The lyrical barrage from the mouth of Z-Ro on "Bitch Nigga", from Scarface's Balls And My Word, was not the action of an upstart trying to make a name in the game. By the end of 2003, Z-Ro, had officially released 10 albums (with independent sales averaging over 30,000 units each).

Z-Ro, born and raised in Houston, South Park area, (Also home to Scarface) states "It was the regular lil' ghetto life, ya know?" says the rapper of his formative years. "I wasn't born into no ghetto, my people had money so I was goin' to a good elementary school. But then tragedy strikes - my momma die. I'm livin' house to house now, 'cos don't nobody want an extra mouth to feed." Times were hard, and with no fatherly guidance, a young Z-Ro had to fend for himself. "I was on my own pretty much 'til 13," he continues. "I got 13 and I moved back with my grandmother. From then on, it was crazy. Muthafuckers gettin' shot, killin' themselves, drugs. That shit hit me like a storm. I got caught up in the underflow. I became a product of that for real, I became a muthafuckin' threat."

It wasn't until Z-Ro grew older, that the trauma of his mother's death hit him. She died from cancer, and 20 years old, Z-Ro still very much remembers. "I was six-years-old, I seen my momma when the paramedics came in, took her up off the bed, with a sheet over her face," he recalls. "I ain't know what that meant at six-years-old. I thought 'damn, why y'all messin' with my momma, she asleep'. When I got into my first apartment at 15, then it hit me for real, 'cos I was payin' all the bills. It tore me up."

It was through hip-hop that Z-Ro found a channel for his experiences. While playing basketball at Willow Ridge High, he was also getting good grades. "I mean, I was doin' it right," he says. Then, another setback. He got shot, and couldn't pass the physical to play ball. To this day, Z-Ro carries the shell casing in his body. "I was like 'I can't play ball no more, I don't want to be robbin' and shit, let me give this rap shit a try,'" he says.

By this time he had moved to Missouri City (a Houston suburb known to locals as 'Mo City'), and befriended local rap group, Street Military, who were signed to EMI-. "I'd go over they house, we playin' ball, smokin' weed, and around 8 o'clock, Lil' Flea used to come downstairs and be like 'look, we gonna start recording. Everybody that ain't recording, get the fuck out! If you ain't here to work, leave'," recollects Z-Ro. "So I stayed, just to peep out the process. They was writin', bobbin' they head, smokin' weed, singin' and shit. I fell in love with that and it seemed like overnight it came to me, ya know? I had always been in singing groups and church choirs, my old man played music, my momma used to sing. It was in my genes already, I just had to tap into it."

Now a member of Street Military's Killa Klan collective, with his rap skills being honed, Z-Ro found himself inducted into DJ Screw's infamous Screwed-Up Click in 1997. But Screw wasn't the only one to pick up on Z-Ro's talent, and what followed over the next five years were a string of independent albums, considered by fans around the world to be Down South classics. 

Z-Ro's first release, Look What You Did To Me , was described by Murder Dog magazine in 1998 as a "ground-breaking record" and a "masterpiece". It went on: "Z-Ro is that unusual kind of rap artist who can sing every bit as good as he can rap", and "lyrically, the way he crafts his songs, he's a genius". It was that kind of sentiment that set the tone. People who hear Z-Ro don't sit on the fence. His music has a passion and urgency that forces you to deal with it. Most fall in love with it. Interestingly, that first album regularly sold for over $100 on online auction site eBay, before its recent re-release. 

1999 saw the release of the equally lauded Rise by the Guerilla Maab, a group Z-Ro formed with his cousin Trae, and brother Dougie-D. Then in 2000 came his second solo album, the acclaimed Z-Ro Vs. The World, followed by King Of Da Ghetto in 2001. Songs like "World Wide" and "Still My Life" combined strong subject matter with commercial and club appeal, and with Z-Ro's numerous guest appearances on releases from the likes of Big Moe, DJ Screw and ESG, the rapper enjoyed a growing following of loyal fans. "Each album was like a stepping stone to now," adds Z-Ro. "On my first album I did free shows, my second album I did $500 shows, and so on. The more money starts building up in my pocket, okay, now the more dope I am, ya know what I'm sayin'?" As such, Z-Ro shows are guaranteed roadblocks throughout the South.

With the release of an astonishing three solo albums in 2002 - Screwed Up Click Representa , Z-Ro, and Life, and a new Guerilla Maab album, Resurrected - all active on the Billboard charts, Z-Ro's status as the most in-demand rapper not only Houston, but in the South period, was solidified. Then came the call from Rap-A-Lot, where Z-Ro has been made an official group member.

With appearances in XXL, The Source, and Murder Dog in 2003, the world is beginning to embrace a new superstar in our midst. But don't judge Z-Ro on the fact that he dissed the so-called biggest rap star in the world, on the aforementioned "Bitch Nigga". There's so much more to him than that. He truly is the 'Mo City Don'.

