“Are you guys famous or something?” That’s what a random music fan said to the members of the Reno rap collective Thrashmob as they were finishing up the interview for this story at Reno City Plaza in early October.
The four group members—Thrashmob Z, Thrashmob Jay, TrapHouseBabyNemo and Suavecito—then talked with the young fan about where he had heard them before. It turns out it was from Thrashmob Z’s video for “The Takeover,” which was shot nearby at the Reno Arch.
“The Takeover” is one of several releases and videos the collective has put forth in 2026. Though Z said the group has been together officially since 2017, this past year has been a particularly busy one for Thrashmob.
They’ve done shows at Club Underground, The Alpine and even an all-ager at normally punk-centric Pizzava Showspace. They also performed in California towns Nevada City and Vacaville, and at the Reno Super Custom Car Show in May at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center.
The push to get Thrashmob’s music out there is full steam ahead for the fall and winter. Z said his new album, The People’s Champ, is going to be released on streaming services to coincide with Thrashmob’s Friday, Oct. 30, show at Club Underground.
TrapHouseBabyNemo said he will have a new single, “Preaching in the Biggest Little City,” and an album, That’s Bananas, coming out later this year. Plus, Suavecito and Z will have a new record, as yet untitled, also out before the year ends, Z said.
No matter the context, whether it’s a live show or on streaming services, Z made it clear that his group’s goal is to set themselves apart from other rappers in the genre right now, and in ways beyond being prolific.
“Nowadays, negativity is cool, but we’re trying to push positivity,” Z said. “Love is what sets us apart from a lot of these motherfuckers. Ask anyone who knows us, man. It ain’t nothing but love on this side.”
Everyone’s got a role
If there’s a group that’s similar to Thrashmob, it’s Wu-Tang Clan, in construction if not sound. Both combos gather for shows and sometimes songs, while the members also release separate tracks or videos. Plus, everyone in Thrashmob, like in Wu-Tung, has an individual style and role within the group.
Z sings and raps, and he covers styles from straight-ahead rap to reggaeton, EDM and even some elements of country and rock. He likes to write about a variety of subjects: party songs, topical songs, sex raps, and even stories about street life.
“Just heartfelt shit, you know, real shit from the soul, trying to lead people in the right direction,” Z said.
Nemo raps in Spanish and English and said he likes “to just rap about my life and what goes on in the city. I love the people—I love the city itself, so I like to rap about just what goes on inside that people on the outside of the city don’t see.”
Suavecito is a singer and rapper and writes what he called “sad music, like more heartbreaking music—like lovey-dovey. R&B was my major thing growing up.”
Jay sticks to rapping only. He said that he’s written about “anything you can think of, but I pretty much just write about the party, the club.”
For the music, Z said the group buys beats online—“mainly rap shit, but I just recently dropped a blues mixtape.”
Z said it’s important that Thrashmob makes diverse music so the group isn’t just considered one-trick pony.
“I want to be the best, and I think to be the best, you’ve got to step out of your comfort zone,” he said. “You can’t just stick with what feels right and what feels the same. You’d be surprised at the different crowds that you can touch, because if I’m just touching one genre, I’m only going to reach a certain amount of people.”
Staying motivated
All of the rappers agreed that Z is the catalyst for Thrashmob, the person who organizes recordings and shows, and encourages them to be a part of recordings.
“Making music is like an instant dopamine hit,” Suavecito said. “Like, I need that again. … I started making music due to (Z). For sure, he’s a huge motivation for me and my music, because all I ever wanted to do was make a song, and now we’ve got a dozen of them.”
Nemo also said that being a part of Thrashmob is what really made his own rap music come to life.
“I was doing my thing, but too stuck in the streets and lost in the streets,” Nemo said. “I didn’t want to go ahead and put the time into it, dive into it. But (Z) was telling me, ‘Hey bro, put your all into it this year, and I’m going to put you on shows and all types of shit.’ So fast forward, 10 months later, here we are doing interviews. And not just that, but we’re on our 14th show.”
For Jay, it’s the camaraderie that’s also a huge motivation.
“I feel like we just do it for the love of it, and how we are all brothers and we all like hanging out and doing something fun together, especially rocking the stages,” Jay said. “Honestly, I wouldn’t want to rock the stage with nobody else but them.”
The Thrashmob Halloween Headliner starts at 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 30, at Club Underground, at 555 E. Fourth St., with music from the group, plus rappers Breezy FoFo, Chi Shi, OW Tubbz and DJ Disco Lazer. For more details on the show and links to Thrashmob’s music, visit @thrashmob_z on Instagram. Tickets start at $21.62; get them here.