Z-Ro

Z-RO
Background information
Birth name	Joseph W. McVey
Also known as	Mo City Don, King of the Ghetto, Rother Vandross, and Joseph McVey
Born	June 6, 1976 (1976-06-06) (age 33) Missouri City, Texas
Origin	Houston, Texas, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop, R&B
Occupations	Rapper, Record Producer, Singer
Years active	1998 – present
Labels	Asylum Rap-a-Lot King Of The Ghetto Ent.
Associated acts	Screwed Up Click, Trae, Lil Flip, Slim Thug, Mya, UGK, Paul Wall, Scarface,
Website	Z-Ro at MySpace

Joseph Wayne McVey (born June 6, 1976), better known by his stage name Z-RO, is an African American rapper, singer, and producer. He has built a reputation as a southern rapper. Z-RO has sold about 1 million albums in the U.S and over 1.1 million worldwide. Despite most of his popularity belonging to the south, he has been named as one of America's most underrated rappers by the New York Times and is considered by some to be among the best lyricists in hip hop today. Common themes in Z-RO's music are crime and poverty, often relating to his personal experience. For example, the music video for Hate You was recorded while he was incarcerated in Harris County jail. Though common, crime and poverty are not the only focuses of his music. Z-RO has been known to uplift crowds with his hope bringing songs such as “Lovely Day” and “T.H.U.G (True Hero Under God)”.

His 2006 album I'm Still Livin' was released while Z-RO was imprisoned for drug possession, to positive reviews.^[1][2] It was called "a great album... powerful" but "relentlessly bleak" by The Village Voice^[1] and "one of the best rap albums to come out of Houston" by the Houston Chronicle.^[3]

Career

Since he started rapping mainstream, Z-RO has made a name for himself as the most lyrically talented and influential artist ever to come out of the Houston, Texas rap scene. Z-RO is a member of the original "Screwed Up Click", a large group of rappers from the south side of Houston that joined with DJ Screw on his mission to make it big.

Solo albums

• Look What You Did to Me
  • Released: June 16, 1998

• Z-RO vs. The World
  • Released: April 27, 2000

• King of da Ghetto
  • Released: July 10, 2001

• Screwed Up Click Representa
  • Released: April 16, 2002

• Z-RO
  • Released: April 16, 2002

• Life
  • Released: December 17, 2002

• Z-Ro Tolerance
  • Released: April 27, 2003

• The Life of Joseph W. McVey
  • Released: February 24, 2004
  • Chart positions: 170 U.S.

• Let the Truth Be Told
  • Released: April 12, 2005

• I'm Still Livin'
  • Released: November 7, 2006

• King Of Tha Ghetto: Power
  • Released: May 8, 2007

• Crack
  • Released: September 16, 2008
  • Chart Positions: 5 U.S.

• Cocaine
  • Released: October 28, 2009
  • Chart Positions: 7 U.S.

Collaboration albums

• Blue 22
  • With: DJ Screw
  • Released: 1999

• Rise
  • With: Guerilla Maab
  • Released: 1999

• Sentimental Value
  • With: DJ Screw
  • Released: 2000

• Resurrected
  • With: Guerilla Maab
  • Released: 2002

• Assholes by Nature
  • With: Trae
  • Released: 2003

• Kings of the South
  • With: Lil Flip
  • Released: 2005

• It Is What It Is
  • With: Trae
  • Released: 2008

• The Rain
  • With: Chill
  • Released: June 23, 2009

• Legendary
  • With: Billy Cook
  • Released: TBA

Compilations albums

• 2002: Z-RO vs. the World / King of the Ghetto
• 2004: For My Thugs: Greatest Hits
• 2005: Fuck 'Em All: Z-RO's Greatest Verses Revisited & Remixed
• 2006: Z-RO And The S.U.C.
• 2006: 4/20 the Smokers Anthem
• 2006: 1 Deep
• 2007: Tha Omega
• 2008: Z-RO and the S.U.C. Part 2
• 2009: Greatest Hits'

Mixtapes

• 2003: A Bad Azz Mix Tape
• 2003: Gangstafied
• 2004: Underground Railroad, Vol. 1: Street Life (Hulled & Chopped)
• 2004: Underground Railroad, Vol. 2: Thug Luv
• 2005: Z-RO and Friends
• 2006: Underground Railroad, Vol. 3: Paper Stacks Hulled
• 2009: Rodeine
• 2009: My Favorite Mixtape
• 2009: Relvis Presley

References

External links

• Z-Ro at MySpace