Lil' KeKe

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 >>

Jailhouse Rock: When Artists Face Hard Time

Nothing earns an musician instant street cred quite like a night or two in the pokey. It's basically a rite of passage -- a guarantee that if you sign up for the public eye, you will, indeed, screw it up at least once in order to delight us with your antics. From the likes of good ol' boys like Mer ... More >>

All About Swishahouse: Label Bosses Tell (Almost) All at Rice U Seminar

This time last year, we attended the Awready! Houston Hip-Hop Conference at the University of Houston, an informative and thought-provoking event whose main purpose was the presentation and preservation of DJ Screw's legacy and contribution to the city's culture. In the same respect, Rice Universit ... More >>

Tha Phoundation Read From the Book of Lil Keke, and So Should You

Tracing the growth of Lil Keke these days is a fun topic to touch on while also discussing his legacy. We spoke with Da Don back in September, leading to the build of his Heart of a Hustler album while he was mentioning working with two up-and-comers from the local scene. It made perfect sense for ... 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 >>

The Rest of the Best: Houston's Top 5 Hip-Hop Venues

5. Grooves of Houston Grooves is an apropos name for this Third Ward hot spot: It's groovy. Besides hip-hop and R&B, the club also also plays jazz, which probably accounts for the mixed bag of ages found here. One word of caution, though: Get there early, and dress to impress. Grooves' popularity me ... More >>

The Bizarre Ride of Kickback Sundays, Pt. 4

Last in a series -- ed. Keke still commands attention. Rewind: The Bizarre Ride of Kickback Sundays, Part 1 On the final Kickback Sunday, a balmy September night at Numbers, the crowd has now swelled to unimagined heights. People are here, and MTV will be running a spotlight on the Screwed Up Cl ... More >>

Lil Keke's Heart of a Hustla

Here's the Screwed Up Click Take on ZZ Top's "25 Lighters" Cover

Rocks Off is a huge fan of DJ Screw and the Screwed Up Click. We also love and adore ZZ Top. So when ZZ reimagined the DJ DMD classic "25 Lighters" as "I Gotsta Get Paid" for their new record La Futura, we had to reach out to the DJ Screw protégé, the great DJ Lil' Randy SUC, for comment. Rewind: ... More >>

Lil Keke Shows True Heart of a Hustla, Talks Z-Ro's "Retirement"

Rewind: Lil Keke Springs First Free Mixtape, Da Leak As a legend and someone who's done everything on his own terms, Lil Keke sees the current climate in Houston and must adapt. Hence him crafting his first ever free mixtape in Da Leak. Continuing on from our interview Friday, Keke tackles the ment ... More >>

Lil Keke Springs First Free Mixtape, Da Leak

To Houston rap fans, Lil Keke needs no introduction. Being the man who coined many slangs and phrases for Houston rap, The Don presses on with new material. His recently released mixtape Da Leak is the first actual freebie of his career and a prelude to another street opus, Heart of a Hustla, due in ... More >>

The Anatomy of Mookie Jones' Mack

In the annals of Houston rap, there have been plenty of pimps, gangsters, players and anything in between. But few actual macks. Yes, Max Julien has been the blueprint for many a player who wondered where the hell did Lil Keke get a long-haired Samoan from but Mookie Jones takes the entire aura of b ... 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 >>

ZZ Top: A Double-Sided Take On The New Texicali EP

Craig Hlavaty: What a way to tease your first album of original material in nine years, ZZ Top. You managed to record three songs and one ballad that instantly fit into your canon alongside the rest of your ballbusters without sounding like a classic-rock act reaching for straws. This is no weak, m ... 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 >>

Last Night: Lil Keke & Friends All-Star Birthday Bash At House Of Blues

Lil Keke & Friends All-Star Birthday Bash House of Blues March 28, 2012 Screwed Up Click veteran Lil Keke has been helping shape the sound and style of Houston rap for better than 15 years. That's long enough to make a lot of friends in the game, and a whole bunch of them showed up onstage at House ... More >>

10 Things We Learned At The Awready! Houston Hip Hop Conference

The much-anticipated Awready! Houston Hip-Hop Music Conference was held Wednesday at the University of Houston, drawing in academics, screwheads, and media alike. The conference is a joint venture between the University of Houston Libraries and Rice University's H.E.R.E. Project (Houston Enriches Ri ... More >>

Upcoming: Peelander-Z, Collective Soul, Merle Haggard, Ting Tings, Isley Bros., Etc.

