Subject: Trae Day

• Congratulations to Trae da Truth...

  July 22, 2008

• Turning the Screw: Trae Day, Luke, DMX, Nas, Rick Ross and More

  July 30, 2008

• Making Sense of a Trying Year

  December 11, 2008

• Turning the Screw: All-Houston Edition with GT Garza, Trae Day, Trouble Sum, Jay'Ton, Paul Wall, Z-Ro, Letoya vs. Slim Thug, Coast, Z-Ro, Juan Gotti 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: GT Garza, "52 Pick Up" (We've listened to a bunch of GT's stuff, but this remains to be the rawest thing we have ever heard from him. He is in full beast mode.) Wire To Wire Likely because Trae Day is this week, we're feeling especially Houston-y. Thus, all of the items in this edition of Turning the S

  July 20, 2009

• It's Trae Day... and Everybody's Celebratin'

  To commemorate the one-year anniversary of the City of Houston's proclamation of "Trae Day," the chairman and CEO of Houston's Assholes by Nature is throwing a giant block party from 3-9 p.m. in the parking lot of TSU Stadium at Cleburne and Tierwester in the Third Ward (or, appropriately enough, the Trey). Scheduled to appear are U.S. Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee - try to contain your surprise - City Councilmembers Peter Brown and Ron Green, and a Lil Wayne album's worth of rappers including Bun B,

  July 22, 2009

• Breaking News: Gunplay at Trae Day

  Ninety-eight percent of Trae Day went exactly as advertised. There were moonwalks and video-game trailers for the kids, local merchants selling various CDs and DVDs, a few actual celebrities and a general feeling of community pride throughout. Then they started shooting. At approximately 8:30 p.m. - 30 minutes after Trae announced to the crowd that the Fire Marshal had shut down Trae Day - roughly ten to 15 shots were fired in the TSU stadium parking lot. We'll take a guess and say it was some s

  July 22, 2009

• Gunplay at Trae Day

  Trae Day, the one-year anniversary of the City of Houston's proclamation honoring the local rapper for his community-minded efforts, did not end in smiles and good feelings, but gunshots. Hair Balls is still finding out exactly what went on, but click here for what we do know.

  July 22, 2009

• The TSU Trae Day Shootings: A Near-Eyewitness Account

  Rocks Off just got off the phone with our man Shea Serrano, reporting from the Trae Day afterparty at Galleria-area nightclub the Roxy. He found an eyewitness - or at least someone who was close enough to the action Wednesday to have the living shit scared out of him - to Wednesday evening's shootings at TSU that left several people injured and taken to various Houston-area hospitals.Serrano reports that photographer Adarrius "Swift" Joseph was standing in the parking lot of TSU Stadium, near th

  July 23, 2009

• (A Few) More Details in the TSU Trae Day Shootings

  Slowly, sketchily, we are finding out more about what happened surrounding the shootings at the conclusion of TSU's Trae Day concert and festival that sent several people to the hospital Wednesday evening. Happily, from what we have been able to piece together so far, no one seems to have been killed. Someone who was there tells Hair Balls' Shea Serrano that one of the three reported separate shootings began with an argument in the TSU Stadium parking lot. Basically, what it sounds like happened

  July 23, 2009

• The TSU Shootings in Twitterese: "Stay Classy, Houston"

  Video by nosvideocrew Looks like things in the Trae Day shootings are about where they were last night. The Houston Police Department's homicide unit is involved - although no one was killed - but letting TSU detectives handle the investigation. Rocks Off's Shea Serrano spoke with an official at TSU PD's Office of Communication, who confirmed that six people were shot, one of whom is believed to be a TSU student, but very little else. The department would not say if they believe the shootings w

  July 23, 2009

• The TSU Shootings in Twitterese: "Stay Classy, Houston"

  Video by nosvideocrew Looks like things in the Trae Day shootings are about where they were last night. The Houston Police Department's homicide unit is involved -- although no one was killed -- but letting TSU detectives handle the investigation. Hair Ball's Shea Serrano spoke with an official at TSU PD's Office of Communication, who confirmed that six people were shot, one of whom is believed to be a TSU student, but very little else. The department would not say if they believe the shooting

  July 23, 2009

• Slide Show: Trae Day at TSU Stadium

  Shea Serrano  Once upon a time, before it was a shooting gallery, national news and the talk of Twitter, the first annual Trae Day celebration was just a rap concert and family festival. Bun B, Rick Ross, a newly shorn Slim Thug and Houston mayoral candidate Peter Brown all came out to salute the man of the hour before things got all crazy. See our slideshow here.

