|
Z-Ro is in a world by himself. And by that, we’re not just referring to his unparalleled craftsmanship. Unbeknownst to many, the Guerilla Maab vet has released more albums than most Houston rappers. On the eve of his 20th LP, slated to drop on Rap-A-Lot this fall, SOHH Rizoh zeroes in on Joseph McVeigh to discuss his recent label woes, his memories of Big Hawk, and the reason he’s ditching his music hustle for good. Is the man who once ruled radioland with “2 Many Niggas” and “I Hate U” no longer in love with the game? Let the truth be told.
SOHH Rizoh: I hear you’ve got a new album coming out on Rap-A-Lot this year?
Z-Ro: Yeah, I’ve got a new album coming out. It ain’t got a title to it yet. We’re still in the process of choosing the songs. It’s a lot of grown man music on there.
SOHH Rizoh: You chose the name Z-Ro to sort of represent the struggle—coming from nothing and seeing a blank future ahead of you. How’s the connection between the name and the artist today?
Z-Ro: It’s really still the same thing. Why I really chose Z-Ro—like you said—remind me of the struggle. Not only that, sometimes beyond your own expectations... No matter how good sh*t gets out here, I can always know…like, “OK, don’t trip out because you came from nothing.” So, it’s really here to remind me and to keep me humble, so I can keep on trying. Don’t get no fu*ked up attitude like most of the rappers I see out here today. I still go to concerts and sh*t, because I bought CDs my goddamn self. I’m really trying not to be like the sh*t I’m looking at today. I look at muthafu*kas on stage with 1000 people with them, and when you wanna shake their hands, they don’t wanna touch you. These are the muthafu*kas that made you who you are, buying your sh*t, giving you soundscans.
SOHH Rizoh: Absolutely. Speaking of concerts, I don’t remember seeing you at the Big Hawk benefit concert at Club Blue.
Z-Ro: Nah, I ain’t go to that bullsh*t. It’s a good thing that they did it. From my understanding, that whole evening was just so that his wife and his kids could be straight. I already knew what it was gonna be. When they say Screwed Up Click, there’s a lot of muthafu*kas that’s gonna go up there, cause honestly there’s a whole lot of people out here who really think they’re in the S.U.C. Either they knew [DJ]Screw or they used to kick it with him. When Screw was alive, he inducted every muthafu*ka into the S.U.C. Today, some of the new rappers out here don’t really know who…let me put it like this: You’ve got a S.U.C. for music and you’ve got a S.U.C. for the streets. It’s like some people used to be there when niggas was making tapes, but they don’t rap. A lot of the new rappers don’t know who some of those O.G. members are. And I ain’t gonna lie to you; I don’t know everybody in the click. It was like Screw put me and [Lil’] Flip into the click before he died. I know the rappers in the sh*t but, I didn’t go because I know how the sh*t gets at the concert when somebody makes an announcement: “Everybody get off the stage except the S.U.C.” You don’t know who you just called to the stage. Niggas like Stick and Tone that didn’t rap, they ain’t getting’ off the stage because they’re Screwed Up Click too. I didn’t go for that reason. Then, I didn’t go because a couple of people that put the show together, I don’t fu*k with them
SOHH Rizoh: I feel you. I thought that the whole event was disrespectful to John Hawkins. What’s your best memory of Hawk?
Z-Ro: You couldn’t find anybody like Big Hawk man. It didn’t matter what the situation was…I mean the man died with $102 in his pocket. He died broke than a muthafu*ka but when you came around him, his personality made him rich as fu*k. Hawk was just like a beacon of life. You couldn’t be mad around Hawk. He was a leader and to me, he was the second coming of DJ Screw.
SOHH Rizoh: Back to Z-Ro, you’ve been in the game more than 10 years. You’ve definitely attained legendary status here in Houston. Why do you think you’re still slept on…nationally?
Z-Ro: There’s not enough majors down here. You’ve got a couple of them, but, it’s not enough for everybody that’s trying to do this rap sh*t. They still sleep on a nigga like me.
SOHH Rizoh: The music jams. Personally, I’ve never met anyone that didn’t like a Z-Ro album
Z-Ro: It jams because I’m really doing the sh*t that I talk about. Personally, I target the struggle. I target poverty. In a nutshell, I target fu*ked-up life, and that’s the type of life I had. Till this day, I still ain’t got no muthafu*kin’ money, you know what I’m sayin. I can’t afford to just leave my house right quick to go to L.A. and try to shop my music, because I’m worried about my light bill right now. I’m worried about my rent right now. I’m with a label that’s got a name and some fame down here. But, the truth is, I only get show money.
SOHH Rizoh: Why’s that?
Z-Ro: I can’t really tell you why. I don’t know none of that business sh*t. I go to the studio, do my shows; you know what I’m saying.
SOHH Rizoh: Is it challenging being on Rap-A-Lot?
Z-Ro: You could say that. I can only speak for myself; I don’t know the next person’s situation. All I know is my situation. My work ethic is unquestionable. Before I came to Rap-A-Lot, I was dropping three records a year…independently. I drop one album a year now. I’m used to flooding the market with my sh*t. That’s what I used to do to stay afloat, not because I’m trying to make muthafu*kas out here respect my grind. It’s just that I got bills all the day. To tell you the truth, it ain’t just Rap-A-Lot, it’s everybody that I deal with; I get crumbs here and there. I ain’t never really got what I feel I deserve, so if I’m not given what I’m expecting from one area of the music, I gotta try to do it from another area of the music. In terms of me not poppin’ nationally yet, it’s gotta be whoever distributing my sh*t. I go a lot of places to do concerts and muthafu*kas is on my sh*t. I spend the night down there and I go to their record store, and ain’t none of my sh*t in they store, you know. The music is jamming, it’s just that people are going to the store and not finding my sh*t.
|
Anmelden
FAQ
Suche
[/quote]
[/center]