Crack, Z-Ro’s twelfth album, is among his strongest and most complete statements to date, and with 2005’s Let the Truth Be Told, stands as his most definitive work. Z-Ro has long been renowned for his authoritative and insightful presence, and for once he is matched with a deserving set of beats. “Made” and “The Mo City Don” make unnerving, impending apparitions out of the standard Southern rap template, while “If That’s How You Feel” places Ro in front of the percussive fanfare of a New Orleans parade band. With “Tired” Ro proves he is one of the few performers whose singing voice is as expressive as his rapping. He avoids histrionics, and makes sure that every time he opens his mouth it hits you in the gut. Like Scarface and the Notorious B.I.G. before him, Z-Ro refuses to indulge in the hustler lifestyle without delving into the stress and regret that accompanies it. Lastly, he is nothing if not true to his roots. Texas rap doesn’t get more definitive than “Here We Go” and “Rollin,” while Ro uses “Top Notch” and “25 Lighters” to pay tribute to Pimp C and DJ Screw, two of his fallen Houston comrades.