The brazenness and power of being the lone wolf, according to Z-Ro

Z-Ro lives in a world where everything is a song, and you can hear it in his music.

The rapper has come a long way from his “Look What You Did To Me” era, but still maintains a level head by being one deep, like his lone-wolf label.

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In the studio with the lights dim and his sunglasses on, he explains to me his proclivity for independence.

"I didn’t want it to be that way," Z-Ro says. "It was designed by the people around me. When you work in this industry you get to see a lot of shiesty shit up close and personal. But I get a bigger bag of money and it’s all mine. It’s better that way."

Before I can ask him my next question, our roles reverse and he becomes the interviewer, and I the interviewee.

"This is my chance to tell the interview person my question," he says eagerly. "How would you feel, you know what I’m saying? If somebody you broke your back for won’t break a finger for you?"

The Mo City Don answers his own rhetorical question.

"It’s going to push you to either be idiotic and go find somebody else to do it, or it’s going to push you to be smart and do the shit yourself."

Church and religion have always been prevalent in Z-Ro's life. He says that he learned rhythm and cadence from Shady Acres Church of Christ.

The church, located near the Heights in Houston, is where Z-Ro was first baptized. His father was and still remains a song leader in the church, and that’s where the “King of Da Ghetto” began his musical journey.

"He taught me melodies. 'Jesus is Coming Soon' and 'Rock of Ages,' all those church songs," Z-Ro says.

He would go on to join a singing group at his church, developing his singing prowess much further before he picked up a pen and become a ghetto poet.

Even with divine influence, Z-Ro tells me how he doesn’t count on hope.

"The hope, I don’t have. But faith, you know what I’m saying, the faith that something is going to come into fruition is more so me," Z-Ro explains. "Your faith has to be really strong, but I’m not hoping for anything to happen. I have the faith that it will. The faith is there because I’ve seen that nothing turn into something so many times."

The rapper has dealt with death, drug abuse and homelessness, and you hear it in the music.

"All of my experiences, you know, it’s all coming from a real place," Z-Ro says.

The rapper chose the name Z-Ro for a reason, and decided to stick with the moniker.

"I got the name because I ain’t have shit,” Z-Ro says. "But I knew I was going to come up, and I’m going to keep this name to remind me of what I’m not going back to, that’s where that comes from. To hear him [J. Prince] say he didn’t want to fuck with nobody that called themselves nothing, I was like, cool, I’ll do this shit myself."

During the early years of his career, Z-Ro received some pushback for his style and what he chose to rap about. The "Crack" rapper explained that there were many more people like him, dealing with the complications of living in the ghetto, than there were people living lavishly.

"I’d rather focus on them," Z-Ro says. "The people like me, the people in the trenches. Hopefully, one day it’ll get me to the opposite."

Those words reign true for the Houston emcee, as he’s seen both underground and mainstream success. He recalls making "Get Throwed," a hip-hop track that was so inherently Southern, it included Pimp C, Bun B, a very young Jeezy and Z-Ro. The song reached the top of the charts with a verse from Jay-Z.

When he first had the opportunity to meet Pimp C, he felt as if he were looking in a mirror, Z-Ro recalls.

"He was fucked up like I was. But in a good way though."

The two had a thought-provoking friendship and rarely discussed music. They went down rabbit holes in long conversations, discussed housing projects and politics, read books like "The Horsemen" and talked conspiracy theories.

"We’d record a song here and there, but it was always 'Illuminati this' and 'Rothstein that' and a whole lot of 'don’t let the man get you.'"

There’s no specific event that can mark how Z-Ro made it where he is today, but he sums it up as growth. Although the rapper has had a 23-year run in the rap game, he has no plans to retire anytime soon.

"Like Pimp C used to say, 'the money is good,'" Z-Ro says in his best Tony Snow impersonation. "If you got a million dollars, don’t you want another one?"

The rapper says that if he ever gets to the point where he feels like he’s satisfied with what he’s accomplished, he might as well be dead. Z-Ro leaves me with a carpe diem-style sentiment.

"You’re better off doing it yourself. Time waits for no one. You got to hit your lick when you can."