The Z-Ro Mix
Cocaineblunts.com Presents Z-Ro’s Finest
I received this email a few weeks ago and have been meaning to address it:
Dearest Noz I’m ignorant about z-ro. I mean I know his music but not deeply. Can you give some essential places to start or maybe a good best of mix. that would make my week!
Since nobody sued or broke my kneecaps after the Scarface mix I figured it was safe to do similar posts, so here goes. 18 of Z-Ro’s nicest tracks and one intro. I think it’s a decent cross-section of obvious classics and a few less acclaimed album cuts. Ro’s catalog is pretty immense and I won’t claim to be any sort of an expert, but at the same time I would not hesitate to put him in my top three active rappers. #1 on some days. The only reason I haven’t written about him that much is because his shit is almost too personal to put into words. He bears his soul unlike any artist, to the point where it even gets a little sappy (I think this is what a lot of people get twisted about Pac – his cheesier moments are a strength, not a weakness, people relate to that). Most rappers will claim to be about their family, but very few will call their cousin an ‘angel.’ All his downer assholisms would probably be harder to digest without these moments of optimism.
This mix is loaded with a lot of his RAL era work merely because they’re more polished and probably a better introduction to this work. I’m also biased towards his more intense introspective material, because, frankly, that’s what he does best. But that’s definitely not to say he can’t rip an upbeat battle rap once in a while (see: “Mo City Don”).
From here you should buy Let The Truth Be Told, which is probably his most consistent project. Tracklisting after the jump.
1. Guerilla Maab – “Intro” from Resurrected (KMJ, 2002)
2. Z-Ro – “Sunshine” from King Of The Ghetto (Straight Profit, 2001)
3. Guerilla Maab – “Fondren & Main” from Rise (Ressurection, 1999)
4. Z-Ro f/ Trae & HAWK – “Still Livin’” from I’m Still Livin’ (Rap-A-Lot, 2006)
5. Z-Ro f/ Devin The Dude & Juvenile – “The Mule” from Let The Truth Be Told (Rap-A-Lot, 2005)
6. Z-Ro – “Help Me Please” from Let The Truth Be Told (Rap-A-Lot, 2005)
7. Z-Ro f/ Trae & Dougie D – “I Found Me” from King Of Da Ghetto (Straight Profit, 2001)
8. Z-Ro – “Look What You Did To Me” from Look What You Did To Me (Fisherboy, 1998)
9. Z-Ro – “My Life” from Power: King Of The Ghetto 2k7 (Rap-A-Lot, 2007)
10. Z-Ro f/ Cl’Che – “Change Of Scenery” from Life (KMJ, 2002)
11. Trae f/ Z-Ro – “No Help” from Restless (Rap-A-Lot, 2006)
12. Z-Ro f/ Lil Keke – “Let The Truth Be Told” from I’m Still Livin’ (Rap-A-Lot, 2006)
13. Guerilla Maab – “Rise” from Rise (Ressurection, 1999)
14. Z-Ro – “King Of The Ghetto” from The Life Of Joseph W. Mcvey (Rap-A-Lot, 2004)
15. Z-Ro f/ Trae – “Hard Times” from Z-Ro (KMJ, 2002)
16. S.L.A.B. f/ Z-Ro – “I Remember” from The Anthem (Guerilla Maab, 2006)
17. Guerilla Maab f/ Jayton & Lil B – “We Gone Swang” from Resurrected (KMJ, 2002)
18. Z-Ro – “Hapy Feeling’z” from The Life Of Joseph W. Mcvey (Rap-A-Lot, 2004)
19. Z-Ro – “Mo City Don” from Let The Truth Be Told (Rap-A-Lot, 2005)
April 8th, 2008 at 2:17 pm
fuck yes. z-ro’s definitely one of my favorite rappers around. good look, noz
April 8th, 2008 at 2:31 pm
this is so necessary…
April 8th, 2008 at 3:03 pm
These?
So Much?
Continue 2 Roll?
The Game Goes On?
I imagine you had to make a lot of tough decisions on this one. Good post.
April 8th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
I don’t know why but I thought Life of Joseph McVey and I’m Still Livin were a lot better than Let the Truth Be Told. Although the former’s beats are indistinguishable from each other at times, and I gather the latter is sort of a cut and paste job. All the same, I thought there were just too many forgettable tracks on Let The. Also, I’m really partial to “II Many Niggaz (Screwed),” “From The South,” “That’Z Who I Am,” “One Deep” (who cares if his verse is reused from No Help, One Deep is better), “One Night,” and his remake of Man Cry. Which I’ll admit I believe is better than the original. Finally, people relate to cheesiness, but once you turn into a rapping Hallmark card, you’ve gone too far. Have you seen those new cards they make that play music when you open them? How long is it before Hallmark obtains the rights to Dear Mama for a talking Mother’s Day card? He’s just too saccharine. Z-Ro’s sappy but he isn’t maudlin. He’s just excruciatingly honest.
