Reggaeton

The Best Concerts In Houston This Week: Collie Buddz, The Killers, Carolyn Wonderland, etc.

Collie Buddz House of Blues (Bronze Peacock Room), May 6 Just when the week is getting started, here comes the "Light It Up" tour to slow it down to a mellow Caribbean groove; you know what that means. Headlining over Cris Cab and New Kingston, Bermuda-raised Collie Buddz already has a solid Housto ... More >>

Cypress Hill

Mega Baile con Bombón

Enrique Iglesias & Jennifer Lopez Heading To Houston August 26

Enrique Iglesias, Jennifer Lopez and Wisin Y Yandel are heading to Houston's Toyota Center on August 26. This marks the third time that Iglesias has been in Houston in the past year, logging a RodeoHouston date this spring and a Toyota show last fall. Does he own land here or something? From the l ... More >>

Olga Tanon

The HPMA Results' Implications For Local Hip-Hop

Marco TorresFat Tony accepts his third consecutive Best Underground Hip-Hop award at Wednesday's HPMAs.​"Dubious." That was the text that we received when they announced the winner for the Best Latin Hip-Hop category Wednesday night at the Houston Press Music Awards, or as President Obama ha ... More >>

A HPMA Latin Hip-Hop Video Sampler

​Since this is the first time the "Best Latin Hip-Hop" category is in the Houston Press Music Awards mix, Rocks Off thought we should provide those voting for this year's awards - but not familiar with Latinos in Houston hip-hop - a visual of who is up for this inaugural honor. Voting starts July ... More >>

Milton Bradley: Latino Hip-Hop History Not A Game

​Well, he started off as Doom The Strange and he was one of several underground Latino hip-hop artists in the 90s, but as he got older he shed the rap skin and now sports an R&B coat. And he changed his name. Several artists have gotten at Rocks Off about Milton Bradley. "Milton Bradley this ... More >>

Breaking Down HPMA's Best Latin Hip-Hop Ballot

​Nearly eight months ago Rocks Off began covering the hip-hop movement in Houston's Latino community. Latino hip-hop artists in Houston have been putting out music since the early '90s and have largely Latino followings. Some have a bit of crossover appeal, but for the most part, it lives with ... More >>

Cypress Hill

Cashville Latino Anthem Makes a Cultural Statement; Dat Boi T Has A "Cracc Flow"

Whether they know it or not, the recently released "Cashville Latino Anthem" music video by the Seis Uno Cinco, ten Latino hip-hop artists out of Nashville (yeah, we said Nashville), could make a bigger statement outside the 615 area code, than the self-proclaimed impact of a "movement that is boun ... More >>

BRWN BFLO Is Ballsy; Preemo's Concrete Dreams Passes the Time

"Illegal aliens come from all over the world, not just from the hole in the fence in San Diego." - George Lopez, "Corazon," on BRWN BFLO's self-titled album. ​Rocks Off gets lots of thank-you notes from readers showing their appreciation for giving Latino hip-hop a voice, though we find it odd. W ... More >>

Forever Roc La Familia

Aztek Escobar talks about life after leaving Jay-Z's Latin record label.

Low-G: From E.S.L. Mockery to Historic Spanish Hip-Hop

"When I'm on my last line I'm gonna let ya'll know." "Yo, yo I want to welcome... welcome everybody to Hustle Town. Are we recording? Alright, let's do this, fellas." True Houston Latino rap fans don't need us to cite the opening lines of this track or what album it appeared on, but maybe you need ... More >>

Filero Battles with the Past, Takes Control of His Future. Second In a Two-Part Series.

[Ed. Note. See Part 1 of Rocks Off's encounter with Filero here.] A hint of things to come? Filero (left) and SPM square off at checkers back in the day.​ When we talked to Filero about how much the rap game has changed since he saw the first Texas Latino rap album, actually a cassette, in the Gul ... More >>

Filero Isn't Scared To Tell the Un-fairy Tale. First of a Two-Part Series.

