Ne-Yo

The Best Concerts In Houston This Weekend: Jeezy, CCA Conservation Concert, etc.

Jeezy Arena Theatre, May 17 A self-proclaimed hustler on the mike, the Atlanta rapper known as Young Jeezy has grown up quite a bit since his 2001 debut album dropped under the name Lil J. Rising through the ranks via his several independently released Dirty South mixtapes, he's now sittin' pretty ... More >>

Is David Guetta's "Play Hard" the Best (and Most Racist) Video On YouTube?!

Earlier this week, as I was working/editing/writing/procrastinating after a long weekend on the road, I came across the new video for "Play Hard" by David Guetta. Now, I'm not much of a Guetta fan, but I don't dislike him either. He makes radio-friendly pop songs disguised as house music (or is it ... More >>

Last Night: Austin Mahone and Demi Lovato at Reliant Stadium

Demi Lovato, Austin Mahone Reliant Stadium March 3, 2013 I'm determined to make it through this entire review without unleashing my sailor mouth, so bare with me as I use words like "heck" and "darn." I know; it's strange for me, too, but this review is about a tween heartthrob and a former Disney ... More >>

Oh, You Mean There Is Actually A Game During NBA All-Star Weekend? (Plus, Can You Name The Rappers In Our Courtside Photo?)

After a weekend of human gridlock at the Galleria, traffic snarls, bottles poppin', and all the parties you could handle, NBA All-Star Weekend in Houston came to a close on Sunday with the Western Conference defeating their Eastern foes 143-138, the Los Angeles Clippers' Chris Paul getting the game' ... More >>

Your All-Star Weekend Celebrity Guestbook

Rocks Off thought we'd stay as far away as the NBA All-Star Weekend hoopla as possible, so Friday night we went to see the wonderful Tift Merritt at McGonigel's Mucky Duck, where a friend of ours who works there told us he had worked out alongside Common and Ne-Yo at the Downtown YMCA earlier. It's ... More >>

NBA All-Star Game: Your Prop Bets For This Weekend

Michael Jordan turns 50 this weekend, I'm not sure if you've heard. In case you missed the incessant career retrospective pieces that ran on Sportscenter or the story of MJ's renting the Museum of Fine Arts here in Houston for his birthday shindig this weekend, the most iconic team sport athlete o ... More >>

The Best Concerts In Houston This Week

Punch Brothers Fitzgerald's, January 29 It's easy to call Punch Brothers a thinking-man's bluegrass band, but even that doesn't describe the kind of ambition and virtuosity we're dealing with here. After flirting with the mainstream on a few pop-tinged albums, Nickel Creek banjo prodigy Chris Thiel ... More >>

10 Great Hal David Lyrics: "Enough Germs to Catch Pneumonia"

The music world truly lost one of the greats when songwriter Hal David passed away at age 91 following a stroke this past Saturday in Los Angeles. To borrow an old joke, the lyricist wasn't from the old school, he was from the school they tore down to build the old school: The artists who covered hi ... More >>

Last Night: Pitbull at The Woodlands

Pitbull Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion August 2, 2012 "I went from eviction and food stamps, to baggin work wet & damp, to a passport flooded with stamps. Now its Voli everywhere I land." -- Pitbull The date was December 1, 2006 -- or as I like to call it, the night I almost died at a Pitbull c ... More >>

Sex and the Radio: A Weekend With 97.9 The Box

For those who may not know, being a blogger and writer also means you sort of have to support yourself with a 9-5. Some chose teaching, others chose busting their ass at a prospective company. Somehow I chose to be a town-car driver. An entrepreneur, a goddamn transporter of people. There are perks ... More >>

Rihanna's Top 5 Most Controversial Videos

​Rihanna recently released yet another controversial video for "We Found Love," the first single from her forthcoming Def Jam album Talk That Talk. The Grammy-winning singer seems to love pissing off parents and anti-violence organizations with her musical visuals. But she's surely not the fir ... More >>

Last Night: Enrique Iglesias and Pitbull at Toyota Center

Photos by Marco Torres​What do you get when a Latino playboy from Spain joins forces with a Cuban party animal from Miami? The biggest fucking dance party that Houston has ever seen, that's what. The Euphoria Tour rolled into the Toyota Center last night and filled it with party anthems, lase ... More >>

R&B Ingenue Coline Creuzot Won't Give Up The Chase

​Houston has been known as the home of some of R&B's top vocalists, and Coline Creuzot is determined to be the next one. With three mixtapes featuring some of Houston hip-hop's heavy hitters, she has already acquired the attention of the streets. Paul Wall, with whom she shares a manager, hos ... More >>

Idol Beat: Seven And The Ragged Tyler

The Monotonous Seven​Nothing like a medley from this season's losers (Pink's "So What") to make us all feel better about voting them off in the first place. The most notable thing about the performance by *deep breath* AshthonKarenThiaNaimaPia and Paul was trying to figure out who looked the l ... More >>

What Is Houston Rap's Best Diss Song Ever?

Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Every Monday that isn't a national holiday, Rocks Off will have some of them hear discussing issues relevant to their culture. Photo illustration by John Seaborn Gray​This Week's Panel: Bun B, Fat Tony, Renzo, Kyle Hubbard, Brad Gilmor ... 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 >>

The Best Slap-Fights, Verbal Or Otherwise, In Houston Rap History

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. ​Last week, Chamillionaire and Paul Wall kicked off their 20-city "In Love Wit My Money" reunion tour in d ... More >>

Life on Mars

Grammy-winning prog-punks The Mars Volta mellow out on Octahedron.

Flash Drive

H.I.S.D.'s DJ grinder turns his camera on.

Keri Hilson

Voodoo Healing

Stan Ridgway is still tuning in "Mexican Radio."

Young Mammals Chow Down on First LP Carrots

Dynamically Yours

Top Ten Pop Songs of 2008

Pop music often gets a bad rap for being disposable or vapid, and in many cases that's true. (Katy Perry, Danity Kane and the Pussycat Dolls, step right up!) But every year, a few irresistible bits of innovative ear candy rocket up the charts and seep into our subconscious. The following ten singles ... More >>

The Year in Albums

The Not-So-New Kids on the Block

Still Hangin' Tough?

Turning the Screw: D. Rose, Rap City, Beastie Boys, Marilyn Manson, Paris, Lil Kim, Ice Cube and More

Five Spot: New Kids Are Back, Bitches

Turning the Screw: TxHustla, Beanie Sigel, Lil' Wayne, Ciara, Kanye, Tupac, Akon, Usher and More

Janet Jackson: Discipline

2007 Music Year in Review

Rihanna

Her new CD is better than expected

Chart Check

Wait a minute ...

Van Hunt

Saturday, April 15, Verizon Wireless Theater, 520 Texas, 713-230-1600