Why It Took 20 Years:
HOUSTON- More than 20 years after “Mo City Don” became one of the city’s most iconic rap songs, Houston rapper Z-Ro will be dropping the song’s official music video on Monday.
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The song has been considered a Houston anthem, with artists like Drake and Lizzo publicly rapping the lyrics over the years.
“The way it was done was, I mean, for lack of other words, it wasn’t nothing short of perfect,” said Z-Ro.
The rapper admitted he didn’t like the song at first when he recorded it more than two decades ago.
“At a time when I was trying to make my mark, I was trying to make my mark in a different genre of music,” said Z-Ro. “I was real heavy on the penmanship back then and this was a freestyle that I did.”
The Story Behind the Video:
According to the rapper, the idea to make a music video didn’t come from him. He said the concept came from Baby Jay, the son of music mogul James “J. Prince” Prince, who wanted to create a music video to the iconic song.
The video was shot in Ridgemont, the Missouri City neighborhood. Other scenes were filmed in Houston’s 5th ward.
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“Mo City first, the ward second,” said Z-Ro. “Everything else was on a whim between Mo City and the ward.”
While many associate the song with Missouri City, Z-Ro said the song’s title has often been misunderstood.
“This might hurt feelings but, I mean, it’s not a Mo City song. I’m just the Mo City Don. This is the Mo City Don freestyle,” he said.
Celebrating 713 Day:
Z- Ro said he never expected the song to become one of Houston’s most popular hip-hop records. The visual debuts on July 13, coinciding with Houston’s annual 713 Day celebration
“Of course, we knew 713 Day was coming up. Shout out to KeKe because I’d never want to step on no toes. 713, this is a Don KeKe day,” said Z-Ro. “It’s looked upon an H-Town, a Texas holiday at this point. I can see why they’d want to put it out on a day when the culture of the H is going to be put on display.”
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