Eazy-E

Christmas Past: Top 5 Christmas Rap Songs

While we celebrate the holidays, Rocks Off is resurrecting a few of our best Christmas-themed blogs from the past few years. (Wait... resurrecting is Easter. Never mind.) This blog originally appeared December 20, 2010. Show us one hip-hop head who isn't obsessed with corny Christmas sing-alongs an ... More >>

Buried Kid Found Alive in Car Driven By Allegedly Smashed Mother

A Kingwood woman has been arrested after police caught her behind the wheel of a car while allegedly intoxicated on a cornucopia of substances, all while an eight-month-old baby was buried alive under clothing and a skateboard in the back seat of the trash-filled vehicle. Montgomery County Precinct ... More >>

Understanding the Rock Hall's 2013 Nominees: Chic? Kraftwerk? Butterfield?

Wednesday night The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation announced their 2013 nominees for induction next year. These names will be voted on by a committee of guys in bad weaves, rich people who know the right people, and tenured music writers with axes to grind. The names are as follows: The Pa ... More >>

Top 10 Musical Moments on The Arsenio Hall Show

One of the greatest late-night talk show hosts of all time was Arsenio Hall. He was the quintessential Ed Sullivan for the '80s and early '90s. He featured all kinds of musical artists, but most importantly, he helped introduce rap music into the mainstream. Hall, who won Donald Trump's most recent ... More >>

Celtics-Heat Postgame Fun-Fest: Crazy KG, D-Wade's Hipster-ish Fake Glasses, and "Good Job, Good Effort!" Kid (w/ VIDEO)

I love NBA basketball, but I'll be the first to admit that I am oftentimes more compelled by what goes on after the games -- in the press conferences, in the locker room, on the set of TNT -- than I am in the games themselves. I'm the guy who is rooting against LeBron not because I hate him, but be ... More >>

You Got Served: The Top 10 Legal Battles In Rock History

Ten years ago last week, one of the most vicious legal battles in rock history took another ugly turn. Ex-Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic and drummer Dave Grohl found themselves in King County Superior Court over a dispute with Kurt Cobain's widow, Courtney Love, over the band's considerable royalti ... More >>

Last Night: Yelawolf At Warehouse Live

Yelawolf Warehouse Live February 16, 2012 My ears salute the kid who told Yelawolf he wasn't hip-hop. Must have been a high-school bully, one of those corny jocks with well defined biceps. We'll call him D'Angelo. D'Angelo probably teased Yelawolf, smacked him around in the bathroom, lol'd when he ... More >>

Four Artists Who Died Before Playing Houston

theindependent.co.uk​When Amy Winehouse died Saturday, almost everyone noted how the troubled British soul singer had joined the "27 Club," the list of legendary musicians who passed away at that age that also includes Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones, ... More >>

Top 5 Weed-Inspired Album Titles

​Moments ago, actually earlier this afternoon now, Rocks Off opened an envelope from Universal Music that turned out to contain young No Limit-affiliated rapper Curren$y's major-label debut, Weekend at Burnie's (Warner Bros.). We'll give you three guesses what the New Orleans native's primary ... More >>

Chingo Bling Unlocks Hollywood's Key Club

When last we left Chingo Bling in Los Angeles, he was at his agent's Beverly Hills office, holding out for a better offer for a proposed September tour... Photos by Marco TorresChingo Bling and John T. Edge (right) wait in Latino 96.3's lobby.​FRIDAY, MAY 6 Latino 96.3 studios, Los Angeles, ... More >>

Friday Night: Yelawolf & Many Guests At Warehouse Live

Photos by Marco TorresTrae Tha Truth and Yelawolf​Yelawolf, Bun B, Trae Tha Truth, Doughbeezy, Dante Higgins, Gerald Walker & Cardo Warehouse Live April 29, 2011 10:54 p.m.: Let's do this first this time. Here's the thing about Yelawolf, and you may have noticed this already, but: He's a rapp ... More >>

The Seven Most Memorable Rap Beatdowns

Wreckx-n-Effect went New Jack Swing on A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip in 1993.​When pop stars and Hollywood types need to settle a score, they take it to the courtroom. Hip-hop, however, operates by a different code: If you act up, you will get smacked up. Rocks Off was reminded of this when a m ... More >>

