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 Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

from

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

, Texas. He was named one of America's most underrated rappers by ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid d ...

'' in 2007.

Early life and career

Z-Ro was born Joseph Wayne McVey IV in Houston's South Park neighborhood on January 19, 1977. When he was 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 Southwest Houston near the suburb of

Missouri City Missouri City is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, within the metropolitan area. The city is mostly in Fort Bend County, Texas, Fort Bend County, with a small portion in Harris County, Texas, Harris County. As of the 2020 census, the c ...

. When Z-Ro reached his late teens he was unemployed and resorted to drug dealing and hustling on the streets. According to Z-Ro, listening to the music of

2Pac Tupac Amaru Shakur ( ; born Lesane Parish Crooks, June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known as 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper. He is widely considered one of the most influential rappers of all time. Shakur is among the b ...

, 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. Z-Ro discovered his talent of

freestyle rap Freestyle is a style of improvisation, with or without instrumental beats (Mystrodamus), in which lyrics are recited with no particular subject or structure and with no prior memorization.Kevin Fitzgerald (director), '' Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme' ...

ping and after going through a couple of recording studios to make a demo, 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''. The record was a huge success and helped expand Z-Ro's fan base beyond the South. In 2005, Z-Ro released '' Let the Truth Be Told'', which was well received. Z-Ro's 2006 album '' I'm Still Livin''' was released while he was imprisoned for drug possession, to positive reviews. It was called "a great album... powerful" but "relentlessly bleak" by

The Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture paper, known for being the country's first alternative newspaper, alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf (publisher), Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Mailer, th ...

and "one of the best rap albums to come out of Houston" by the

Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Texas, United States. , it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. With i ...

. In 2010 he released the album titled '' Heroin'', which was followed by an album titled ''

Meth Methamphetamine (contracted from ) is a potent central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is mainly used as a recreational drug and less commonly as a second-line treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and obesity. Methamphe ...

'' 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. Z-Ro then followed up with ''The Crown'' in June 2014. 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 and ''Legendary'' in November under his label One Deep Entertainment. In 2017, Z-Ro announced he was retiring and released '' No Love Boulevard'' in June as his final album. He came out of retirement 6 months later and released ''Codeine'' in December. In 2018, Z-Ro released ''Sadism'' on November 16 under One Deep Entertainment and was distributed by EMPIRE. In 2020, Z-Ro released an EP titled ''Quarantine, The Social Distancing EP'' with appearances from rapper

Boosie Badazz Torence Ivy Hatch (born November 14, 1982), better known by his stage name Boosie BadAzz or simply Boosie (formerly Lil Boosie), is an American rapper. Hatch began rapping in the 1990s as a member of the hip hop collective Concentration Camp, ev ...

Slim Thug Stayve Jerome Thomas (born September 8, 1980), better known by his stage name Slim Thug, is an American rapper. He initially gained mainstream attention for his contribution to the hit single by rapper Mike Jones, " Still Tippin'". In July 2005, ...

, Lanlawd and late rapper Wicket Cricket. He then later released an album titled '' Rohammad Ali'' on June 26. In 2021, Z-Ro along with S.U.C. rapper Mike D released a collaboration album titled ''2 The Hardway'' with appearances from

Lil' Keke Marcus Lakee Edwards (born March 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Lil' Keke, is an American rapper and original member of the Southern hip hop collective Screwed Up Click. Biography Music career Lil' Keke gained national attention with ...

, Beanz from the production duo, Beanz N Kornbread, Klondike Kat, Grace from Grace Boys, Duke Gutta, Oticia Redmond, C-Note, Big Pokey, and

Lil' O Lil' O (born Ore Magnus Lawson; November 22, 1977 in Lagos, Nigeria) is a Nigerian-American rapper, raised in Houston, Southwest Houston, Texas. He is an original member of DJ Screw's Screwed Up Click. He was also known as O or Da Fat Rat Wit Da ...

. In 2022, in a statement to '' XXL'', Z-Ro claims Trae Tha Truth asked to talk to him outside a Houston Restaurant before he allegedly sucker punched him. After that, several men jumped in and continued to assault him.

Legal case

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. On October 10, a grand jury dropped the felony charges. The next day, the

Harris County, Texas Harris County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas; as of the 2020 census, the population was 4,731,145, making it the most populous county in Texas and the third most populous county in the United States. Its county seat is Houston, ...

, district attorney filed misdemeanor charges against Z-Ro on the same alleged incident.

Discography

Albums

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

References

{{Wikiquote 1977 births African-American male rappers Southern hip hop musicians Living people Musicians from Houston Rappers from Houston Screwed Up Click members Underground rappers Rap-A-Lot Records artists Gangsta rappers 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians People from Missouri City, Texas 20th-century African-American people 21st-century African-American musicians