Joseph Wayne McVey (born January 19, 1976), better known by his stage name Z-RO, is an African American rapper, singer, and producer. He has built a reputation as a southern rapper. Z-RO has sold about 1,000,000 albums in the U.S. Despite most of his popularity belonging to the south, he has been named as one of America\'s most underrated rappers by the New York Times and is considered by some to be among the best lyricists in hip hop today. Common themes in Z-RO\'s music are crime and poverty, often relating to his personal experience. For example, the music video for Hate You was recorded while he was incarcerated in Harris County jail. Though common, crime and poverty are not the only focuses of his music. Z-RO has been known to uplift crowds with his hope bringing songs such as “Lovely Day” and “T.H.U.G (True Hero Under God)”. His 2006 album I\'m Still Livin\' was released while Z-RO 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. Background information Birth name Joseph W. McVey Also known as Barre Kelly, Cilly Dee Williams, King of the Ghetto, Mo City Don, Relvis Presley, Rother Vandross, Teddy Pinch-a-gram, Z-RO Tha Crooked Born January 19, 1976 (1976-01-19) (age 34) Missouri City, Texas Origin Houston, Texas, U.S. United States Genres Hip hop, R&B Occupations Rapper, Record Producer, Singer Years active 1994 – present Labels Asylum Rap-a-Lot King Of The Ghetto Ent. Associated acts Screwed Up Click, Trae, Slim Thug, Mya, UGK, Paul Wall, Lil Flip, Juvenile, Scarface, Gucci Mane, Daz Dillinger, ABN.