“I’m dealing with the same problems [as other people] on a different scale every day,” he continues. “[In my music], I’m dealing with subject matter that isn’t talked about as often, like on ‘Lost’ for example.”
He’s referencing the lead single from his sophomore album, Don’t Feed the Animals, which at one time featured Lil Wayne, but because of clearance issues with Universal, will appear on the album minus Weezy. The song is not the Gorilla Zoe that fans are used to. Instead, as his raspy voice slides over the creeping, storytelling track (produced by Drumma Boy), it’s indicative of the direction the Atlanta-reared rapper is moving in.
“There’s always going to be fear in the unknown,” he says of the label’s initial response to his unrestricted creations like the international dance-tinged, “Echo.” “So when you’re talking about a multimillion dollar company [like Block Entertainment] there’s going to be a little shakiness here and there. But Block knew why he signed me before I knew why he signed me.”
A few days later, at his much-hyped listening party at the Atlanta Zoo, Gorilla Zoe takes time to explain the process behind his music. He jokes with industry insiders who have gathered to listen the album, due out March 17. But it’s obvious that the rapper is more concerned with the music than he is with networking. By the end of the night, he shrugs off the prototypical rapper image to focus on his craft. That’s what it’s about for Zoe — the music and the people that dig it.
“I’m just going to keep making music,” he says. “That’s the only thing that I can give right now.” –jacinta howard
