ABN (rap duo)
Encyclopedia
ABN or Assholes by Nature is a rap
duo consisting of Houston, Texas-based artists Trae
and Z-RO
. They have released two albums, Assholes by Nature (2003) and It Is What It Is (2008).
Texas rap scene. Their first collaboration was on Z-RO's debut 1998 album Look What You Did to Me, with them regularly appearing on each other's albums.
on four tracks.
In 2008 the duo released It Is What It Is which turned out to be the biggest commercial success for both artists. The album was released on Rap-a-Lot Records
and produced by Brandon Crear. The album reached number 62 on the Billboard 200
, 10 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
, and 7 on the Top Rap Albums
charts. Previously the artists had 13 appearances on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart between them; this was the first in the top 10.
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
duo consisting of Houston, Texas-based artists Trae
Trae
Frazier Thompson III, better known by his stage name Trae, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. He is a part of the underground rap collective Screwed Up Click. Trae and Z-RO, along with Dougie D, are the founding members of the group Guerilla Maab...
and Z-RO
Z-Ro
Joseph Wayne McVey , better known by his stage name Z-Ro, is an American rapper, singer and producer from Houston, Texas. He was named one of America's most underrated rappers by the New York Times.-Early life:...
. They have released two albums, Assholes by Nature (2003) and It Is What It Is (2008).
Background
The duo is a collaboration between Z-RO and Trae, both of whom are solo recording artists well established within the undergroundUnderground hip hop
Underground hip hop is an umbrella term for hip hop music outside the general commercial canon. It is typically associated with independent artists, signed toindependent labels or no label at all....
Texas rap scene. Their first collaboration was on Z-RO's debut 1998 album Look What You Did to Me, with them regularly appearing on each other's albums.
Discography
ABN's first release was 2003's the independent G-Maab records was produced by P.K. Johnson. Assholes by Nature was a double CD and featured Warren GWarren G
Warren G , is an American West Coast rapper and hip hop producer. He is also Dr. Dre's half-brother.His biggest hit is the song "Regulate" with Nate Dogg released in 1994...
on four tracks.
In 2008 the duo released It Is What It Is which turned out to be the biggest commercial success for both artists. The album was released on Rap-a-Lot Records
Rap-A-Lot Records
Rap-a-Lot Records is a Houston hip hop record label. Rap-a-Lot was created in 1986. Sublabels include Smoke-a-Lot Records. The label was founded by James Prince in the mid-1980s and, with its most famous act the Geto Boys, put the South on the hip hop map. Since then, it has maintained its success...
and produced by Brandon Crear. The album reached number 62 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, 10 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums
Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999...
, and 7 on the Top Rap Albums
Top Rap Albums
Top Rap Albums is a record chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks Rap and hip-hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart began publication for the week of November 13, 2004....
charts. Previously the artists had 13 appearances on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart between them; this was the first in the top 10.