Filero holds the Pioneer trophy he won at the 2009 Texas Latino Rap Awards.​This could be our most controversial Latino rap blog yet, or the first of many. We really don't know yet. We can tell you what we do know. We're 16 stories in and just starting to scratch the surface of the dynamics of Hou ... More >>

When It Comes to Latino Rap, Trae Is Part of La Familia

A couple of years ago, our brother was attending San Antonio Community College. One evening, he told us a story about a young cutie he was trying to spit game to at the end of his day. "So I walk her to her car after class," he recounts. "And sitting there is the new Trae CD." "Are you serious?" I ... More >>

The 2010 Census Launches the Latino Underground Into the Mainstream; Other Bold Predictions for the Coming Decade

Will Lil Young be one of this decade's breakout Latino rap stars?​ Can Latino hip-hop in Houston continue to thrive as a black-market force, of sorts, whose sales are invisible to the IRS, and evolve into a powerful underground economy without the acknowledgement or praise of mainstream music medi ... More >>

El Arte de la Elegancia: The Best Latin Records of 2009, Part 1

​It's been a year of surprises in Latin music. Reggaetón continues fading, albeit slowly, and the industry's mainstays aren't garnering the attention they used to. Case in point: Don Omar's summer release iDon (no relation to your phone), which remained quiet after its first single, "Virtual Diva ... More >>

It Was Hard Out Here For A Pimp. Latino Rap Made It Easier to Deal with the Decade.

​If we had to pick one song to define the decade, we'd have to choose "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp," by Three 6 Mafia. It was a hard decade for the people of this country. You had September 11, the Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina and the financial crisis. We even think Obama might want to thro ... More >>

Low Points Dominate the Decade for Houston's Latino Rappers

​ Sunday, Rocks Off crept down Little York on the "Nawf" side of H-Town to scope out Northside rider Big Cease's video production of "So Off the Chain," featuring Dat Boy X of Dallas and Houston's Lucky Luciano (above). Sure enough, Houston's underground scene was in full effect to provide support ... More >>

Rob G: Houston's Great Brown Hope

Step into the hip-hop elevator of the Dirty South with Rocks Off. We're going on a field trip. Don't worry. We'll let you "press the button." ​Right now we are on floor "B," which stands for basement...more like rap basement, where Houston's Latino rap underground is bubbling with heat ready to v ... More >>

Getting "Passed" Up OK with Houston's Latino Rappers... Well, Not Really

There's no doubt that Corporate America knows how to enter a market, break down consumer attitudes and needs, and sell them a product they're going to buy. Pepsi's been around for a minute so you know they know what's up. But in an effort to sell the urban community more of their product (trust us ... More >>

Lucky Luciano: Boss of Houston's Latino Rap Family

​ Deep underground; way below the mainstream music land of Top 40 Billboard Charts and MTV countdowns thrives another existence entirely, made up of independent, Houston Latino hip-hop artists who didn't get the memo. You know the one. It reads: "All aspiring artists must plead big record compani ... More >>

Listen Like Thieves

Southern California prog-rockers Rx Bandits regroup on new album Mandala.

Vida del Baile

Dance Houston tackles a huge Cinco de Mayo dance concert

Fast & Furious Should Have Gone Straight-to-Xbox

Made for VG Movie

Pitbull

Calle 13: Los de Atras Vienen Conmigo

Four Lost Neil Diamond Covers

Daddy Yankee

This Puerto Rican makes hits on the charts instead of on the diamond

Daddy Yankee

El Cartel: The Big Boss

Just Released CDs

Ozomatli

Don't Mess with the Dragon CD review

DJ Cubanito loves Beethoven but mixes salsa

Lady Sovereign

Vertically Challenged

Daddy Yankee

Sunday, September 25, at Toyota Center, 1510 Polk, 713-758-7200.

Radio Daze

One man, one jambox and four walls. For 24 hours.

Tego Calderón

El Enemy de los Guasíbiri (BMG U.S. Latin)

The Class of '03

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

Hip-hop, Tejas

Latinos take on rap music and make it their own

Best Comedian

Chingo Bling

Frost, with Angelina and NB Ridaz

Sunday, July 14