Tyler the Creator

Jambalaya Festival at Bayou Music Center, 5/23/2013

Jambalaya Festival Bayou Music Center May 23, 2013 Ingredients: Houston, Texas A roomful of screaming, dancing teens G-Eazy, RL Grime, Big Boi, Zeds Dead, Earlwolf Instructions: 1. Open the doors of Bayou Music Center at approximately 4 p.m. Allow scores of teenage hip-hop enthusiasts t ... More >>

Miguel's Billboard Stage Dive: Hulk Hogan-Approved, But the Best Ever?

In the Internet age, you become a sucker for things that happen instantly. There's no way around it. Everything that garners a reaction, whether positive or negative, will become meme'd and turned into a .gif. I'm pretty sure the more awkward moments of my life will be displayed in some pixelated fo ... More >>

The Lonely Island's "I Fucked My Aunt": NSFW, But Over the Line?

If you would have heard the names Andy Samberg, Jorma Taccone or Akiva Schaffer six years ago, you probably wouldn't have known who they were. Now the trio has become famous through a combination of their work on Saturday Night Live, their 2007 full-length film Hot Rod, and their mock-rap group The ... More >>

Win Tickets to Scoremore's Jambalaya Festival Right Now

Normally Rocks Off's first post of every week is our selections for the best shows happening in Houston for that given Monday through Thursday. This week we'd like to try something a little different. Houston being what it is (a city we love, of course), the weekday live-music options can be somewh ... More >>

Upcoming: Kelly Rowland, Black Flag, Loretta Lynn, Josh Groban, Tricky, etc.

Abbey Rode (Beatles Tribute): With Already Gone (Eagles Tribute)., Sat., May 11, 9 p.m., Free. Concert Pub -- Galleria, 5636 Richmond, Houston, 713-278-7272. Abigail: With Rotten Sound, PLF, Speedwulf, Oath of Cruelty., Thu., May 30, 8 p.m., $12. Walter's, 1120 Naylor, Houston, 713-222-2679. Alex ... More >>

Top 10 Rap-Related Items On Etsy

Rap music is forever turning out to be a fun influence on things we'd least expect. When your grandmother starts using terms like "turn up," you realize that there is no getting away from it. Even the creative and artsy folk over at Etsy.com combine their passion for crafts with their admiration of ... More >>

Has Tyler, the Creator Finally Gone Too Far?

Tyler, the Creator has never been known for being a sensitive man. Quite the opposite, he's known for unambiguous lyrics about controversial and disturbing subjects such as rape, murder, homophobia, and infanticide. One of his most infamous lyrics is from the song "Tron Cat," where he promises to "r ... More >>

Five Artists Who Overshare On Twitter

Social media has become quite the necessity among people worldwide. Websites like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook allows people to express themselves in a public setting. Most celebrities take full advantage of the opportunity to not just promote milestones in their careers, but allowing their perso ... More >>

Last Night: Odd Future at House of Blues

Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All House of Blues December 4, 2012 "We finally made it to this motherfucker..." A year ago, that wouldn't have been the lead sentence to this in-the-moment thought bubble about an Odd Future show. That's because the press machine around that time was firmly settled ... More >>

The 5 Best Shows In Houston This Week: December 3-6

Of Montreal, Wild Moccasins, French Horn Rebellion Warehouse Live, December 3 Of Montreal's sunny psych-pop brims with such starry-eyed youthful bliss that it might be a little sobering for aging hipsters to remember that Kevin Barnes' crew was once peers with Elf Power, Olivia Tremor Control and T ... More >>

Odd Future

The Most Depressingly Brilliant Video You'll Watch In Your Tiny, Useless Life

Not too long ago, a video arrived in my inbox. It's above, for "Time to Be Clear, " from Bonnie "Prince" Billy's 2011 album Wolfroy Goes to Town. You should watch, particularly if you like to have your whole paradigm shifted by unending, overwhelming sadness. See, it's about some bunnies, but really ... More >>

Odd Future Coming to Houston December 4

Hip-hop bad boys Odd Future are coming to House of Blues on December 4. The group of youthful miscreants, which was bathed in ridiculous showers of hype in 2011, has never been to Houston. REWIND: Odd Future's Roof-Jumping Antics at the Scoot Inn They were last in this part of the country last ... More >>

#MadeInAmerica: The Rain, Restrictions & Randomness of Day 2

Day two of the first-ever Made In America music festival felt considerably less hectic and crowded than day one. The blazing heat of the previous day was replaced with scattered showers, and the humidity that follows, making for a sticky and slippery situation on the Ben Franklin Parkway. The crowd ... More >>

Justin Bieber's Believe: Dubstep, Dick Talk, Nicki Minaj & Exactly One Good Song

I listened to the new Justin Bieber album, Believe, twice this afternoon so I could write this. I am not looking for sympathy because I took it upon myself. I did this so you wouldn't have to, though if you are cool enough to read our blog, the thought of listening to Justin Bieber's Believe wasn't ... More >>

Bad Beef: 4 Examples Of Musical Feuds Gone Wrong

Competition is a good thing. It pushes people to work harder and be more creative. That drive to prove to the world that they're the best has lead musicians to some incredible heights. After all, competition gave us Pet Sounds and "Ether." Yet in the '10s, that competitive spirit has been pushed as ... More >>

Drafting A New MTV Rock N' Jock Softball Game

If you mention and explain the concept of MTV's Rock N' Jock to '90s babies, they will look at you glassy-eyed and slowly walk away. But it's true, in the late '80s and early '90s it was possible to gather the best and sexiest celebrities in TV, film and music for a carefree softball match, with pro ... More >>

Fetish Fuel: 5 Musicians Who Put Their Fetish In Song Form

Ed. Note: This article is about some of the more unusual, but perfectly legal, forms of behavior some people choose to do in the boudoir. Sensitive readers might want to keep that in mind. Everyone's got a fetish. Some are kinkier than others, but everyone has something they like about their partne ... More >>

The Best YouTube Reactions To Odd Future's "Rella": Domo Slaps A Girl

For the first time it seems, the Odd Future gang's music videos have caught up with their lyrical content, judging by their brand-new video for "Rella," off upcoming release The Odd Future Tape Vol. 2 (due March 20). The album, minus former member Earl Sweatshirt, is the group's studio debut. The ... More >>

Counting Crows Headlining SXSW? Seriously?

