Block Entertainment/Bad Boy South artist Gorilla Zoe [click to read] is currently preparing for the release of his sophomore effort, Don’t Feed Da Animals. The follow-up to his 2007 solo debut, Welcome To The Zoo, is currently set for an early ’09 release. And in anticipation of Animals, Gorilla Zoe spoke to HipHopDX earlier this week to provide the lowdown on just what fans of the Atlanta native should expect from his second offering, as well as giving a status update on his crew, Boyz N Da Hood [click to read], explaining what role label-head Diddy doesn’t have in his music, why everyone in his native A-Town should look like T.I. [click to read], and what Lil Wayne [click to read], Rick Ross [click to read] and Ne-Yo [click to read] all have in common.
Following his replacement of Young Jeezy in BNDH, a high profile cameo on label mate Yung Joc’s successful ’07 single “Coffee Shop” [click to read], and scoring his own Top 10 rap track in “Hood Figga,” Zoe saw Zoo debut at #3 on the Hip Hop album chart, a seeming success for his first project. However, while he explained to DX that fan feedback was glowing for the street scriptures he laid down atop high-octane synths and thunderous 808’s, he has remained critical of the presentation of his husky voiced verbals on his introductory LP.
“To tell the truth, I didn’t know what I was doing,” confessed Zoe. “Like, I didn’t know how to…I had just really learned how to rap.”
Having since improved the approach he is taking to his craft, learning how to structure his heavy flow into a more seamless song format, Zoe is confident that Don’t Feed Da Animals won’t fall prey to the sophomore jinx, and will prove to be a classic instead of a coaster.
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“I found my lane,” he declared. “I know how to use my voice. I know what people wanna hear. I know what sounds good. Like, I’m there [now].”
In addition to an advancement of his rhyming abilities, Zoe also revealed to DX that he plans to switch it up slightly on Animals from his largely hood-oriented and club-centered subject matter.
“What I’ve learned…you ain’t gotta talk about the same shit everyday,” he said. “You ain’t gotta go to McDonald’s everyday. Go to Burger King, man. You want burgers, switch up, man, go to Wendy’s. Give the folks a different flavor.”
“Humans are emotional creatures,” he continued. “Why would you play off [just] a couple emotions? You look at [Hip Hop now], every song gotta be about getting high, making some money, buying some cars, shopping, going to the club, popping some bottles, fuckin’ some bitches, and doing it [all] again tomorrow. Every song ain’t gotta be like that. So definitely with this album I’m touching [on] a lot of different shit.”
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Casual rap fans still don’t seem to know who exactly Gorilla Zoe is, let alone why this shift in his content is so surprising. But the bulldog of Boyz N Da Hood believes his authentic approach will help him stand out from his fraudulent competition, or as Zoe refers to them, “cartoon characters” who fashion themselves into fictitious superhuman creations.
“If I was a superhero my name would be ‘Real Nigga,’” he said. “‘Real nigga to the rescue!’ I’d be having a hood on, [and] a hat twisted to the side. Like, I wouldn’t be flying in, I’d be hopping in a hooptie going to save the day. [Laughs].”
While currently overshadowed by the very real rap superheroes of his city, during his conversation with DXZoe displayed genuine appreciation for the rest of the talent in the A, including T.I., Andre 3000 [click to read] (who Zoe cites as his personal favorite emcee), Killer Mike, and Young Jeezy. Sidestepping hatin’ to dap up his more well-known A-Town peers for doin’ their thing.
“But what is Zoe doing?” he then asked rhetorically. “I’m in the club every night. I’m in the studio everyday. I’m droppin’ mixtapes every three weeks, or every month. Like, I’m working. Who killin’ me really?”
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Zoe is adamant that his work ethic will soon pay off and get him to the top of the heap in his hometown, along with his aforementioned emphasis on authenticity. As he boldly declared with the title of his recent DJ Scream-helmed mixtape, I Am Atlanta, Zoe is true to his 404 roots in both speak and style.
“You know like the way T.I.P. and them dress, that Polo shit?” he queried. “That’s so A-Town. We used to dress like that back in like 1994, when we was in high school. That’s how we kicked it, with the Polo boots, flannel shirts and shit. It’s just certain things are A-Town. And like, man, I am the definition of Atlanta and nobody can dispute that.”
While anyone disputing his allegiance to Atlanta is unlikely, mumblings about his loyalty to the Block Entertainment/Bad Boy South collective that introduced him to the game have surfaced since the fast tracking of his solo career began even before his formal debut as Young Jeezy’s replacement in Boyz N Da Hood on last year’s Back Up N Da Chevy [click to read] album.
“Free Big Gee,” Zoe offered first when asked about the status of BNDH. “Jody [Breeze] working on his new project. Duke, he working on his shit. Everybody working on they solo projects right now. When Gee get out, I think Block gon’ put together another Boyz N Da Hood album.”
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Now that the Boyz are on hold, and Eightball & MJG have moved over to another Atlantic Records distributed subsidiary, T.I.’s Grand Hustle Records, Zoe, alongside Yung Joc, is leading the charge for Diddy’s southern division of Bad Boy. But although he now finds himself in that prime role, Zoe insisted that he doesn’t have to worry about getting “Mased,” and seeing his creative vision lost in a sea of shiny suits.
“Block and Puff, they just let me make the kind of music I [want to], whatever the fuck come out my mouth,” he said. “And then they go through it…and once they’ve said, ‘Okay, that’s you right there boy, that shit, that’s jammin’,’ then I listen to it and I’m like, ‘Aight, cool.’ And I build off that. And I go in that direction…And [they’re like], ‘Okay, this sound good. Give me like 10 records like this.’ And I keep moving.”
“I found myself, dog,” Zoe continued. “No telling what I’ma sound like [going forward], the possibilities. ‘Cause I’m reading now. I’m seeing different things. I’m touring different places. So c’mon man, you know that’s growth.”
What’s growing currently is the position of Zoe’s new single at radio. The space-age sounding “Lost” just became the #1 added record in the country. And with a video forthcoming, the Lil Wayne-assisted banger is sure to connect with the masses who missed out on Zoe during his first album go-round.
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Two additional artist heavyweights will be joining Weezy in the cause of elevating Zoe to a more visible status, including Rick Ross on the second single from Animals, “What It Is,” and a somewhat surprising guest in Ne-Yo on “Echo.”
“I promise you I’ma shock the fuckin’ world with this album,” Zoe declared. “I’ma fuck the world up. I ain’t know what I was doing [on] the first album, man. I’m goin’ in [now] though. I’m goin’ in!”
Don’t Feed Da Animals is due February 24th via Block Entertainment/Bad Boy South Records.