Calle 13: Thu., May 10. House of Blues, 1204 Caroline, Houston. Carrie Rodriguez: Thu., March 29. Dosey Doe Coffee Company, 25911 I-45 N., Spring. Charlie Wilson: Fri., May 25. Arena Theatre, 7326 SW Freeway, Houston. Collective Soul: Fri., June 1. House of Blues Dirty Ghosts: Fri., April 27. Wa ... 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 >>

Ask A Rapper: Renzo

​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. ... More >>

Last Night: Swishahouse Reunion At House Of Blues

Photos by Marco TorresBirthday boy Michael "5000" Watts backstage at House of Blues​Michael "5000" Watts Birthday Celebration & Swishahouse Reunion House of Blues June 9th, 2011 The premise was simple: bring together every Swishahouse artist, past to present, for a reunion concert, invite 2,0 ... More >>

Summer Fest Releases Stage Schedule, Set Times

Jermaine Rogers​If Rocks Off learned anything at iFest these past two weekends, it's that we should have started our own bottled-water franchise. And that when you go to a music festival, it's a good idea to know who is playing and when. Running around willy-nilly is all well and good unless i ... More >>

Last Night: Lil Keke's Birthday Bash At House Of Blues

Photos by Marco TorresLil Keke​Lil Keke's Birthday Bash House of Blues March 30, 2011 9:51 p.m.: Got the tickets. Waiting outside to meet a guy that was supposed to be here 30 minutes ago. There's a white guy here dressed like he had auditioned for Reservoir Dogs and didn't get a part and nev ... More >>

2011 South By Southwest Supplement

Buxton takes its bump to the roots-rock big leagues in stride.

New Local Rap From A Madman, A Menace And A Monster

"No Hard Feelings" from Roosh Williams & friends.​Back around the time the first Ask A Rapper column was running (June 2009), Rocks Off had a conversation with an out-of-town publicist who was trying to get her out-of-town act an interview for the spot. When told that AAR was reserved for Hous ... More >>

Last Night: Slim Thug At House Of Blues

"We don't give women money. We give them babies." Photos by Marco Torres​Slim Thug & Friends House of Blues November 30, 2010 Slim Thug wasn't the biggest name on the bill Tuesday night. While an accomplished veteran in his own right, Thugga hasn't attained Z-Ro's "local legend" status or ES ... More >>

Last Night: Screwed Up Click At House Of Blues

Photos by Marco TorresLil Keke​Screwed Up Click House of Blues October 14, 2010 8:19 p.m.: The doors opened for the show at 8 p.m. today, which is precisely why we plan on continuing to not be there until about 10 p.m. Fools no longer, we are. 10:00: Just walked in. Already saw a guy uniron ... More >>

Screwed Up Click

Which Houston Rappers Are "Blowin' Money Fast"?

​This has been Ricky Rozay's summer, for certain. Teflon Don was, in short, a sparkly, magnanimously produced, well-acted-out album. By the way, let's just go ahead and keep pretending like the entire planet hasn't figured out that Ross employed a ghostwriter for TD. Hard evidence? Well, there ... More >>

Remember Yung Redd's Eviction Notice 3?

Houston's history is dotted with albums that, fairly or un, have been swept aside. We'll examine them here. Have an album that you think nobody knows about but should? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com. ​Lil Keke is the reigning big dick in the SwishaHouse camp; that part is pretty impossible to argue. ... More >>

Screwed Up Click Reunion: "If You Take A Bath Every Day, Make Some Noise!"

Photos by Shea Serrano Don't Worry About Mine: Big Pokey (left, onstage) gets him some at the Southside Smoke Shop.​2:58 p.m.: So this thing was supposed to start at 2 p.m., right? And we purposely got here an hour late so as to miss a significant portion of the standing around portion of t ... More >>

Five Spot: Linking Jay-Z To Houston, And Not Through Beyonce

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. Jay-Z is in town Monday. This is huge. Jay is the most commercially, mainstr ... More >>

Aftermath: How Many Bodies Washed Up At Our Washington Shore Party?

Photos by Son LamTonight's the Night: The fist-pumping contest got pretty heated.​Well... zero, in traditional New Jersey cement-shoes terminology. But despite the miserable weather, which did its part to create a proper Jersey Shore atmosphere, Rocks Off's Washington Shore party filled the Washin ... More >>

Five Spot: Jigga, Skiing, Gay Sex and Swishahouse

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've got this notebook that we carry around pretty much everywhere with us. A few bullets from there before we g ... More >>

The H-Town Countdown, No. 13: DJ Screw's 3 N' Tha Mornin' Pt. 2 (Blue)

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. DJ Screw 3 N' Da Mornin, Part 2 (Big Tyme Records, 1995)​While researc ... More >>

Cap'n Kittens and Friends

Whatever its name, Avant Garden is a cornerstone of bohemian Houston.

Turning the Screw: Bun B, Trae & Lil Keke, Rihanna, Snoop, Eminem vs. Nick Cannon, Jay-Z, T.I., E-40, South Park Mexican 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: "Grey Cassette," Trae feat Bun B and Lil Keke Wire To Wire Ummm, we're not going to link to them, but s ... 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 >>

Turning the Screw: UGK, DMX, Common, The Kanye, T.I., Ice Cube, Trick Daddy, Lil Keke 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: Hollywood F.L.O.S.S., "Attack of Hollywood" Wire To Wire The new UGK is really good. Buy it ... More >>

Santa Baby

What a few musicians want under their trees this year

Lil Keke: Loved by Few, Hated by Many

Los Magnificos Car Show

Web exclusive!

Irie Time at Club Riddims

Who or what the hell is Irie, anyway?

Willie D's Birthday Party

For Your Listening Pleasure

Local Rotation

Local Music Reviewed

Discman

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

Children of the Korn

Figaro al Fresco

Young and Hungry