Baritone-voiced Houston rapper Z-Ro has built a cult following with his grim street narratives. • Z-Ro grew up in Houston’s Missouri City section. He has described himself as a bookish kid who also dabbled in crime. He was shot twice as an adolescent, which crushed his hoop dreams. • By the mid-1990s, Z-Ro had begun freestyle rapping over R&B songs. After local icon DJ Screw’s brother heard him freestyle in a club in 1997, Z-Ro became a member of the Screwed Up Click. • He was in two groups, Guerilla Maab and ABN, with his cousin Trae The Truth. Trae debuted as a guest on Ro’s first album, 1998’s Let the Truth Be Told. • In 2003, Z-Ro guested on Scarface’s controversial single “Bitch N***a”, which disses 50 Cent. • Z-Ro’s 2008 album Crack reached No. 48 on the Billboard 200—the highest placement of his career. • Beyoncé recruited Z-Ro for 2014’s “I Been On (Remix)”, which also features Houston legends Bun B, Scarface, Willie D, Slim Thug and Lil Keke. Z-Ro makes a cameo in Bey’s “No Angel” music video, released that same year.