Lauryn Hill

Drenched In Blog: Tranny Time with Devendra Banhart

Ten Great Hip-Hop Breakup Songs (Because Valentine’s Day Is for Suckas)

Aftermath: Nas and Talib Kweli at Warehouse Live

Great Scott

The Philly R&B neo-soulstress defies simple definitions

Rotation

The Philly R&B neo-soulstress defies simple definitions

Rap of Ages Inc.

The Philly R&B neo-soulstress defies simple definitions

Rapumentary

The Philly R&B neo-soulstress defies simple definitions

Rotation

The Philly R&B neo-soulstress defies simple definitions

Rotation

The Philly R&B neo-soulstress defies simple definitions

Rotation

The Philly R&B neo-soulstress defies simple definitions

Rap Space

Will hip-hop ever find a home in Houston?

Rap's Rapidly Vanishing Female MC

The Why Chromosome

In Style with Nistal

Rebel Crew's Karina Nistal

Get Down with Dave

Chappelle returns with a raucous Block Party

John Legend, with De La Soul and Rahzel

Saturday, August 13, at HUSH, 15625 Katy Freeway, 713-330-HUSH.

Rotation

Saturday, August 13, at HUSH, 15625 Katy Freeway, 713-330-HUSH.

A Thin Line...

Introducing the most hated men in rock (besides Sting)

Black Gold

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

George's Jungle

Author sees women and Europe surpassing men and New York as the prime exponents of black culture

American Dream

Just a man and his guitar, Martin Sexton covers a lot of ground live

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 >>

Turning the Screw: Slim Thug Associates, Willie D, Jay-Z vs. Auto-Tune, 50 Cent, Paul Wall, Big Hawk, Jazzy Jeff, Trae & Z-Ro 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: "Associates" Wire To Wire Poor, poor Willie D. We were excited the other day when we read this thing a ... More >>

52 Pick-Up

Your guide to the 2009 Houston Press Music Awards showcase

He Said She Said: A Stripper Soundtrack, Part 2

You can leave your hat on...but get the rest of that kit off fast. The ladies don't mess around when it comes to superficially hot, oiled-up dudes (of questionable sexuality, but does that really matter?) getting naked on the stage at La Bare. But because the musical content at places like Chippend ... 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 >>

Idol Beat: Jamie Foxx, Officially Not Giving a Crap Since 1992

​Last night's Idol took us down to the top three contestants, but as expected, it took a long time to get there. The thing is, at this point the filler doesn't even feel like filler any more, just as the eliminations don't even feel real. This is the end of the 18th week of the season, and the ... More >>

American Idol: Jamie Foxx, Officially Not Giving a Crap Since 1992

​Last night's Idol took us down to the top three contestants, but as expected, it took a long time to get there. The thing is, at this point the filler doesn't even feel like filler any more, just as the eliminations don't even feel real. This is the end of the 18th week of the season, and the ... More >>

FAIL: Wyclef Jean, Richard Ashcroft, Mark Wahlberg, iTunes

Photo illustrations by John Seaborn Gray​Wyclef Jean's Latest Vanity Project: President of Haiti: Wyclef Jean is best known for being the member of the Fugees who quite improbably enjoyed the most solo success. We would have bet on Lauryn Hill, but unfortunately, she went crazy. Crazy may be ... More >>

A Simple Question This Week: Where The Ladies At?

Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday Rocks Off will have some of them hear discussing issues relevant to their culture. Photo illustration by John Seaborn Gray​This Week's Panel: Nosaprise, Yung Redd, Kyle Hubbard Not Invited: Girls, apparently. Actually, w ... 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 >>

Ten Rock-Star Crushes We Still Haven't Outgrown

​Artists like Elvis Presley, Madonna, and Mick Jagger undoubtedly helped define the consumate rock star crush. But there have been a handful of worthy others along the way - armed with that certain je ne se quoi - who haven't left our radar. Years later, turns out we're still smitten with thi ... More >>

Exes On Tour: White Stripes, ABBA, Lindsey & Stevie...