April 8th, 2008 at 5:16 pm
I would cop a Z-Ro musical mother’s day card in an instant.
April 8th, 2008 at 5:27 pm
I would cop a Z-Ro musical mother’s day card in an instant.
^ ha ha
Looks like a great comp – thanks. I agree about ‘Let The Truth…’ whereas most people I know favour ‘Life Of..’ Either way Z-Ro is a great artist, who just has the edge on Trae – despite ‘Restless’ being maybe my favourite LP to come out of their whole clique.
April 8th, 2008 at 9:13 pm
Z-Ro in a card would be nice as a joke, but you get the point, Pac suits the medium perfectly, Z-Ro would not.
April 8th, 2008 at 9:58 pm
this is dopeness
April 9th, 2008 at 12:59 am
king of the ghetto
April 9th, 2008 at 1:00 am
Nice to see Ro get some love, gotta say though let the truth be told is one of his weakest albums, his first joint look what you did to me plus the first guerilla maab albums are the shits people need to get up on. Life of joseph is a straight classic as well, as is last years ‘power’.
April 9th, 2008 at 1:05 am
‘Sunshine’ is one of the best song ever maybe. I think it does Z-Ro’s specific version of embarrassing sincerity a disservice to lump it in with ‘Pac’s version though.
April 9th, 2008 at 6:48 am
Respect My Mind or One Night alone are better than I’m Still Livin’ and Power combined.
April 9th, 2008 at 8:52 am
Gotta love “The Mule.” Great mix
April 9th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
Huge disservice, brandon. It’d be like saying, “Steve Carrell… he reminds me of late Robin Williams.” Well, maybe Pac isn’t as excruciatingly sappy as Robin Williams.
April 9th, 2008 at 11:45 pm
much appreciated mang, and loved the scarface one. Best blog on the net.
April 9th, 2008 at 11:47 pm
do me next
April 10th, 2008 at 1:27 am
ha Tray; I think the Carrell/Robin Williams connection isn’t that off…
April 10th, 2008 at 12:24 pm
Nice stuff . Thanks.
I’s agree with others in that “Life Of…” and “Look What You Did To Me” are his standout LP’s.
Tracks i’d have on any Z-Ro comp would be
“Whats My Name” , “Pimp On” , “That’s Who I Am” , “Nigga From The Hood” , “Smokers Anthem” and “In My City” + “Beware” with Trae.
Good Work tho
April 10th, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Carrell’s overrated and starting to reach late Robin Williams territory, but he’s yet to make his version of Patch Adams or What Dreams May Come, though that weird Noah’s Ark movie was close (or so I’m guessing from the awful trailer).
April 12th, 2008 at 10:42 am
“I found me” made me discover z-ro and his whole clique. I must say I’m a fan now.
April 12th, 2008 at 9:10 pm
Props!!!!!! I’mma big Z-ro fan, I’m not up on his earlier work. I’ve been on Let The Truth Be Told, Power & I’m Still Livin.
You got to tread carefully, b/c I heard some one of his earlier albums and he sounded like a fake Bone Thugs…
April 15th, 2008 at 1:18 am
would be nice to see a link for a mix somewhere
can’t see shit though, we supposed to go get each of these tracks or what??
April 15th, 2008 at 9:48 am
click on the title.
April 15th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
i like Still Livin’ more than Let The Truth Be Told – a big part of that is the track on the latter where the hook is “i’m going platinum this tiiime.” pretty cringe-inducing.
also, “m-16″ off Still Livin’ cracks me up something special, so it’s got the edge.
although out of his individual cuts, “Fondren & Main” is one of the greatest songs of all time. no wonder screw put it on like six different tapes.
p.s. i got bored a few summers ago and drove south on fondren from its start at westheimer till the fucking boonies and somehow never encountered fondren & main. turns out main is a.k.a. highway 90 – who knew?
July 18th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Hadnt heard too much of Zros work before, this mix really put me on though. Thanks for this. Just picked up that ABN zro and trae album and that shit is hot.
December 2nd, 2009 at 9:30 pm
they dont know how we chop em up in the H motherfuccerz gettin confused