A prolific Houston rapper with a baritone voice that is both smooth and menacing, Z-Ro merges hip-hop and R&B with explicitly honest tales of street life, relationships, and love. He debuted in the late '90s and first charted with his second album, Z-Ro vs. the World (2000), leading to a long-term affiliation with Rap-A-Lot Records. While signed to the globally recognized Houston label, Z-Ro hit the Billboard 200 with nine albums, starting with The Life of Joseph W. McVey (2004) and including his five-volume "drug series" introduced with Crack (2008) and concluded with Angel Dust (2012). Z-Ro went on to launch 1 Deep Entertainment, the outlet for all of his output since then. Drankin' & Drivin' (2016), No Love Boulevard (2017), and The Ghetto Gospel (2024) are among the full-length highlights of his independent phase. Z-Ro has hit the R&B/hip-hop singles chart several times, as both a featured artist (Bun B's "Get Throwed," Slim Thug's "Gangsta") and lead artist (including "Top Notch" and "Never [These Days]"). He's also known as the Mo City Don, named in reference to the Missouri city where he was raised. Born Joseph Wayne McVey, Z-Ro -- who moved from his birthplace of Houston to nearby Missouri City as a youngster -- grew up with equal parts inspiration from hardcore rappers like the Geto Boys and 2Pac and soulful crooners like Sam Cooke and Babyface. Z-Ro got his start with the Screwed Up Click, a crew of Houston rappers led by the late DJ Screw. He made his solo debut in 1998 with Look What You Did to Me, following it with an album release almost every year for nearly two decades. He signed with Rap-A-Lot during this period and made his label debut in 2004 with his eighth LP, The Life of Joseph W. McVey. The following year, he issued Let the Truth Be Told, which featured Juvenile, Ashanti, and frequent guest Paul Wall. The album peaked on the Billboard 200 at number 69. His "drug series" -- Crack, Cocaine, Heroin, Meth, and Angel Dust -- spanned the 2008 to 2012 period. Crack was his highest-charting album to date -- it reached number 48 -- and contained the number 62 R&B/hip-hop single "Top Notch," a collaboration with Pimp C.Z-Ro went independent after the 2014 release of The Crown. Drankin' & Drivin', issued two years later on his 1 Deep Entertainment label, peaked in the Top Ten of the R&B/hip-hop chart and cracked the upper half of the Billboard 200. Legendary followed before the end of the year. In 2017, after the release of his 21st album, No Love Boulevard, he announced his retirement. That didn't last long, however, as he quickly followed with album 22, Codeine. The return proved to be neither tentative nor short-lived, as his rate of output remained high with albums such as Sadism, Rohammad Ali, and Pressure all issued within a few years. In 2024, he reaffirmed his role as a preacher for the streets with The Ghetto Gospel, one of his smoothest works, featuring appearances from longtime peer Mike D, Paul Wall, Lil' Keke, and Mýa.
© TiVo Staff /TiVo
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Discography
128 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
1 2 3 4 5 ... 7
- Hip-Hop/Rap Mar 29, 2024The Ghetto Gospel
Z-Ro
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by 1 Deep Entertainment - EMPIRE on Mar 29, 2024
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo
- Hip-Hop/Rap Feb 24, 2004The Life of Joseph W. Mcvey
Z-Ro
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Rap-A-Lot Records on Feb 24, 2004
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo
- Hip-Hop/Rap Apr 12, 2005Let the Truth Be Told
Z-Ro
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Rap-A-Lot Records on Apr 12, 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo
- Hip-Hop/Rap Sep 16, 2008Crack
Z-Ro
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Rap-A-Lot Records on Sep 16, 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo
- Hip-Hop/Rap Nov 11, 2016Legendary
Z-Ro
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by 1 Deep Entertainment on Nov 11, 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo
- Hip-Hop/Rap Jun 30, 2017No Love Boulevard
Z-Ro
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by 1 Deep Entertainment on Jun 30, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo
- Hip-Hop/Rap Nov 24, 2009Cocaine
Z-Ro
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Rap-A-Lot Records on Nov 24, 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo
- Hip-Hop/Rap May 27, 2022Pressure
Z-Ro
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by 1 Deep Entertainment - EMPIRE on May 27, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo
- Hip-Hop/Rap Jun 16, 1998Look What You Did To Me
Z-Ro
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Fisherboy Entertainment on Jun 16, 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo
- Hip-Hop/Rap Feb 24, 2015Melting the Crown
Z-Ro
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Rap-A-Lot Records on Feb 24, 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo
- Hip-Hop/Rap Jun 24, 2014The Crown
Z-Ro
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Rap-A-Lot Records on Jun 24, 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo
- Hip-Hop/Rap Oct 15, 2002Z-Ro vs. The World vs. King Of
Z-Ro
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Southern Hardware on Oct 15, 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo
- Hip-Hop/Rap Aug 16, 2011Straight Profit
Z-Ro
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Southern Hardware on Aug 16, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo
- Hip-Hop/Rap Jun 26, 2020Rohammad Ali
Z-Ro
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by 1 Deep Entertainment - EMPIRE on Jun 26, 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo
- Hip-Hop/Rap Nov 2, 2012Summertime
Z-Ro, Slim Thug, Z-Ro, Slim Thug
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by B.H.O. - SoSouth on Nov 2, 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo
- Hip-Hop/Rap Apr 15, 1998Screwed Up Click Representa
Z-Ro
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Presidential - SoSouth on Apr 15, 1998
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo
- Hip-Hop/Rap Dec 1, 2017Codeine
Z-Ro
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by 1 Deep Entertainment - EMPIRE on Dec 1, 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo
- Hip-Hop/Rap Feb 24, 2009Greatest Hits
Z-Ro
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Rap-A-Lot Records on Feb 24, 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo
- Hip-Hop/Rap Nov 7, 2006I'm Still Living
Z-Ro
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Rap-A-Lot Records on Nov 7, 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo
- Hip-Hop/Rap Apr 12, 2005Let the Truth Be Told (Screwed)
Z-Ro
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Rap-A-Lot Records on Apr 12, 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo
- Hip-Hop/Rap Nov 16, 2018Sadism
Z-Ro
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by 1 Deep Entertainment - EMPIRE on Nov 16, 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo
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