DJ Khaled

Distant Relatives

Houston's Luisa Diaz is NYC rapper Nas's biggest fan, with the tattoos to prove it.

The Five Best Houston Rap Songs So Far This Year

Feel that sweeping change? That's May upon us. Which means I'll officially consider myself old as hell, despite being a fresh 25. Yes, we're now one-third of the way through 2013, and Houston rap has never looked as beautiful as it does now. Okay, maybe when she was the darling of everyone's eye som ... More >>

Dynamo In Champions League: All Is Well With Tim Hanley In Charge

If there's one thing the Houston Dynamo don't do, it's lose a match at BBVA Compass Stadium. And after last night's CONCACAF Champions League victory over Santos Laguna, they showed they'll do the same thing to Mexican opponents as they do to MLS clubs... Force them to listen to DJ Khaled's "All I ... More >>

The Sounds of H-Town

Cactus Music wants your help with a "Community-Curated Playlist."

All the Rappers Who Will Be Here All-Star Weekend, Part 2

"Are you going to StripperFest?" "Excuse me, am I going to what?" "StripperFest. It's a thing at All-Star Weekend." Rewind: All the Rappers Who Will Be Here All-Star Weekend, Part 1 If I told you a complete stranger with his or her own guide to All-Star Weekend told me such a thing, I would be ... More >>

Last Night: Scarface & Digital Underground's Shock G at Warehouse Live

Arts, Beats & Lyrics feat. Scarface, Shock G, DJ Lord, Clyde "The Funky Drummer" Stubblefield & Mansions on the Moon Warehouse Live September 27, 2012 How to guarantee a successful event: Step 1: Select an appropriate venue to accommodate your guests. Step 2: Diversify your guest list to include ... More >>

Kirko Bangz Has a New Free Mixtape Out Right Here

About a year and a half ago -- or maybe it was two years or 20? You get the point -- at some only mildly nice bar on 59, I watched a Kirko Bangz show. This was when "What Yo Name Iz" had gained strength regionally but not enough to produce any truly staggering results, and nothing remarkable happe ... More >>

The Anatomy of Mookie Jones' Mack

In the annals of Houston rap, there have been plenty of pimps, gangsters, players and anything in between. But few actual macks. Yes, Max Julien has been the blueprint for many a player who wondered where the hell did Lil Keke get a long-haired Samoan from but Mookie Jones takes the entire aura of b ... More >>

New Music From Scarface, Nas, Trae, Kirko Bangz, Bun B, Slim Thug, Paul Wall, Z-Ro... In 2 Songs

Let's not dance around this too much. Two songs came out Thursday that you need to hear. The first inexplicably comes via DJ Khaled, rap DJ/producer/screamer/barterer. His new album(!?) comes out this August, which respectable Houstonians will be strong-armed into purchasing because it includes gu ... More >>

Sproing! 10 Musicians Who Should Have Their Own Comic Books

Ahhh, comic books! A place where you can escape into another realm. Most artists have somewhat cartoonish onstage personalities, but some have so much that they deserve their own comic book or graphic novel. Like these.

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 >>

Scruncha Roo Picks The Worst Rap Album/Song Names

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. Something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. Not ... More >>

We Tell You Who Will Win Grammys So You Don't Have To Watch Them

SPOILER ALERT​The best thing about the annual Grammy nominations and awards shows is the clamor of anger that rises up when the mere mention of the event even comes up. Immediately people begin calling it a travesty, trotting out all the people who have been snubbed -- Jethro Tull beats Metall ... More >>

Sex, Money & Other Ways To Guarantee Urban Radio Airplay

A cursory glance at the year-to-date urban radio chart reaffirms an age-old music industry adage: Sex sells. You can see the Top 10 at the bottom of this post, but first let's talk about a few of the chart's recurring themes. Sex Sells: Miguel's "Sure Thing" occupies the top spot with 86,785 spins, ... More >>

The 2011 BET Awards, Or The Vindication Of Chris Brown

​6:58: High-five to the Houston Press for flying us out to Los Angeles to cover the BET Awards. Cool move. Thus far, it's been extra fun. We ran into Kobe and, um, saw some people filming a movie, and... uh... there were some angels or something, and... there... there was... eh, shit. We're n ... More >>

Trae Day Venue Backs Out; Jonas Bros. Reschedule

​As we mentioned in last week's cover story, Houston rapper Trae tha Truth has been having his share of recent struggles. His luck appears to not have changed much. Just hours after the online commercial for the forthcoming Trae Day, July 22, hit the net, and a mere three weeks before the act ... More >>

Can - Should - DJs Be Rappers Too?

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 >>

Y'all Musta Forgot: Slim Thug's Already Platinum

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. Slim Thug Already Platinum (Geffen, 2005) ​Already Platinum was Slim's official debut album, but mor ... More >>

Five Spot: Where's Johnny? For That Matter, Who's Johnny?

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. ​We came up with a new game. It's called "Where's Johnny?" The premise is s ... More >>

The H-Town Countdown, No. 13: DJ Screw's 3 N' Tha Mornin' Pt. 2 (Blue)

Roughly 84,000 rap albums have been released in Houston since 1989. We're counting down the 25 best of all time every Thursday. Got a problem with the list? Shove it. Just kidding. Friendship. Email it to sheaserrano@gmail.com. DJ Screw 3 N' Da Mornin, Part 2 (Big Tyme Records, 1995)​While researc ... More >>

Turning the Screw: Dustin Prestige, Kid Cudi, King Tut, Rick Ross/50 Cent, Ludacris, Lil' Kim, T.I./Chris Brown, Fat Pat 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: "Dope," Dustin Prestige Wire To Wire Kid Cudi was tasered at an NBA All-Star Game party in ... More >>

Artist of the Week: Coline

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. How else to say this tha ... More >>

Rick Ross

What Do Shepard Smith and Soulja Boy have in common?

Wack's here to tell you: more than you might expect

A conversation with Mohammed Al-Farra of Palestinian Rapperz

Straight Outta Gaza

Not Your Father's N-Word

Eight months after its "burial," the American language's most dangerous epithet is more popular than ever in hip-hop

Top 10 Most Hated Rappers

Who made the shit list

Real Recognize Real?

Promotional Cacophony at Miami's Ozone Awards

T.I., Yung Joc, Ciara, T-Pain, Lloyd

Screamfest hollas 8 p.m. Saturday, August 4, at Toyota Center, 1510 Polk. 713-627-9622.