Z-RO was born Joseph Wayne McVey IV in Houston's South Park neighborhood on January 19, 1977.[5] At age six his mother died, and he was shuttled from household to household in search of stability, eventually settling in the Ridgemont area, a middle-class suburb in Missouri City in Southwest Houston.[5] When Z-Ro reached his late teens he was unemployed and resorted to drug dealing and hustling on the streets.[5] 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.[5] Z-Ro discovered his talent of freestyle rapping and after going through a couple of recording studios to make a demo,[5] the CEO of a local label discovered and signed him.
Z-Ro released his critically acclaimed Rap-a-Lot debut titled The Life of Joseph W. McVey.[5][6] The record was a huge success and helped expand Z-Ro's and Bobby Craig's fan base beyond the South.[5] In 2005, Z-Ro released Let the Truth Be Told, which was well received.[5] Z-Ro's 2006 album I'm Still Livin' was released while he was imprisoned for drug possession, to positive reviews.[7][8] It was called "a great album... powerful" but "relentlessly bleak" by The Village Voice[7] and "one of the best rap albums to come out of Houston" by the Houston Chronicle.[9] In 2010 he released the album titled Heroin, which was followed by an album titled Meth in 2011 and then Angel Dust in 2012.
Z-Ro released his first EP under The Mo City Don titled Tripolar on August 25, 2013 via One Deep Ent.[2] Z-Ro then followed up with The Crown in June 2014.[10] In February 2015, Z-Ro released his first proper studio album in three years, titled Melting the Crown.
In 2016, Z-Ro released Drankin & Drivin in August[11] and Legendary in November under his label One Deep Entertainment.
Keep It Real
Z-Ro Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But homie you ain’t got to be a hater no mo'
How can you live you life when you know you are a hoe?
I’m Dr. Real Phil, I’m here to help you let go
It ain’t hard to keep it real!
It ain’t hard to keep it real!
It ain’t hard to keep it real!
Matter fact, it’s for free
What’s so hard about saying I did good if I did good?
Why you got to find something wrong?
Always complaining, just like a baby momma, just hit the drink
Hit the smoke, playa, loosen up yo thong
Stop acting like a bitch, even if you are a bitch 'cause that ain’t cool
That’s why the real people never kick it wit you
When you come around that dank smoke I smoke don’t even be tasting great
So you’ve been a hater since day one
It still ain’t too late to erase the hate
On Instagram, straight flexing
Hating on everybody else’s bitch
Can’t even remember yo password
That’s how much you’re on everybody else’s shit
Ain’t ever took a pee sitting down
Ain’t nothing feminine about my manhood
Hit a high note but ain’t nothing soft about me, I wish yo ass would
I know you’ve been actin’ weak since you came in the do'
But homie you ain’t got to be a hater no mo'
How can you live you life when you know you are a hoe?
I’m Dr. Real Phil, I’m here to help you let go
It ain’t hard to keep it real!
It ain’t hard to keep it real!
It ain’t hard to keep it real!
Matter fact, it’s for free
And if it’s anything less than real, that ain’t for me
All I chase is money, you can keep them bitches
Vvs glisten, all these Backwoods I be twisting
Jealous of our status, you mo' pussy than a pageant
Gold in the marble Polo boxes in the palace
I be sipping till I slur, dipping through the third
Codeine in my Wheaties, smell the syrup in the air
Belaire, I prefer we fuck the strippers by the pair
If her pussy classic then she might just get a pair
No time for the hating, against all my religions
Swangers when I’m skating, up in Gatsby with two pistols
All these bitches at me, they know it’s official
If I fuck 'er, never call 'er, then I might bag, Ricky Rizzle
I know you’ve been actin’ weak since you came in the do'
But homie you ain’t got to be a hater no mo'
How can you live you life when you know you are a hoe?
I’m Dr. Real Phil, I’m here to help you let go
It ain’t hard to keep it real!
