Z-Ro
| Z-Ro | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Joseph Wayne McVey IV[1] |
| Also known as | The Mo City Don[2] |
| Born | January 19, 1977 [1][3] Houston, Texas, U.S. |
| Origin | Missouri City, Texas, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) | |
| Years active | 1994-present |
| Labels | One Deep Entertainment |
| Associated acts | |
| Website | www |
Joseph Wayne McVey IV (born January 19, 1977), better known by his stage names Z-Ro and The Mo City Don, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. He was named one of America's most underrated rappers by The New York Times.[5]
Early life and career[edit]
Z-Ro was born Joseph Wayne McVey IV in Houston's South Park neighborhood on January 19, 1977.[6] Currently he has a net worth of $2 million.[7] At age six his mother died, and he was shuttled from household to household in search of stability, eventually settling in the Ridgemont area, a middle-class suburb in Missouri City in Southwest Houston.[6] When Z-Ro reached his late teens he was unemployed and resorted to drug dealing and hustling on the streets.[6] 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.[6] Z-Ro discovered his talent of freestyle rapping and after going through a couple of recording studios to make a demo,[6] the CEO of a local label discovered and signed him.
Z-Ro released his critically acclaimed Rap-a-Lot debut titled The Life of Joseph W. McVey.[6] The record was a huge success and helped expand Z-Ro's fan base beyond the South.[6] In 2005, Z-Ro released Let the Truth Be Told, which was well received.[6] Z-Ro's 2006 album I'm Still Livin' was released while he was imprisoned for drug possession, to positive reviews.[8][9] It was called "a great album... powerful" but "relentlessly bleak" by The Village Voice[8] and "one of the best rap albums to come out of Houston" by the Houston Chronicle.[10] In 2010 he released the album titled Heroin, which was followed by an album titled Meth in 2011 and then Angel Dust in 2012.
Z-Ro released his first EP under The Mo City Don titled Tripolar on August 25, 2013 via One Deep Ent.[2] Z-Ro then followed up with The Crown in June 2014.[11] In February 2015, Z-Ro released his first proper studio album in three years, titled Melting the Crown.
In 2016, Z-Ro released Drankin & Drivin in August[12] and Legendary in November under his label One Deep Entertainment.
Legal case[edit]
On July 26, 2017, Z-Ro was arrested after his ex-girlfriend, Just Brittany, accused him of beating her three months earlier. Z-Ro told the media that Brittany was using this accusation to get more publicity for herself as she is also appearing in a reality show on television.[13] On October 10, a grand jury dropped the felony charges.[14] The next day, the Harris County, Texas, district attorney filed misdemeanor charges against Z-Ro on the same alleged incident.[15]
Discography[edit]
| Year | Title | Chart positions[16] | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2014 | The Crown | — | — |
| 2015 | Melting the Crown | — | 16 |
| 2016 | Drankin' & Drivin' | 99 | 7 |
| 2016 | Legendary | — | 15 |
| 2017 | No Love Boulevard | 135 | — |
| 2017 | Codeine | — | — |
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Texas Birth Index, 1903-1997". FamilySearch.
- ^ a b Amazon.com: Tripolar: The Mo City Don: MP3 Downloads. Amazon. Retrieved 2016-08-01.
- ^ Z-Ro Biography. Rapartists.com (1977-01-19). Retrieved 2011-06-21.
- ^ Amazon.com. Amazon2. Retrieved 2017-06-21.
- ^ Sanneh, Kelefa. (2007-05-27) "A Hip-Hop Hurricane and Other Phenomena" The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-06-21.
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Z-Ro Biography". Artist Direct. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
- ^ http://celebrityrichness.com/z-ro-net-worth/
- ^ 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.
- ^ Z-Ro - The Crown. Amazon. Retrieved 2014-10-12.
- ^ http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/22126-gqom-oh-x-crudo-volta-mixtape/
- ^ http://www.tmz.com/2017/07/28/rapper-z-ro-arrest-publicity-stunt/
- ^ http://www.tmz.com/2017/10/10/rapper-z-ro-no-indictment-felony-assault-charges/
- ^ http://www.tmz.com/2017/10/11/rapper-z-ro-misdemeanor-charge-just-brittany-beating/
- ^ allmusic ((( Z-Ro > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))
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