The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com.

​This Week's Rapper: Reggie

This Week's Prompt: Which are the six best rap songs about weed and/or the smoking of said weed? And can you provide a tiny bit of commentary for each selection?

Reggie: Here are the six songs about that herb that I fuck with:

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The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com.

​Note: 90.1 KPFT's Damage Control has long been essential listening for underground rap fans in Houston. The host, Zeak, is a funny, insightful, well-respected member of the community. Listen to the show. It starts at 11 p.m. every Wednesday evening.

This Week's Radio DJ: Zeak

This Week's Prompt: How to get on the radio

Ask A Rapper: So, DJ, some rapid fire questions:

Let's say someone --a rapper, for example-- wants to get their song on the radio (we hear this is the kind of thing they're interested in). What are the steps for making that happen?

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The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place -lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good- so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to sheaserrano@gmail.com.

​This Week's Rapper(s): Undergravity, currently the most anachronistic rap group in existence.

This Week's Prompt: Plumbing the 1990s for the six best Houston rap songs.

Ask A Rapper: Assignment is easy: You guys pick the best six Houston rap songs from the nineties. Ready? Annnnd go.

Undergravity: First of all, it's very difficult to pick six songs out of the best decade in Houston's rap scene. This list is in no particular order, but all songs were significant in our lives.

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The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place -lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good- so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to sheaserrano@gmail.com.

This Week's Rapper: #Thurogod

This Week's Prompt: Mourning

Sunday, Baltimore's dastardly hellbirds beat God's Children. It was the worst kind of loss (one that could've been prevented). As such, Houston football fans have since been in a halfway tailspin, deifying those that played well (Arian Foster, Andre, the entire offensive and defensive lines) and crucifying those that didn't (Jacoby, Kareem Jackson, Jacoby, Jacoby, Jacoby). We went to church after the game looking for solace, but were left wanting. So we called on a higher power: #Thurogod.

Since the video for his new single, "All Cried," released this weekend (that's it at the top of this post), he agreed to help. What follows is a playlist of songs appropriate for mourning the death of the Texans' season and/or moving forward. Praise be to the most high.

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The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place -lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good- so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to sheaserrano@gmail.com.

​This Week's Rapper: Jon Black

This Week's Subject: Collaborations.

Ask A Rapper: So here's what we need.

Slim Thug and Z-Ro are apparently going to do an album together. We imagine you either think that's great or that's awful, depending on how your brain processes things. So you do this: List five other collaboration albums you'd like to see come to fruition. A daunting task, sure, but if anyone can do it, Jon Black can. Ready? Go.

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The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place -lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good- so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to sheaserrano@gmail.com.

​This Week's Rapper: DeVille

This Week's Subject: Underappreciated picks from Wu-Tang's catalogue

Next Thursday, the mighty Wu-Tang Clan -- or, as Southern rap fans know them, New York's Geto Boys -- will attempt to Kung-Fu the shit out of the House of Blues. In preparation, we called on rapper DeVille, unofficial Wu-Tang scholar, to give us the five most underappreciated songs from Wu-Tang's songagraphy. He's done so admirably (the only omission we truly lament is RZA's "Grits"). Picks and videos below.

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The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com.

​Like we always do at this time.

The Ask A Rapper column has existed for a couple of years now. It serves a couple of different purposes. At times, it is a semi-anthropological examination of hip-hop culture, at others it exists solely as a vessel for penis jokes. Whatever the ends, it's generally a positively received weekly post.

The ten best from 2011.

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The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place -lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good- so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Have something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email it to sheaserrano@gmail.com.

​This Week's Rapper: DJ Mr. Luke

This Week's Subject: The most intriguing rap storylines of the year.

Ask A Rapper: So we'll make this easy (or difficult, depending on how you look at it). Here's what we need: Can you list the six most intriguing story lines from rap in 2011? Was it Kanye and Jay-Z somehow avoiding having their album leaked? Was it Tyler, the Creator warbling the Internet? Was it something Bieber did? What were they? Go.

DJ Mr. Luke: The most intriguing story lines from rap in 2011:

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The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com.

​Note: Last week, That Purple Bastard and D-Risha released a Houstoncentric track called "Ebonics." And then this interview happened.

This Week's Rapper: That Purple Bastard

This Week's Subject: People that aren't from Houston that have sampled Houston rap.

Ask A Rapper: So, we figured since you all have this inside baseball track that you are pushing, and since everyone made a great big fuss about Drake sampling E.S.G. twice on Take Care, and since you're a producer, you might be the guy to answer this question:

Can you name the six best tracks where someone not from Houston sampled someone from Houston?

That Purple Bastard:

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The hip-hop world is a less than sensible place - lots of times, you're even required to clarify when bad means bad and when bad means good - so once a week we're going to get with a rapper and ask them to explain things. Something you always wanted to ask a rapper? Email sheaserrano@gmail.com.

This Week's Rapper: Lil Chris

This Week's Subject: Young rappers; Lil Romeo; Lil Chuckee

Ask A Rapper: Let's do this: list the six best rappers that are/were under 15. It doesn't matter if they're not 15 anymore, only that were once rapping when they were under that age. For example, Lil Bow Wow from 2001 could make it. Bow Wow from 2011 could not. Got it? Great. Go.

Lil Chris: Lil Romeo had a unique flow and kept it positive. He's one reason I decided to jump into the music industry. He was someone speaking out for the kids.

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