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Kevin Santana
Kevin In Africa
Background information
Birth name	Kevin Santana
Born	(1977-01-19) January 19, 1977 (age 47) Houston, Texas, U.S.
Origin	Missouri City, Texas, U.S.
Genres	Hip hop
Occupation(s)	Rapper, Producer
Years active	1994–present
Labels	Asylum Rap-a-Lot King of the Ghetto Entertainment
Website	Z-Ro on Twitter

Joseph Wayne McVey (born January 19, 1977), better known by his stage name Z-Ro, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. He was named one of America's most underrated rappers by the New York Times.

Early life

Z-Ro was born Joseph Wayne McVey in Houston’s notorious South Park neighborhood on January 19, 1977. At age six his mother died, and he was shuttled from household to household in search of stability, eventually settling in the Ridgemont area of Missouri City in Southwest Houston. 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, Geto Boys, 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 rapping and after going through a couple of recording studios to make a demo, the CEO of a local label discovered and signed him.

Career

In 1998, Z-Ro released his debut album, Look What You Did to Me. Z-Ro is also a member of the original Screwed Up Click, an assortment of rappers from Houston. He celebrated his 22nd birthday at DJ Screw's house, recording the "Blue 22" tape. All of these things helped to escalate Z-Ro’s popularity throughout the South and by 2002 his talent and hard work caught the attention of Rap-a-Lot’s founder and CEO James Prince, who offered him a deal.

In 2004, 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 and "one of the best rap albums to come out of Houston" by the Houston Chronicle. In 2010 he released his next album titled Heroin, which was followed by another new album titled Meth in 2011.

Discography

References

1. ^ "Texas Births 1926–1995". "Family Tree Legends".
2. ^ Z-Ro Biography. Rapartists.com (1977-01-19). Retrieved on 2011-06-21.
3. Sanneh, Kelefa. (2007-05-27) A Hip-Hop Hurricane and Other Phenomena – New York Times. Nytimes.com. Retrieved on 2011-06-21.
4. ^ "Z-Ro Biography". Artist Direct. Retrieved January 12, 2012.
5. ^ Breihan, Tom (2006-12-07). "Project Pat and Z-Ro: The Unsung Heroes of Southern Rap". The Village Voice. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
6. Sanneh, Kelefa (2007-05-27). "A Hip-Hop Hurricane and Other Phenomena". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
7. Peralita, Eyder (2006-11-06). "Z-Ro breaks ground, visits the past on new CD". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-09-07.
8. allmusic ((( Z-Ro > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))

Template:Persondata

• 1977 births
• African-American male rappers
• Southern hip hop musicians
• Living people
• Musicians from Houston, Texas
• Rappers from Houston, Texas
• Screwed Up Click members
• Underground rappers