Fat Pat

Top 20 Songs Dedicated to Drank, Part 1

Some call it lean; others call it barre or simply drank. Whichever you prefer, promethazine with codeine cough syrup is the ever so popular recreational drug used by many people. Houston's hip-hop culture has made lean something everyone has wanted to talk about or even try for decades. If you type ... More >>

The Texas 30: Texas' 10 Best Rap Albums

Texas rap has played no small part in hip-hop's history. More specifically, Houston (and of course P.A.) rap has played no small part in hip-hop's history. (There are other cities in Texas, I hear, though with the exception of Dallas's brief swag-based blip, they've, to this point, remained largely ... More >>

Undergravity Goes Extra-Funky On Enjoyable New Single

"We are choosing to up the funk." -- Mac Undergravity is an anachronistic rap duo maybe most easy to appreciate when calibrated within the context of last year's positively perfect summer record "Southside Summertime" with Dante Higgins. Where most (all?) new-era Houston rap acts have either a) ig ... More >>

Last Night: Screwed Up Click at Warehouse Live

Lil' Keke, E.S.G., Big Pokey Warehouse Live June 27, 2012 June 27 isn't an official holiday in Houston -- yet. But the date remains the preferred occasion for formally celebrating the life, career and influence of Robert Davis, our beloved DJ Screw. On Wednesday, the remnants of the Screwed Up Clic ... More >>

A Houston Rap-Related Shooting Timeline

Most people will tell you that Houston rappers are overall a peaceful bunch, but people do carry guns. No less a beloved figure than Pimp C was caught after he got into an altercation at the Foot Locker in Sharpstown Mall; supposedly a policeman saw a gun under Pimp's coat during the fight, followed ... More >>

Here Are Some Classic Houston Rap Lines as Memes

Early Wednesday evening, I was teaching my sons lines from SPM songs because being a cool dad is usually the same as being a shitty dad. Boy B had a question: "Daddy, why are we doing this?" It was simple and reasonable and direct. But I kind of didn't have an answer. We just were doing it is why we ... More >>

ZZ Top Taps SUC Classic to Shill Dubious Malt Beverage

Rocks Off did certainly not expect to find this on the Internet today. Or ever, really. But what could possibly be the first single from ZZ Top's long-awaited new album is now appearing in a new ad for a budget line of liquor-flavored malt beverages, the kind you might find in a tub of ice near the ... More >>

Six Years Gone: Big Hawk Remembered

Six years ago last week, on May 1, 2006, local rapper and Screwed Up Click Five-Star General Big Hawk was gunned down outside of a friend's home on Redfern on Houston's Southside. He was 36. While it's never acceptable to lose a gifted artist to violence in the prime of his life and career, Hawk's ... More >>

Ask A Rapper: Big Boss E's Favorite Boss Songs

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. T ... More >>

Ask A Rapper: Killa Cal-Wayne's Dissertation On Gangster Rap

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. T ... More >>

The Perfect Soundtrack To Your Next Crawfish Boil

Crawfish boils have become a springtime ritual in Houston. At least once a season, it's an accepted necessity that we waste an entire day pinching tails, sucking heads and covering ourselves in spicy, stinky seafood slime. Finding the bugs typically isn't a problem -- you can hit up any number of r ... More >>

Mudbug Music: The Perfect Soundtrack for Your Next Crawfish Boil

Fat Pat's "Tops Drop" on the way to buy the crawfish in Kemah and UGK's "Wood Wheel" for the drive back. These are just two of the songs that Rocks Off's Nathan Smith recommends to start your day-long crawfish boiling festivities. If you think that zydeco music and only zydeco music is the right ac ... More >>

Tops Drop: A Larger-Than-Life Fat Tuesday Playlist

​Happy Fat Tuesday, y'all! Rocks Off mentioned in a previous post, about rappers and Houston restaurants, that some of the best artists are "Big" and "Fat": Big Pokey, Fat Pat, Big Moe, etc. Every day is Fat Tuesday for these rappers. They're all about overindulgence and that's why we love th ... More >>

Fourteen Years After His Death, Fat Pat's Legacy Continues Acting Bad For Scrilla

In Huntsville, back somewhere around 2000, there used to be this club called The Tin Can. There are a bunch of reasons to remember The Tin Can; two stand out and another is unfortunately appropriate today. The most nefarious of the three: It had to have been the most unsafe club in American histo ... More >>

Which Were The Six Best Houston Rap Songs From The Nineties?

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 >>

The Space City Beat Battle & The Best H-Town Producers Ever

Despite a venue conflict, the championship edition of the Space City Beat Battle will go on Saturday evening at the Mercury Room. If you've never been to one it's almost like watching a ritualistic rite of passage where cocksure arrogance and chest pounding reign supreme. Sample based producers who ... More >>

Eat It: Houston Rappers Love to Write Songs About Eating

Photo by Chase Steely ​One thing Houston rappers are proficient in-besides rapping great-is eating well. Many of the more influential artists were/are big and fat: Fat Pat, Big Pokey, Big Moe, Big HAWK, Big Mello, and Big Steve. Even DJ Screw was a husky man. That's not to say that their wei ... More >>

Rappers Onstage: Who's Dramatic Enough For Broadway?

