The Mighty Underdog

Z-Ro "You"


Z-Ro "Lonely"

This week, Rap-A-Lot released Z-Ro's latest album, Crack, with zero promotion to speak of outside maybe a 10-mile radius around Fondren & Main. Which is about the same promotion that the ABN (Trae & Z-Ro) It Is What It Is release got earlier this year. And that's a damn shame.

I just got put onto Z-Ro earlier this year and I've been anticipating more from him ever since. Z-Ro, the self-proclaimed "King of the Ghetto", possesses the same quality that makes Tupac and The Game so attractive. Amidst all his posturing, Z-Ro is brutally honest and emotionally vulnerable. He doesn't bother much fabricating tales of the crack game or really tales of anything. His singular obsession is the loyalty of those around him. He constantly shifts betweeen unabashed love and unrelenting hatred for the people around him, without a hint of irony or self-consciousness. At one point, they could save him but at another they could be gold-digging fakes. With this paranoia, he reveals the scars of a tortured soul, struggling with himself to find companionship. His latest album is full of his signature brand of down-home bluesy raps. It's not quite as strong as the ABN album because it's less varied without the relief of Trae. But it's still really good and it definitely merits more buzz than it currently has.