Top Five Christmas Rap Songs

​Show us one hip-hop head who isn't obsessed with corny Christmas sing-alongs and we'll show you a liar. Nothing says "hip-hop" like cheery holiday tunes about sharing and caring. In the spirit of holiday music, Rocks Off compiled a list of five Christmas rap songs guaranteed to make you the f ... More >>

Nasty Nique EP Has The Heart Of A Champion

​This year, the New Houston Collective has really become a force. In no particular order, their attendance sheet: Fat Tony, Propain, B L A C K I E, Hollywood FLOSS, Preemo, Eskabel, Hubbard, Nosaprise, hasHBrown, Thuro, H-Kane, Delo, Les, Roderick, The Niceguys, John Dew, Montana, Virgo, Dirty ... More >>

Is Rap Acceptable In Your Sex Mix?

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: Chuckway, Renzo, Kyle Hubbard Not Invited: Our ... More >>

Friday Night: Legends Of Rap At Verizon Wireless Theater

Photos by Marco TorresRakim​"Legends of Rap" featuring Rakim, Slick Rick, Whodini, Big Daddy Kane, MC Lyte Verizon Wireless Theater October 15, 2010 For more photos from Friday, see our slideshow here. Friday night at Verizon Theater was a celebration of hip-hop legends, the types that would ... More >>

5 Rappers Who Dissed The Radio, Sucka!

​ "Radio - suckers never play me" - Public Enemy, "Rebel Without a Pause" Eazy-E once walked up to legendary disc jockey Greg Mack and asked him what he could do to make his music radio-ready. Mack's reply? "Well, you could start by cleaning up the lyrics." Ever the savvy businessman, Eazy returne ... More >>

The H-Town Countdown, No. 12: Street Military's Don't Give a Damn

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. Street Military Don't Give a Damn (Wild Pitch, 1999)​Surprise. Kids, m ... More >>

The H-Town Countdown, No. 15: Chamillionaire's Original Mixtape Messiah, or 20-Plus Ways to Dis Mike Jones

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. "You drop one track, he's still alive." - Chamillionaire, on why he ai ... More >>

Pink Floyd, Dr. Dre, Velvet Underground and Other Artists We're Glad Discovered Drugs

It was 45 years ago this past Friday... that Bob Dylan met the Beatles for the first time and, more importantly for Rocks Off's purposes, introduced them to marijuana. While this meeting of musical titans would never lead to any actual musical collaboration or "Monsters of Hippie Rock" series of co ... More >>

A Third Ward Pawnshop iPod and the Mysterious Fate of Previous Owner "Scooby"

Whoever he is (was?), Scooby's iPod wasn't short on R. Kelly.​So a couple of weeks ago, after three or four years of increasingly faltering service, Rocks Off's 30 GB iPod finally died. Completely. Out of sheer broke-assedness, we had held on to it for longer than most. By the end, its quirks and ... More >>

Five Spot: H-Town Veteran Klondike Kat

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. The first time we ever met Klondike Kat was at ScrewFest a couple of yea ... More >>

Five Spot: Bizzy Bone Should Have Dashed, Ducked or Hid Behind a Tree

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. Because the universe has grander plans than either you or we can comprehend, Bizzy Bone, of Bone Thugs-n-Harmon ... More >>

The Game: LAX

www.comptongame.com

Super-Size Relief

Sean Carnahan and Roni Size drop beats for a good cause

Blowhards

Project Blowed celebrates ten years of hip-hop innovation and improvisation

Bizzy Bone, Phone Home

A Grammy-winning multiplatinum rapper melts down live on KPFT

Compton's (Back) N the House

Four discs trace the development of the original gangstas

Snapping Rappers

The right pals send a photographer down the right path

Eightball & MJG/South Park Mexican

Space Age 4 Eva (JCOR Entertainment)/Time Is Money (Dope House/Universal)

Tow Down

By Prescription Only (D.I.M.E.)

Rap Shoah

Two Houston rappers use their Jewish heritage to define their toughness

Lightweight Wood

Easy banter and nostalgia add up to boredom for this MTV effort

Kamikaze Rap

Public Enemy's Chuck D. speaks

Bully Boys

Rotation

Rotation

Nail Noise