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. Have something you've always wanted to ask a rapper? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. Photo illustration by John Seabor ... More >>

Five Posthumous Rap Albums Up For Debate

​Recently, and with a certain amount of controversy, Rap-A-Lot made available a bundle of previously unreleased songs disguised as a new Pimp C album. Posthumous records are unsafe footing. It's entirely capable that they can be built into capable, glorious, heartbreaking goodbyes; in 2009, ... More >>

Undergravity's Feel-Good Summer Hit & Other DIY Rap News

3-2-1 for the week in Houston rap: #SouthsideSummertime It seems fair to say that, considering the video now, Undergravity's "Southside Summertime" is the best Houston summer song since Mike Jones' "Still Tippin'" in 2004. It is an absolutely overachieving accomplishment by the duo and guest Da ... More >>

Celebrating Big H.A.W.K.'s Legacy With Bun B & More

Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday that isn't a national holiday (or thereabouts), 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, Paul Wall, Lil O, Starch ... More >>

Which Houston Rappers Deserve Their Own Streets?

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 sheaserrano@gmail.com. ... More >>

Who Makes The Mt. Rushmore Of Houston Rap?

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. cred​This Week's Panel: Bun B, Z-Ro, Chamillionaire, Lil Flip, E.S.G., Paul Wall, Fat Tony, A.D.D., Matt Son ... More >>

Rap's Top Five Dedication Songs

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@gmai ... More >>

Screwed Up Click

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 >>

Is Z-Ro Too Big To Get Big?

Welcome back to Five Spot. Every Friday, we'll examine a recent bit of music news and, albeit sometimes awkwardly, tie it to a bit of Houston rap. We'll incorporate the number five in there somewhere. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. ​A lot of the time, it's easy to pick what to write abo ... More >>

Y'all Musta Forgot: K-Otix's Universal

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. K-Otix Universal (Bronx Science, 2001) ​K-Otix are the Hawk and Animal of Houston rappers, a seeming ... More >>

Nightfly: All Mixed Up

Houston Hip-Hop History Lesson Heats up Toc Bar.

Turning the Screw: Fat Pat, Trae, Shane Sparks, Gucci Mane, The Kanye, Maino, Eminem, Kid Cudi, Bun B 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: "No Glory," Fat Pat Wire to Wire So Trae spent the holidays handing out thousands of pairs of shoes to ... More >>

The H-Town Countdown, No. 5: Lil' Keke's Don't Mess Wit Texas

​There are roughly 84,000 rap albums that have been released in Houston since 1989. We're counting down the 25 best of all time. We'll be here every Thursday. Got a problem with the list? Shove it. Just kidding. Friendship. Email it to sheaserrano@gmail.com. Back in July (when this here Count ... More >>

Five Spot: Killa Kyleon's Purple Punch 3

Welcome back to Five Spot. Every Friday, we'll examine a recent bit of music news and, albeit sometimes awkwardly, tie it to a bit of Houston rap. It's five videos and occasional cussing. Send tips to introducingliston@gmail.com. ​One of the guys that we always (usually) enjoy listening to is the ... More >>

The H-Town Countdown, No. 7: Fat Pat's Ghetto Dreams

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 sheaserrano@gmail.com. Fat Pat Ghetto Dreams (Wreckshop Records, 1998) ​During the course of resear ... More >>

A Musical Guide to Post-Secession Texas: Houston and "Brazoria"

The final installment of our Five States of Texas project brings it all back home, to the new state of Brazoria, encompassing all of Southeast Texas from the Brazos Valley to Sabine Pass. ​Patron Saint: Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown. A master of rock and roll, country, Cajun/Creole, blues and jazz, n ... More >>

Five Spot: Remembering "Five Star General" Big Hawk

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.MTV's Cribs has to be one of this generation's finest cultural achievements. F ... More >>

Five Spot: Big M.O.E. of the S.U.C.

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.We were flipping through the Trae playlist in our iPod yesterday, and "Swang" came on. "Swang," if you'll remember ... More >>

Five Spot: 25 Lighters for Fat Pat

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. February 3 marked the 11th anniversary of the legendary Screwed Up Click MC Fat Pat's passing ... 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 >>

Turning the Screw: H.I.S.D., Trae, Lupe Fiasco, Prodigy, Soulja Boy, Roy Jones Jr., Ice Cube and More

Grand Theft Auto X: The Screwston Chronicles

Fucking Transmissions, Begin Transmission

CD Review

The Scene Is Dead. Long Live the Scene!

Ideas toward a Houston-style musical Day of the Dead

Big Moe, RIP

Houston Hip-Hop

Mike Watts and his stable of northside rappers take a southside legend's style to the masses

Trae Cool

An underground legend teams up with Rap-A-Lot in a bid to break nationwide

Hawk

Saturday, December 7

Local Rotation

Local Music Reviewed

Discman

DJ DMD goes national with his continental, Houston-based rap style

That's the Breaks

Houston rap labels and their artists look for that big deal