Rocks Off has long since made our peace with the massive inconvenience SXSW can be. Even after our recent medical difficulties, we're even looking forward to going next month. We had a good time last year, mostly because we finally got to see OMD and Men Without Hats live. The bucket list got a litt ... More >>

Rap Round Table: Which People DO NOT Need To Be Involved In Hip-Hop In 2012?

Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Each week Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. This Week's Panel: Chingo Bling, Chuckway, Mac, Carolyn Rodriguez, D-Risha Not Invited: 2011. God, we are so over her. This Week's Prompt: Which p ... More >>

Ask A Rapper: DJ Mr. Luke Picks The Most Intriguing Rap Storylines Of The Year

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 it to sheaserrano@gmail. ... More >>

Rap Round Table: Who is the Best Shit-Talker in Rap Currently?

Some rappers happen to be thoughtful, intelligent people. Each week Rocks Off will have some of them here discussing issues relevant to their culture. Photo illustration by John Seaborn Gray​This Week's Panel: Bun B, Slim Thug, medicine Girl, O.N.E., Preemo, Chane, Delo, Chingo Bling, Doughb ... More >>

The Ten Best (Non-Houston) Rap Albums of 2011

A deal, then: Let's pretend like this was some really clever, insightful preamble; ideally, when you finished reading it, you would've immediately said, "Dang. That was a really clever, insightful preamble." Let's pretend it had some sort of neat underlying agenda, something that directly discusse ... More >>

Playlist for the Missing: 5 Songs for the Bermuda Triangle

​66 years ago five U.S. torpedo bombers dubbed Flight 19 disappeared during a navigation training exercise in the area known as the Bermuda Triangle, claiming the lives of 14 airmen. It is commonly assumed that the flight became disoriented and lost, ran out of fuel, and then ditched in the oc ... More >>

Review: Jett I. Masstyr vs. hasHBrown on Break Something

​A declaration, resolute and firm and unassailable: Jett I. Masstyr is a better producer than hasHBrown is a rapper. If Break Something, the year's second offering from hasH, serves no other purpose, it crystallizes that. For mostly all of the album, (or all of hasH's discography, for that ma ... More >>

Fun Fun Fun Fest: The Dust-Covered Aftermath Featuring The Damned, Spoon, Tinariwen, And Slayer

Photo By Marc BrubakerLots of pictures from Fun Fun Fun Fest 6, including band shots and crowd shots. The dry air and dust at Auditorium Shores made the market for bandanas very lucrative, and a fashion staple was reborn. ​This year Austin's Fun Fun Fun Fest moved away from Waterloo Park, the ... More >>

Five Rappers Who Should Be Actors

Acting. You're doing it wrong.​Sometimes it's fun to see some of our favorite rappers take on acting roles outside of their music videos. At other times, rappers taking on movie roles can end up being horrible idea. Not every rapper can be a convincing drug dealer like DMX is in Belly. The big ... More >>

Last Night: J. Cole At Warehouse Live

Photos by Marco Torres​J. Cole Warehouse Live September 14, 2011 On his second Texas tour with college-based concert promoting company Scoremore, Roc Nation artist J. Cole sold out Warehouse Live's ballroom Wednesday night, to an almost overwhelming all-ages crowd filled with diversity. The v ... More >>

2 Become 1: Musical Match-Ups We'd Like To See

​Kanye "Hitler" West and Jay-Z released their (overused music writer word alert) epic Watch the Throne album this week, to mostly great reviews. This fall the first fruits from the recently announced Lou Reed/Metallica collaboration should be on the store shelves, which still sorta weirds us o ... More >>

Fun Fun Fun Fest Leaking 2011 Lineup On Turntable.fm

​After leaking artists including Okkervil River, Odd Future, X and - most people believe - Slayer, Austin's Fun Fun Fun Fest has officially begun announcing its 2011 lineup via the brand-new file-sharing/social-media hybrid Turntable FM. Fun Fun Fun began streaming songs from this year's arti ... More >>

Friday Night: iceage & Balaclavas At The Mink

Photos by Allison Wagoner​iceage, Balaclavas The Backroom at the Mink July 15, 2011 A lot of folks have a dirty habit of going full-throttle on a new band with only one album and a few singles, lumping praise on them before they can really live up to it. Aftermath has done it in the past (Die ... More >>

Fun Fun Fun Fest Leaks Lineup Via Navy Signal Flags

How up to date on your nautical signaling are you? Austin's Fun Fun Fun Fest leaked a few names for its Nov. 4-6 fall brawl at Auditorium Shores this morning. If you know your flags, you can figure it out all by yourself via the above video. Rocks Off will be a little busy with our own Houston Pr ... More >>

An Affiliated Soldier Explains What Is And Isn't Gangster

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.com. Aff ... More >>

Eminem Vs. Gaga; Nicki Minaj Vs. Britney: Who Wins?

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.com.  ... More >>

Zoo Station: A Noah's Ark Of 75 Animal Songs

And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee ... More >>