It ain’t hard to keep it real!
It ain’t hard to keep it real!
Matter fact, it’s for free
And if it’s anything less than real, that ain’t for me
We the best like DJ Khaled but it ain’t no we mane, it’s just me mane
Since 1997 been repping original S.U.C., mane
While y’all swallowing hate I be swallowing drank
So I always got to go pee, man
Fuck Mike Mack, but me and J cool
Got to feed my people and feed me, man
I’ve been frowning all my life
Soon as I start smiling y’all ain’t like that
When I kick a freestyle, my haters like
'Yo, the most hit it, don’t have to write that’
Memphis ice jacked, they gonna say they’re fake
'Cause my diamonds look like they’re panicking
Wanna know how I feel, these rappers ain’t real
Just me and a whole lot of mannequins
I remember back in the day I had beef wit DJ Michael Watts
Nowadays it’s Swishah House, S.U.C., I eat wit DJ Michael Watts
I don’t wanna be in a rap group, I’d rather do me alone
Everybody so surely, I’m so glad that boy Lil Boosie is home
I know you’ve been actin’ weak since you came in the do'
But homie you ain’t got to be a hater no mo'
How can you live you life when you know you are a hoe?
I’m Dr. Real Phil, I’m here to help you let go
It ain’t hard to keep it real!
It ain’t hard to keep it real!
It ain’t hard to keep it real!
Matter fact, it’s for free
And if it’s anything less than real, that ain’t for me, yeah
In the song "Keep It Real," Z-Ro educates listeners against hating and encourages them to embrace honesty. He says that it is easy to be truthful and being real is free. The lyrics portray that it is not necessary to hate on someone else's success or progress, as it does not help one's own growth. Z-Ro says that the act of finding fault even in the good work of others resembles immature behavior. He advises people to let go of such tendencies and live a truthful life. The song also touches upon themes of masculinity and bravado, with Z-Ro asserting his own manhood and calling out those who act in ways he deems feminine.
Throughout the song, Z-Ro uses a tone of conviction and confidence, reminding listeners of the benefits of being truthful and the drawbacks of being fake. He also speaks unfavorably of those who exhibit behaviors that he considers hateful, such as being jealous of someone else's success or spreading negativity. The lyrics bring to light the ways in which people can be more considerate and supportive of each other instead of tearing each other down.
Line by Line Meaning
I know you’ve been actin’ weak since you came in the do'
I can see that you've been acting insecure since you arrived.
But homie you ain’t got to be a hater no mo'
However, you don't have to continue being a hater anymore.
How can you live you life when you know you are a hoe?
It's hard to have a fulfilling life when you're aware that you're promiscuous.
I’m Dr. Real Phil, I’m here to help you let go
Let me be the one to help you move past your negativity.
It ain’t hard to keep it real!
Keeping it real isn't difficult.
Matter fact, it’s for free
In fact, it doesn't cost anything.
And if it’s anything less than real, that ain’t for me
If it's not genuine, I don't want any part of it.
What’s so hard about saying I did good if I did good?
Why is it difficult to acknowledge when someone does well?
Why you got to find something wrong?
Why do you have to nitpick and find faults?
Always complaining, just like a baby momma, just hit the drink
You're constantly complaining, just like a troublesome mother, have a drink and relax a bit.
Hit the smoke, playa, loosen up yo thong
Smoke some weed, loosen up and calm down a bit.
Stop acting like a bitch, even if you are a bitch 'cause that ain’t cool
Don't behave in an unmanly way, even if you are a man with less masculine traits, it's not cool.
That’s why the real people never kick it wit you
That's why genuine people don't hang out with you.
When you come around that dank smoke I smoke don’t even be tasting great
When you're around, even the best weed doesn't taste as good.
So you’ve been a hater since day one
You've been a hater from the very beginning.
It still ain’t too late to erase the hate
It's not too late to get rid of your negativity and prejudices.
