ABN (hip-hop duo)

ABN
Also known as	Assholes by Nature
Origin	Houston, Texas, United States
Genres	Southern hip hop
Years active	2003 (2003)–2008
Labels	G-Maab Rap-A-Lot
Members	Trae tha Truth Z-Ro Lil Boss Jay'ton

ABN or Assholes by Nature is an American hip hop duo, composed of Houston, Texas-based rappers Trae tha Truth and Z-Ro. They have so far released two studio albums Assholes by Nature (2003) and It Is What It Is (2008).

History

The duo is a collaboration between Z-Ro and Trae, both of whom are well established solo recording artists within Texas' underground hip hop scene.[1] Their first collaboration was on Z-Ro's debut album Look What You Did to Me (1998), with them regularly appearing on each other's albums thereafter.[2] Z-Ro and Trae grew apart in subsequent years and parted ways altogether after their last (and so far final) album in 2008 due to personal and creative differences.

In 2022, in a statement to XXL, Z-Ro claimed Trae Tha Truth asked to talk to him outside a Houston Restaurant before he allegedly sucker punched him, following which several men jumped in and continued to assault him.[3] On September 2, 2022, a viral video obtained by TMZ,[4] shows Trae attacking Z-Ro with the rest of his crew, during 50 Cent’s TYCOON weekend.[5] This comes after Trae denied on his Instagram page following the altercation and previous footage that went viral, that Z-Ro was not outnumbered in the fight. In December, Trae was charged with a misdemeanor for assault causing bodily injury. Video surfaced of him turning himself in to authorities; he was reportedly released on bond shortly after.[6][7]

Discography

ABN's first release was a double CD titled Assholes by Nature. It was released in 2003 by the independent label G-Maab Records and was produced by P.K. Johnson.[8]

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.[9] 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.

Studio albums

Year	Album	Peak chart positions
		U.S.[10]	U.S. R&B[11]	U.S. Rap[12]
2003	Assholes by Nature Released: 2003 Label: Guerilla Maab Entertainment	—	—	—
2008	It Is What It Is Released: July 15, 2008 Label: Rap-A-Lot Records/Asylum Records/Warner Bros. Records	62	10	7

References

1. Birchmeier, Jason. "Biography-ABN". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 1 November 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
2. Nova Lomax, John (June 22, 2006). "An underground legend teams up with Rap-A-Lot in a bid to break nationwide". Houston Press. Archived from the original on 8 March 2016. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
3. Fitzgerald, Trent (30 August 2022). "Z-Ro Claims Trae Tha Truth Asked to Talk and Then Sucker Punched Him". XXL Mag. Archived from the original on 2022-09-01. Retrieved 2022-09-06.
4. "Trae Tha Truth Jumped Z-Ro During 50 Cent Tycoon Weekend, New Footage Shows". TMZ. 2 September 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-09-07. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
5. "New Fight Footage Shows Trae Tha Truth Assisted in Z-Ro's Attack". parlemag.com. September 3, 2022. Archived from the original on 2022-09-07. Retrieved 2022-09-07.
6. "Z-Ro Fan Confronts 'Bitch-Ass' Trae Tha Truth Over August Beatdown". HipHopDX. 5 April 2023. Archived from the original on 11 April 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
7. Sharma, Ahmed (30 December 2022). "Houston rapper Trae tha Truth charged with assault against Z-Ro". FOX 26 Houston. Archived from the original on 13 January 2023. Retrieved 1 November 2023.
8. "A.B.N. - A.W.N. Films Presents: "A.B.N." Assholes By Nature, Starring The Soundtrack". Discogs. Archived from the original on 18 September 2009. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
9. "Credits It Is What It Is". Allmusic. Retrieved 30 January 2010.
10. "ABN Chart History". Billboard 200. Archived from the original on May 23, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
11. "ABN Chart History". Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Archived from the original on May 23, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.
12. "ABN Chart History". Top Rap Albums. Archived from the original on May 26, 2018. Retrieved May 16, 2018.

External links

• ABN at AllMusic
• ABN on Facebook