Ja Rule

Hard Knock Life: Jay-Z Then and Now

This week marks the beginning of a legacy. On October 17, 1998, Jay-Z's Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, the first of Jay-Z's many albums to do so and the start of a streak that continues today. Every Jay-Z album since has hit No. 1, making him the current record holde ... More >>

Last Night: Jennifer Lopez and Enrique Iglesias at Toyota Center

Check out more pics of Jennifer Lopez and Enrique Iglesias in our slideshow. Jennifer Lopez and Enrique Iglesias Toyota Center Houston August 26th, 2012 "I'm just a simple girl from The Bronx, don't let the sparkly pants fool you" -- Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lopez has played many roles. She has be ... More >>

Ask A Rapper: Reggie Eviscerates Rap's Worst Diss Tracks

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? E-mail sheaserrano@gmail.com. ... 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 >>

Why 50 Cent Should Consider Retirement

Interscope​I was in college when Get Rich or Die Tryin' dropped. You couldn't go anywhere without hearing "In da Club"-- house parties, techno clubs, AA meetings, everywhere. My friends used to sit around and debate 50's feud with Ja Rule. Anyone brave enough to take Ja's side was ridiculed to ... More >>

Six Examples of Really Bad Mixtape Cover Art

​When Das Racist came to Fitzgerald's this past October, we got to chat with the subject of this Frida Kahlo knockoff painting: Lakutis. While standing on the upstairs balcony before they went on stage, the group's hypeman's hypeman told us that MishkaNYC was putting out his very first mixtape ... More >>

What's The R&B Singer/Rapper Relationship Really Like?

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: Jack Freeman, Dallas Blocker, Leelonn, Patrick Sims, Senze Not Invited: Ja Rule This Week's Prompt: You all have had ... More >>

Tupac Shakur: Who Should Play Him In Upcoming Movie?

​Think you've got what it takes to portray the embodiment of rap music? Let's be honest: You probably don't, but you can still throw your bandana in the ring and audition online for the starring role in an upcoming Tupac biopic. There's no guarantee that the role will take your rap career any ... More >>

Whitney Harper: Song Downloader's Appeal Slapped Down By U.S. Supreme Court

Faith Hill shall not be denied​Five record labels that sued a 16-year-old San Antonio girl six years ago for illegally downloading a bunch of shitty music the labels vomited upon the listening public can finally exhale: the U.S. Supreme Court has decided not to hear the girl's ... More >>

Top Five Musician Religious Conversions

Marc Israel Sellum/ Isreality.com​The opposites of life attract us, we've always believed. Time and time again, that philosophy proves itself right. It's why in high school, the Catholic school girls were the biggest freaks. No, that's not a myth. They were suffocated with religion or "right" ... More >>

Does Being An Actor Compromise Your Rap Career?

Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday that isn't a national holiday, Rocks Off will have some of them discussing issues relevant to their culture. This Week's Panel: Paul Wall, Damien Randle, Sam Sneed Not Invited: Freekey Zeekey, for getting Dipset back together ... More >>

Rap Goes To College: 5 More Possible Hip-Hop Professors

​Rice University just got a lot more... trill. Never thought you'd hear those words in the same sentence? Yeah, us too. But as hiphopdx.com reports, you just might be seeing a lot more "Diamonds and Wood" and "Front, Back & Side to Side" in the Rice University parking lot. That's because B ... More >>

Has 50 Cent Jumped The Shark?

Photos by Marc Brubaker / Click here for a slideshow​9:24 p.m.: While waiting at the box office to get our tickets a kid walks up and asks, "Excuse me, how much are tickets?" He looks absolutely crushed when he hears that they're about $50. It's super sad to see. I mean, he just wanted to see ... More >>

Turning the Screw: Bun B, Z-Ro, LeBron, Prince, Ice Cube, The Kanye, Aziz Ansari, Omarion, Waka Flocka Flame (Just Read), Ja Rule 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: "O.G." C. Loc, Bun B and Z-Ro Wire to Wire Bun B is still leaking tracks from his non-mixtape mixtape i ... More >>

New iPhone? Rocks Off Has an App for That.

Photo illustrations by John Seaborn Gray​ We know a ton of you got iPhones over the holiday break. Well, good news: Rocks Off has spent the last few months developing our own iPhone applications (or "apps," as the urban kids are saying) and we're thrilled to debut them here. All inquiries, critici ... More >>

Rap Vixen And Houston Radio Host Tangle To The Death

 Quick, who's Karinne Steffans?You're supposed to know that. At least, according to her you are.Steffans, massive internet research reveals, is a former model and moneymaker-shaker in videos who wrote a tell-all book about her high-flying life called Confessions of a Video Vixen. (Among the peo ... More >>

Turning the Screw: Dead End Alliance, Bun B, DMX, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Eminem, The Kanye, Beyonce 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: "Heart of a Hustler," Dead End Alliance feat. Lil Keke and Mike D Wire To WireHow bad-ass is Bun B that ... More >>

Houston's Nigerian-Born Battle-Rapper Godwon

Balls and His Word

Cred Sheet

Stuff you need to know to avoid musical ostracism

The Ten Commandments of Rap

Laying down the laws of the hip-hop game with The Legendary K.O.

It's In The Cards

The Nick-and-Jessica split, tarot-style

Hip-hop, Year Two AJ

Still no Jigga, but Kanye, some lovable limeys and a great Beyoncé substitute held it down

This Week's Day-by-Day Picks

Making the Videos

Rub elbows with the pros at the HBCU Film Festival

Moby

Hotel

Where's the Beef? Right here in H-town

T.I. and Lil' Flip rumble in Cloverland, bringing one of the great rap feuds of recent years to a head

50 Cent

The Massacre

Unlucky 13

This Assault attacks the original and does no damage

Rotation

Feelings, Nothing But Feelings

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

Emvisible

D12 looks to get out from underneath Eminem's shadow

Boobs Versus Prudes

Only Prince can walk the tightrope between sensuality and artistry

The Gospel According to Pac

An argument for a new holy day: Pacmas

The Class of '03

Grab your gift certificates and trade in your white elephants -- here's what you really wanted for Christmas

Always Darkest Before the Dawn

Trotting out the clichés for a year-ender piece

Hip-hop, Tejas

Latinos take on rap music and make it their own

Gold Chains, with Stars as Eyes and Notes

Saturday, June 21

50 Cent

Get Rich or Die Tryin' (Shady/Aftermath/Interscope)

The Queen Bee

Pam Kelly hopes to get a Buzz going about local music

Black Gold

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

True Dat

A Run-act play starring the Simmons brothers, Russell and the Rev

Rap Avengers

Dälek may destroy hip-hop in order to save it from commercialism

Clipse

Lord Willin' (Star Trak/Arista)

Definitive Jux Tour

Saturday, October 12

¡Ecsta-Sí! ¡Ecsta-No!

The feds Spy something that begins with X

John Mayer

Room for Squares (Sony)

Tyrannosaurus Raps

Jurassic 5 will help you remember hip-hop the way it oughta be

Mary J. Blige

Sunday, June 30

Fat Joe

Tuesday, June 18