On Instagram, straight flexing
You're boasting on Instagram.
Hating on everybody else’s bitch
You're envious of other people's girlfriends.
Can’t even remember yo password
You can't even remember your password.
That’s how much you’re on everybody else’s shit
That's how often you're obsessing over other people's lives.
Ain’t ever took a pee sitting down
I've never peed while sitting down.
Ain’t nothing feminine about my manhood
There's nothing feminine about me being a man.
Hit a high note but ain’t nothing soft about me, I wish yo ass would
I might sing a high note, but don't mistake it for me being soft.
All I chase is money, you can keep them bitches
I'm only interested in pursuing money, you can keep the women.
Vvs glisten, all these Backwoods I be twisting
My diamond shines brilliantly, and I roll Backwoods cigars.
Jealous of our status, you mo' pussy than a pageant
You're jealous of our success, and you're more cowardly than a beauty pageant contestant.
Gold in the marble Polo boxes in the palace
I have gold in my marble and Polo boxes in my mansion.
I be sipping till I slur, dipping through the third
I drink until I'm slurring, riding through the third ward.
Codeine in my Wheaties, smell the syrup in the air
I put codeine in my Wheaties, and you can smell the syrup in the air.
Belaire, I prefer we fuck the strippers by the pair
I prefer to drink Belaire while sleeping with two strippers at once.
If her pussy classic then she might just get a pair
If her vagina is especially good, she might get a pair of shoes.
No time for the hating, against all my religions
I don't have time for hate, and it goes against my religious beliefs.
Swangers when I’m skating, up in Gatsby with two pistols
I have swangas on my car when I'm driving, and I go to Gatsby's with two guns.
All these bitches at me, they know it’s official
All these women are interested in me, they know it's the truth.
If I fuck 'er, never call 'er, then I might bag, Ricky Rizzle
If I have sex with a woman and never call her again, then I might be like Ricky Rizzle.
We the best like DJ Khaled but it ain’t no we mane, it’s just me mane
I'm as good as DJ Khaled, but it's just me, not a group.
Since 1997 been repping original S.U.C., mane
I've been representing the original S.U.C. since 1997 with pride.
While y’all swallowing hate I be swallowing drank
While you're consuming hate, I'm consuming alcohol.
So I always got to go pee, man
So I always have to go urinate.
Fuck Mike Mack, but me and J cool
I don't like Mike Mack, but me and J are cool.
Got to feed my people and feed me, man
I have to feed both my people and myself.
I’ve been frowning all my life
I've been unhappy my entire life.
Soon as I start smiling y’all ain’t like that
As soon as I start feeling happy, people don't like it.
When I kick a freestyle, my haters like
When I do a freestyle, my haters think to themselves,
'Yo, the most hit it, don’t have to write that’
'He's just making it up as he goes along, he's not writing it down.'
Memphis ice jacked, they gonna say they’re fake
People will try to claim my jewelry is phony, especially the diamond pieces from Memphis.
'Cause my diamonds look like they’re panicking
This is because my diamonds are of a high quality and shine brilliantly.
Wanna know how I feel, these rappers ain’t real
If you want to know how I feel, I don't believe that most rappers are authentic.
Just me and a whole lot of mannequins
It's just me and a lot of fake people, like mannequins.
I remember back in the day I had beef wit DJ Michael Watts
I used to have issues with DJ Michael Watts in the past.
Nowadays it’s Swishah House, S.U.C., I eat wit DJ Michael Watts
Nowadays, I'm a part of Swishah House and the S.U.C., and I eat with DJ Michael Watts.
I don’t wanna be in a rap group, I’d rather do me alone
I don't want to be part of a rap group, I prefer to do my own thing.
Everybody so surely, I’m so glad that boy Lil Boosie is home
Everyone is so confident, but I'm glad Lil Boosie is home from prison.
And if it’s anything less than real, that ain’t for me, yeah
If it's not genuine, I don't want any part of it.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind