Z-Ro
| Z-Ro | |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Joseph Wayne McVey |
| Born | January 19, 1977 [1][2] Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Origin | Missouri City, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop, Gangsta rap, Southern hip hop |
| Occupations | Rapper, Producer |
| Years active | 1994–present |
| Labels | Asylum Rap-a-Lot King of the Ghetto Ent. |
| Associated acts | ABN, Screwed Up Click, Trae, DJ Screw, Big Hawk, Lil' Keke, Slim Thug, UGK, K-Rino, Lil Flip, Chamillionaire |
| Website | Z-Ro on Twitter Z-Ro on Myspace |
Joseph Wayne McVey (born January 19, 1977),[1][2] better known by his stage name Z-Ro, is an American rapper, singer and producer from Houston, Texas. He was named one of America's most underrated rappers by the New York Times.[3]
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Early life[edit]
Z-Ro was born Joseph Wayne McVey in Houston’s notorious South Park neighborhood on January 19, 1977.[4] At age six his mother died, and he was shuttled from household to household in search of stability, eventually settling in the Ridgemont area of Missouri City in Southwest Houston.[4] When Z-Ro reached his late teens he was unemployed and resorted to drug dealing and hustling on the streets.[4] According to Z-Ro, listening to the music of 2Pac, Geto Boys, Street Military, K-Rino and Klondike Kat inspired him to work harder for his goal of leaving the streets.[4] Z-Ro discovered his talent of freestyle rapping and after going through a couple of recording studios to make a demo,[4] the CEO of a local label discovered and signed him.
Career[edit]
In 1998, Z-Ro released his debut album, Look What You Did to Me. Z-Ro is also a member of the original Screwed Up Click, an assortment of rappers from Houston.[4] He celebrated his 22nd birthday at DJ Screw's house, recording the "Blue 22" tape. All of these things helped to escalate Z-Ro’s popularity throughout the South and by 2002 his talent and hard work caught the attention of Rap-a-Lot’s founder and CEO James Prince, who offered him a deal.[4]
In 2004, Z-Ro released his critically acclaimed Rap-a-Lot debut titled The Life of Joseph W. McVey.[4] The record was a huge success and helped expand Z-Ro’s fan base beyond the South.[4] In 2005, Z-Ro released Let the Truth Be Told, which was well received.[4] Z-Ro's 2006 album I'm Still Livin' was released while he was imprisoned for drug possession, to positive reviews.[5][6] It was called "a great album... powerful" but "relentlessly bleak" by The Village Voice[5] and "one of the best rap albums to come out of Houston" by the Houston Chronicle.[7] In 2010 he released his next album titled Heroin, which was followed by another new album titled Meth in 2011.
Discography[edit]
| Year | Title | Chart positions[8] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| U.S. | U.S. R&B | ||
| 1998 | Look What You Did to Me | - | - |
| 2000 | Z-Ro vs. the World | - | 90 |
| 2001 | King of da Ghetto | - | - |
| 2002 | Screwed Up Click Representa | - | 58 |
| 2002 | Z-Ro | - | - |
| 2002 | Life | - | 57 |
| 2003 | Z-Ro Tolerance | - | - |
| 2004 | The Life of Joseph W. McVey | 170 | 27 |
| 2005 | Let the Truth Be Told | 69 | 14 |
| 2006 | I'm Still Livin' | 75 | 14 |
| 2007 | King of tha Ghetto: Power | 197 | 32 |
| 2008 | Crack | 48 | 12 |
| 2009 | Cocaine | 147 | 19 |
| 2010 | Heroin | 142 | 29 |
| 2011 | Meth | 90 | 12 |
| 2012 | Angel Dust | 120 | 17 |
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Texas Births 1926–1995". "Family Tree Legends".
- ^ a b Z-Ro Biography. Rapartists.com (1977-01-19). Retrieved on 2011-06-21.
- ^ Sanneh, Kelefa. (2007-05-27) A Hip-Hop Hurricane and Other Phenomena – New York Times. Nytimes.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-21.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Z-Ro Biography". Artist Direct. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
- ^ a b Breihan, Tom (2006-12-07). "Project Pat and Z-Ro: The Unsung Heroes of Southern Rap". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- ^ Sanneh, Kelefa (2007-05-27). "A Hip-Hop Hurricane and Other Phenomena". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- ^ Peralita, Eyder (2006-11-06). "Z-Ro breaks ground, visits the past on new CD". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
- ^ allmusic ((( Z-Ro > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))
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