​We're all familiar with the credo against intra-office dating, often crudely expressed as "Don't shit where you eat." Most of us subscribe to it, knowing the potential drama it could ensue. "How will this affect my work," we wonder. "What happens if we break up?" But all's fair in love and ... More >>

10 Music Stories We Wish We'd Ignored This Year

​We in the alternative media - not necessarily the Houston Press and/or Rocks Off, not all the time - enjoy calling out our mainstream brethren. Whether it's ten books that didn't make The New York Times' "Best of 2010" list, or "10 Stories Our Print Version Accidentally Overlooked," us "under ... More >>

Lauryn Hill, DMX Hit The Rocky Comeback Trail

Ed. Note: According to our New York sister blog Sound of the City, Hill's show Monday night at legendary NYC jazz club the Blue Note went much better, although she still didn't go onstage until almost midnight. Santiago FelipeLauryn Hill at the Blue Note, Manhattan, January 3​Lauryn Hill's co ... More >>

Is Rap Bad For Your Mental Health?

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 >>

Distant Early Warning: Britney Spears, Cracker, Eels, The Go-Go's, Ke$ha, Kid Rock, Etc.

​Aiden, Eyes Set To Kill, Get Scared, Vampires Everywhere!: Tue., June 7. Warehouse Live. David Bazan: Sat., July 2. Fitzgerald's. Billy Joe Shaver: Fri., May 13. The Firehouse Saloon. Britney Spears: Wed., July 13. Toyota Center. Centro-matic, Sarah Jaffe: Fri., July 8. Fitzgerald's. Cr ... More >>

Remember Tawn P's The Wake Up Kiss?

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. ​Tawn-P The Wake Up Kiss (self-released, 2011) It feels a bit like Tawn P, a teeny-tiny fire ... More >>

Rockin' In Plain Sight: Our Favorite Hidden Album Tracks

​In the days when compact discs and tapes ruled the world, hidden tracks on albums were like secret gifts from your favorite bands. Off the liner notes, not in the original track listings, and totally unassuming, sometimes tucked away after minutes and minutes of silence on a disc. With the ... More >>

Ms. Lauryn Hill

​In the days when compact discs and tapes ruled the world, hidden tracks on albums were like secret gifts from your favorite bands. Off the liner notes, not in the original track listings, and totally unassuming, sometimes tucked away after minutes and minutes of silence on a disc. With the ... More >>

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 >>

Butterflies

Fierce R&B creature Marsha Ambrosius loses herself on debut Late Nights & Early Mornings...but only a little.

Finding Austin

The neo city on the hills is a far cry from its cheap pot, cold beer and low-rent former ways.

Last Night: Hip-Hop Fest 2 At Midtown Lounge

Photos by Shea SerranoTawn P (left) and Dante Higgins​Hip-Hop Fest 2 feat. Tawn P, Undergravity, Dante Higgins Midtown Lounge June 9, 2011 11:09 p.m.: Son. Of. A. Bitch. We've been trying to see Tawn P live for, like, two months and have missed her every single time. She apparently just finis ... More >>

Four More Years

After 1,661 days (and counting) of immersion in the Houston music scene, a look back.

Five Musical MILFs Who Rocked Pregnancy

Beyoncé's ever-changing baby bump.​In the world of prominent celebrities, it's headlining news even if that famous person sneezes. So in when Houston's own Beyoncé announced her pregnancy at the 2011 VMA's in August, the media and fans went into a frenzy of reactions. Some were elated, some ... More >>

And, Uh, Um, OOPS: The Third Members Of Great Musical Trios You Probably Can't Name

​Last night we all watched as Governor Rick Perry blanked on the third department he would do away with if he was elected president. It was one of those moments - a la Scanners - when we all tensely waited for his head to explode, figuratively. Of course we love the guy and he's too precious t ... More >>

Hip-Hop, Interrupted: 7 Rappers That Should Be More Active

Photo via GizmodoDr. Dre - the poster child for eternally delayed hip-hop albums, but he's not alone.​Hip-hop is a genre full of guys who put out a new album or mixtape seemingly every single month. They just can't stop, even when they're incarcerated in some cases (see: Lil Wayne, Gucci Mane, ... More >>

Smooth: 10 Definitive Neo-Soul Tracks

​Nearly 12 years after the release of Voodoo, Michael Eugene Archer, better known for his stage name, D'Angelo, has emerged out of his self-imposed exile. After doing battle with drugs and alcohol for a decade, last week the singer kicked off a European tour entitled The D-Tour, for his first ... More >>

Killin' Them Softly: Celebrating 75 Years Of Roberta Flack

​To strike someone with the "underrated greatness" term always carries a bit of weight behind it. You know, the quick snap question of "do they deserve it" comes to mind. Sorry, in the class of underrated greatness, diva subsection, lives Roberta Flack who at the platinum age of 75 still take ... More >>