  July 23, 2009

• Aftermath: Trae Day (Pre-Shooting) at TSU Stadium

  [Note: These are the notes from Trae Day prior to that whole pesky "six people getting shot" thing. For more info on that, check out our reports here and here.]Photos by Henry Rizoh/ Click here for a slideshow  Aftermath and hip-hop blogger Rizoh from The Rap Up arrived nearly two hours after Trae Day was supposed to start, and we're still too early. There are maybe 200 people here. On the bright side, at least it's really hot. There are two ambulances parked near the entrance of the parkin

  July 23, 2009

• 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 of Trae's day Friday to briefly discuss how it affected him as a father, whether or not he's planning on doing it again next year and our own fandom. Rocks Off: Guess we'll talk about the unfortunate

  July 25, 2009

• Bouncin' Back: Songs for Survivors

  Last Wednesday evening's positivity-ruining shootings at TSU's "Trae Day" block party were a fine example of how ignorance and violence can crash even the most uplifting party, but also of something else: Sometimes we get lucky (or blessed, depending on your theological viewpoint). In three separate incidents involving gunfire and at least eight victims wounded, no one was killed. Rocks Off is not sure how it happened, but it did, and that's cause for celebration. We wish the victims a swift re

  July 29, 2009

• The Katy Perry Experiment

  July 30, 2009

• Five Spot: J-Dawg, Z-Ro's Lyrical Match (Seriously)

  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.​You know, prior to the three seconds of gunshots that unwound all the good will, Trae Day was actually a solid event. As expected, there were the usual concert-day shenanigans that kept us entertained before Trae, Bun, Ross, and Shawty Lo (finally) took the stage - seriously

  July 31, 2009

• Turning the Screw: Arrest In Trae Day Shootings, More Michael Jackson Exploitation, Who's Getting Slappy and Who's Getting Stabby

  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: Paul Wall feat. Baby Bash, "Lemon Drop." Wire To Wire This weekend, 19-year-old Albert Walker "A-Walk" Mondane, one of the suspects being sought in the Trae Day shootings, turned himself in to authorities. Patooey. (That's us spitting on the floor.) Remember that guy that was supposed to have been a li

  August 17, 2009

• Five Spot: We Would Very Much Like Someone to Send Us an Advance of Swishahouse's New The Usual Suspects Comp

  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.​First, a bit of housekeeping: In this space last week, we wrote about the rumored Z-Ro album, Cocaine. It is, in fact, real and we were able to get our light-brown little hands on a copy. After listening through it, we're 100 percent certain it isn't the Cracc mixtape everyo

  October 9, 2009

• Turning the Screw: Slim Thug & Lil Ray, Trae, Diddy, Necro, Master P, The Game, Beyonce/Lady GaGa, Drake, BET Music Awards, 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: Slim Thug feat. Lil Ray, "Salute Me" Note(s): Yes, this is a remake of the same-named song from Fabolous' Loso's Way. Yes, it lists Lil Ray as the featured artist but is actually Lil' Wayne rapping/singing. And yes, the unintentional juxtaposition of the video's "Look How Much Money I Have" premise wit

  October 19, 2009

• Five Spot: Did Nnete Have Trae Banned From 97.9 The Boxx?

  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.​ What a fortnight it's been for Trae. First, his Restless album was named the 14th best rap album to ever come out of Houston. Then his newest son, Houston, was born. Then he released the anticipated The Incredible Truth mixtape. (We're assuming those are listed in order of

  October 30, 2009