLOSS, hasHBrown, Kyle Hubbard, Renzo, Brad Gilmore and Nash White Not Invited: Kanye, bec ... More >>

The Top 10 Female-Friendly Rap Songs

streethop.comLadies Love Cool James: LL Cool J on The View​Chris Rock once said that women don't pay attention to rap lyrics. Truth be told, most casual hip-hop fans - male and female - rarely pay attention to lyrics. As long as the beat is catchy, they'll drop down and get their eagle on all ... More >>

Common Leaves Us Hanging At Warehouse Live

Photos by Marco Torres​8:00 p.m.: There is a female behind the decks onstage. Aftermath loves seeing females who can hold it down on the 1s and 2s. She has a bedazzled Macbook and goes by the name of DJ Superstar. Go on with your bad self, girl. 8:10 p.m.: The audience is a bona fide rainbow ... More >>

Flagrant Foul

Just Wright is just wrong.

Get In The Ring: How 7 Wrestlers Match Up With Their Rock-Star Lookalikes

​ While rock stars wrestle with their inner demons, the performers of the WWE wrestle with other people. A rock star may cut himself because he just needs to feel something; a wrestler will cut himself because it's the championship pay-per-view event and needs to look more intense. The rock stars ... More >>

Pop Rocks: Dear John...Mayer

​I'm sorry, but this isn't working out.I think I speak for bloggers everywhere when I say: we had a great thing going. Every so often you'd tweet something borderline repulsive about farts or Miley Cyrus, and we'd dutifully respond. Usually with some sort of mock indignation about "TMI" and then b ... More >>

Live with Me

The best Houston concerts of 2009: U2, George Strait, Kid Cudi, Jandek, Peaches and even T-Pain.

The Kids Are All Right: Hip-Hop Finally Comes of Age, Part 1

​While year-end, catch-all wrap-ups are common to every musical genre, in no other style of music do they turn into the hand-wringing, "state of the game" examinations that hip-hop seems to provoke. We worry because we care, of course. But at some point, like a thirty-something parent, those of us ... More >>

Ask a Rapper: Karina Nistal Loves Common, Mike Jones Not So Much

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 introducinglisto ... More >>

A Quick and Easy Guide to Distinguishing Maxwell from Samwell from Rockwell

[Ed. Note: Maxwell's pianist and bandleader, Missouri City native Robert Glasper, plays the official afterparty with his trio at Meridian, 1503 Chartres.] Maxwell is headlining Tuesday's R&B feature at the Toyota Center with support from Common and newcomer Chrisette Michele. But Rocks Off ... More >>

Inside the Rappers Studio

Are you an aging hip-hop performer? Then the Rap Institute of Acting is for you!

Aftermath: Common and The Roots Crew's Private Engagment at the Corinthian, With Special Guests (Cough, "Nite and Day")

Photos by Larami Culbertson​ 9:10 p.m.: We pull up to the front of The Corinthian and hand the car off to the valet. He says, "It's $20 plus tip." Oh, so it's $20, then? Got it. Thanks. 9:20 p.m.: Common just walked in. He's way more stout than we imagined him to be. His skin is also less clear th ... More >>

Maybe Miley Would Be Better Off Dead Like Selena, Kurt and These Others...

In case you missed it - and if you value your immortal soul, we're sure you did - Hannah Montana star/future tell-all memoir author Miley Cyrus unveiled a newer, more "mature" look last weekend at the only venue appropriate for such things: the Teen Choice Awards. Nothing says "successful transitio ... More >>

Ask a Rapper: Soulbrotha

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 introducinglisto ... More >>

Roy Hargrove Quintet

10 Records for the Thinking Hardcore Fan

The 2008 release The Chemistry of Common Life, by the shadowy experimental punk band Fucked Up, took the indie rock world by storm, prompting some critics to call it a breath of fresh air from the moribund depths of hardcore. This Friday, Super Unison brings Fucked Up to Houston, and in celebration ... More >>

Common: Universal Mind Control

Artist of the Week: Small Sounds

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 seems contradictory, ... More >>

New World Symphony

The Houston Symphony gives American composers their due

Aftermath: Common and N.E.R.D. at Verizon Wireless Theater

Five Songs for MLK Day

Common

Finding Forever

Squirreling Away the 'Nuttz

H-Town's most prominent hip-hop DJ crew heads back for the underground

The Essence of Soul

Jamie Foxx, Mary J. Blige and more hit H-town

Glazed Tracks

This sweet party is Dee place to be

Comeback Clips

A music-video renaissance is afoot -- but it's strictly on the download

Reform School

The College Dropout rethinks his stance on education in the year 2010

Mouse Rap

Okayplayer -- the Roots' home on the Net -- is more than just a Web site. For some hip-hop heads, it's a way of life.

Black Gold

A gusher lay beneath the surface, but you had to drill deep

Motor City Mellow Men

Slum Village plays catch-up to the White Stripes and Eminem

No Pimps Allowed

Common and Black Eyed Peas dare to raise the artistic standards of hip-hop

X-ecutioners' Song

Four New York turntablists redefine the art of deejaying