Jadakiss

Rap Not So Macho

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

Turning the Screw: DZA, Trae, Al Sharpton, Common, Beyonce, Akon, Mos Def, Vanilla Ice and a Whole Lotta Obama

Turning the Screw: T-Pain & Friends, Pimp C, Asher Roth, Kanye vs. Colbert, Q-Tip, Suge Knight, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Young Jeezy, Paul Wall 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: "Chopped and Screwed" Lil' O, T-Pain and Ludacris Wire To Wire Matt Sonzala et al. paid tribute ... More >>

Jadakiss

Kiss of Death (Ruff Ryders/Interscope)

Baller's Ball

Where to party this All-Star Weekend

DMX

Year of the Dog...Again

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

God Save the Scene

Sassy Brits, hoochie mamas and a dude named Beans attempted to invigorate a stagnant year for hip-hop

God Save the Scene

Sassy Brits, hoochie mamas and a dude named Beans attempted to invigorate a stagnant year for hip-hop

Rotation

Sassy Brits, hoochie mamas and a dude named Beans attempted to invigorate a stagnant year for hip-hop

Not the Sweetest Thing

What a bad feeling -- and taste -- Honey leaves behind

Clipse

Lord Willin' (Star Trak/Arista)

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 >>

Cornbreadd Weighs In On 50 Cent/Rick Ross Feud

How bad off is hip-hop right now? Sales are still in the toilet - only one rap record, Jadakiss' The Last Kiss, is in the current Billboard Top 20 - and even Kanye West shooting his mouth off isn't that interesting anymore. About the only thing with legs these days is the 50 Cent/Rick Ross feud, wh ... More >>

Inquiring Minds: Trae tha Truth on the Trae Day Shootings and More

Photos by Henry Rizoh  As you no doubt have heard, this past Wednesday's Trae Day, a celebratory day established last year by the city of Houston recognizing rapper Trae tha Truth's work with at-risk youth, was sullied by post-festivities gunshots. Rocks Off was able to steal a few minutes out ... More >>

Turning the Screw: New Trae and G.R.I.T. Boys, R.I.P. DJ AM, Kings of Leon Remixed, Jay Z vs. Rush Limbaugh, Uncut Pimp C, etc.

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: Trae, "Letter to tha King" Wire To Wire The G.R.I.T. Boys finally put out some new music. Make sure you ... More >>

The H-Town Countdown, No. 4: UGK's Too Hard to Swallow

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. UGK Too Hard to Swallow (Jive, 1992) ​How cocksure is Bun B? The first time ... 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 >>

MTV Nominates Trae As "Hottest Breakthrough MC Of 2010"

It appears that Trae's ongoing difficulties with 97.9 The Box - again, you might want to check back here tomorrow; we'd sure appreciate it - are beginning to resonate outside the 713 and 281. Earlier today, MTV.com announced the local rapper and community activist known as "Tha Truth" is a finalis ... More >>

Sammus: The Femme Rapper/Producer's Top Five Remix 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. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to sheaserrano@gmai ... More >>

The Weak Links In Seven Great Rap Crews

Wu-Tang Clan ain't nothin' to fuck with... except maybe U-God.​Logic suggests that being surrounded by artistic brilliance would give the less endowed a natural boost. But if talent were contagious, failure wouldn't exist, and neither would this list. Every rap group, big or small has one memb ... More >>

Budweiser Superfest

Wu-Tang Clan ain't nothin' to fuck with... except maybe U-God.​Logic suggests that being surrounded by artistic brilliance would give the less endowed a natural boost. But if talent were contagious, failure wouldn't exist, and neither would this list. Every rap group, big or small has one memb ... More >>

Teflon Don

Rick Ross writes rhymes for gangsta lifestyle

10 Great Instances Of Rappers Honoring Other Rappers

​People often forget that hip-hoppers are humans, too. They breathe, sleep, eat, and salivate at the sight of buttermilk donuts just like us. And, every now and then, they'll geek over other rappers, just like us. It would have been so much easier to compile a list of rappers dissing other ra ... More >>

Who Are The Greatest Rap Duos of All Time?

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.  ... More >>

More Local Music News Than Dry Creeks In Texas

It's time for another fabulous installment of Magnolia City Mixtape. We took last week off, as we were still recovering from the whirlwind of Free Press Summer Fest. Call us lazy if you will, but this week we've got a double dose of local music news to make up for it. If you're into rap videos, this ... More >>

Trae Tha Truth

It's time for another fabulous installment of Magnolia City Mixtape. We took last week off, as we were still recovering from the whirlwind of Free Press Summer Fest. Call us lazy if you will, but this week we've got a double dose of local music news to make up for it. If you're into rap videos, this ... More >>

Last Night: Trae Tha Truth At House Of Blues

Photos by Marco Torres​See Pimp C's mom, Lupe Fiasco and more take the stage with Trae Tha Truth in our slideshow. Trae Tha Truth Street King CD release feat. Jadakiss, Waka Flocka, Yung Joc, Yung Quis, Lupe Fiasco & Pimp C's mom House of Blues June 28, 2011 10:16 p.m.: So here we are again. ... More >>

Trae Is Regal, Menacing On New Album Street King

​Unless you have some prior issue or grievance with Trae Tha Truth - like he punched you in the nose or headed a grassroots campaign attacking your company's character or whatevs - he's pretty much made it impossible to root against him. He works like a horse, is apparently loyal to a fault, ... More >>

Hoodstar Chantz Picks The Best Freestylers & Battle Rappers Ever

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 >>

KTSU's Take Ova Crew Brings Student Voices To "The Choice"

Take Ova Crew on FacebookThe Take Ova Crew welcomes Houston's own Devin the Dude.​In 1972, the FCC approved a license for Texas Southern University's FM radio station, 90.9 KTSU ("The Choice"). The station was originally intended to give students in the communications department an opportunity ... More >>

Cy Fyre: Mega-Producer Builds Big Beats, Never Sleeps

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 sheaserrano@gmail.com. ​What we have here is the ... More >>