1. On My Grind 1:39
2. Z-Ro 3:07 
3. These NiggaZ feat. Scarface 4:00
4. King Of The Ghetto 4:32 
5. II Many NiggaZ 4:16
6. I Hate U Bitch 4:32 
7. Hey Lil Mama 4:16 
8. So Much 3:50 
9. That'Z Who I Am 3:52
10. Everyday feat. Trea of the Guerilla Maab 3:22
11. Crooked Officer 3:34 
12. Why? feat. Tanya Herron 4:02
13. Happy FeelingZ 3:43
BONUS (Dedicated to DJ Screw)
14. Z-Ro (Screwed) 5:35
15. II Many NiggaZ (Screwed)


Executive Producer J. Prince www.rapalotrecords.com (p) & © 2004 Rap-A-Lot 4 Life / J. Prince Entertainment. All rights reserved. Warning: Unauthorized reproduction is a violation of all applicable laws.

FRONT BOOKLET Z-Ro The Life of Joseph W. McVey Parental Advisory

INSIDE BOOKLET

1. On My Grind
Written by: J. McVey / L. Williams
Produced by: Leroy Williams for Noddfactor Entertainment 
Published by: N-The-Water Publishing (ASCAP 

2. Z-Ro
Written by: J. McVey / M. Dean / A. Gilmour
Produced by: Mike Dean for Dean's List Production and Tone Capone
Published by: N-The-Water Publishing (ASCAP) / Still N-The-Water Publishing (BMI)

3. These NiggaZ feat. Scarface
Written by: J. McVey / B. Jordan / L. Williams
Produced by: Leroy Williams for Noddfactor Entertainment 
Published by: N-The-Water Publishing (ASCAP)

4. King of the Ghetto 
Written by: J. McVey / M. Dean
Produced by: Mike Dean for Dean's List Production 
Published by: N-The-Water Publishing (ASCAP) / Still N-The-Water Publishing (BMI)

5. II Many NiggaZ
Written by: J. McVey / S. Jemison
Produced by: Solo for Double Dose Entertainment
Published by: N-The-Water Publishing (ASCAP)

6. I Hate U
Written by: J. McVey / M. Dean
Produced by: Mike Dean for Dean's List Production 
Published by: N-The-Water Publishing (ASCAP) / Still N-The-Water Publishing (BMI)

7. Hey Lil' Mama
Written by: J. McVey / M. Dean
Produced by: Mike Dean for Dean's List Production 
Published by: N-The-Water Publishing (ASCAP) / Still N-The-Water Publishing (BMI)

8. So Much
Written by: J. McVey / M. Dean
Produced by: Mike Dean for Dean's List Production 
Published by: N-The-Water Publishing (ASCAP) / Still N-The-Water Publishing (BMI)

9. That'Z Who I Am
Written by: J. McVey / L. Williams / M. Dean
Produced by: Mr. Lee for Noddfactor Entertainment & Mike Dean for Dean's List Productions
Published by: N-The-Water Publishing (ASCAP) / Still N-The-Water Publishing (BMI)
Chorus by Trea of the Guerilla Maab

10. Everyday feat. Trea of the Guerilla Maab
Written by: J. McVey / L. Williams 
Produced by: Mr. Lee for Noddfactor Entertainment
Published by: N-The-Water Publishing (ASCAP)

11. Crooked Officer
Written by: J. McVey / M. Dean
Produced by: Mike Dean for Dean's List Production 
Published by: N-The-Water Publishing (ASCAP) / Still N-The-Water Publishing (BMI)

12. Why? feat. Tanya Herron
Written by: J. McVey / M. Dean
Produced by: Mike Dean for Dean's List Production 
Published by: N-The-Water Publishing (ASCAP) / Still N-The-Water Publishing (BMI)

13. Happy FeelingZ
Written by: J. McVey / R. Jefferson
Produced by: Bigg Tyme for Double Dose Entertainment 
Published by: N-The-Water Publishing (ASCAP)

BONUS (Dedication to DJ Screw)

14. Z-Ro (Screwed)
15. II Many NiggaZ (Screwed)

Executive Producer: J Prince
A&R Supervisor: Tony "Big Chief" Randle
A & R: Anzel "Int'l Red" Jennings
Recorded at: Smoke CWAL Mob Studios (Chicago, IL) & Noddfactor Studios (Houston, TX) 
Mixed by: The Legendary Traxster @ CWAL Mob Studios (Chicago, IL) & Mike Dean @ Mike Dean's House of Hits (Houston, TX) 
Engineered by: The Legendary Traxster & Mr. Lee 
Mastered at: Dean's List House of Hits (Houston, TX) by Mike Dean

http://www.rapalotrecords.com

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