Z-Ro

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 in 2007.[4]

Z-Ro
Background information
Birth nameJoseph Wayne McVey IV[1]
Also known asThe Mo City Don[2]
Born (1977-01-19) January 19, 1977[1][3]
Houston, United States
OriginMissouri City, Texas, U.S.
GenresHip hop
Occupation(s)
Years active1994–present
LabelsOne Deep Entertainment
Associated acts
Websitewww.themocitydon.com

Early life and career

Z-RO was born Joseph Wayne McVey IV in Houston's South Park neighborhood on January 19, 1977.[5] 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 neighborhood in suburban Missouri City in Southwest Houston.[5] When Z-Ro reached his late teens he was unemployed and resorted to drug dealing and hustling on the streets.[5] According to Z-Ro, listening to the music of 2Pac, Geto Boys, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, Street Military, K-Rino and Klondike Kat inspired him to work harder for his goal of leaving the streets.[5] Z-Ro discovered his talent of freestyle rapping and after going through a couple of recording studios to make a demo,[5] 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.[5][6] The record was a huge success and helped expand Z-Ro's and Bobby Craig's fan base beyond the South.[5] In 2005, Z-Ro released Let the Truth Be Told, which was well received.[5] Z-Ro's 2006 album I'm Still Livin' was released while he was imprisoned for drug possession, to positive reviews.[7][8] It was called "a great album... powerful" but "relentlessly bleak" by The Village Voice[7] and "one of the best rap albums to come out of Houston" by the Houston Chronicle.[9] 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.[10] 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[11] and Legendary in November under his label One Deep Entertainment.

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.[12] On October 10, a grand jury dropped the felony charges.[13] The next day, the Harris County, Texas, district attorney filed misdemeanor charges against Z-Ro on the same alleged incident.[14]

Discography
Main article: Z-Ro discography

Albums

+ List of albums, with selected chart positions, showing year released and album name

Year Title Chart positions[15]
US 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[16] 69 14
2006 I'm Still Livin' 75 14
2007 King of tha Ghetto: Power 197 32
2008 Crack 48 12
2009 Cocaine[17] 147 19
2010 Heroin 142 29
2011 Meth 90 12
2012 Angel Dust[18] 120 17
2014 The Crown[10] — —
2015 Melting the Crown — 16
2016 Drankin' & Drivin' 99 7
2016 Legendary — 15
2017 No Love Boulevard 135 —
2017 Codeine — —
2018 Sadism — —
2020 Rohammad Ali — —

References
  1. "Texas Birth Index, 1903–1997". FamilySearch. Archived from the original on December 29, 2016.
  2. Amazon.com: Tripolar: The Mo City Don: MP3 Downloads. Amazon.com. Retrieved August 1, 2016.
  3. Z-Ro Biography Archived July 19, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Rapartists.com (January 19, 1977). Retrieved June 21, 2011.
  4. Sanneh, Kelefa. (May 27, 2007) "A Hip-Hop Hurricane and Other Phenomena" Archived August 29, 2011, at the Wayback Machine The New York Times. Retrieved June 21, 2011.
  5. "Z-Ro Biography". Artist Direct. Archived from the original on October 25, 2012. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
  6. "Z-Ro – Biography & History". AllMusic. Archived from the original on January 4, 2018. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  7. Breihan, Tom (December 7, 2006). "Project Pat and Z-Ro: The Unsung Heroes of Southern Rap". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on September 22, 2008. Retrieved September 7, 2008.
  8. Sanneh, Kelefa (May 27, 2007). "A Hip-Hop Hurricane and Other Phenomena". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 14, 2011. Retrieved September 7, 2008.
  9. Peralita, Eyder (November 6, 2006). "Z-Ro breaks ground, visits the past on new CD". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on September 25, 2008. Retrieved September 7, 2008.
  10. "The Crown – Z-Ro – Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  11. "Various Artists: Gqom Oh! x Crudo Volta Mixtape Album Review – Pitchfork". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on June 14, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  12. "Rapper Z-Ro Claims Arrest Was a Publicity Stunt, Won't Address Recording". tmz.com. Archived from the original on March 9, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  13. "Rapper Z-RO Dodges Indictment in Just Brittany Beating Case". tmz.com. Archived from the original on February 19, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  14. "Rapper Z-RO Charged by D.A. in Just Brittany Beating Case After Grand Jury Passes". tmz.com. Archived from the original on February 20, 2018. Retrieved June 14, 2018.
  15. allmusic ((( Z-Ro > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))
  16. "Let the Truth Be Told – Z-Ro – Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  17. "Cocaine – Z-Ro – Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  18. "Angel Dust – Z-Ro – Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on August 14, 2017. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
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