Z-Mutiny

“Just let ‘em know, blood.” That’s all Z-Man says as we wrap up the interview. He solemnly nods his head from side to side and takes another swill from a 22-ounce bottle of Olde English 800 malt liquor. “I want cats to know I didn’t just pop onto the scene.”
I didn’t think about it until later. Times have changed, underground hip-hop has changed, the Bay has changed.
It’s been a long day, and we’re all getting tired, Z-Man’s longtime partner Eddie K is on the Roland going through some rough tracks the pair have recorded over the past few years and polishing up some new beats for a performance tonight. We’re hanging out in Eddie K’s Oakland studio taking a liquor break, getting ready to roll back across the Bay Bridge. The two have been asked to do a set for longtime friend Joey Dubs’ record release party at a club in the Mission District. Like I said, the day’s been long and I can tell the liquor is starting to affect Z who has been awake since 5 AM, when he has to get up and get to his day job at the post office. The last few months have been hectic for the twenty-something MC. Z recently made a major career move and signed up with the Hiero Imperium/Refill Records roster, home to the legendary Hieroglyphics crew, most notably Del tha Funkee Homosapien, Souls Of Mischief, Casual, Pep Love etc… According to Z, “damn near 30 tracks,” have since been recorded for what will finally be the unveiling of Z-Man to the rest of the hip-hop world. When Dope or Dog Food, his Hiero debut, drops it’s going to crash through the underground like an old man through a farmers market, and people are going to notice.
Z-Man aka Z-Dazzle aka Z-Mainey has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area all his life. He developed his style listening to seminal old school classics like Public Enemy, Run DMC, Big Daddy Kane and the rest. He began rapping during the Bay Area hip-hop Renaissance. Oakland legend Too $hort and Zamon’s neighborhood friend Coughnut (RIP), with his group IMP, had laid the foundation for Bay Area turf-rap groups to blow up the scene. Street heady groups like 415, RBL Posse, Hugh-E MC, JT the Bigga Figga, Rappin Forte, Celski, Dre Dog, 5150 and Totally Insane were putting the Sucka Free on the map. Around this time a young and hungry Zamon, alongside fellow 99th Dimension member Rev. Cope, started messing around making four-track tapes.
“Fools were trippin’ on the first 99th Dimension tape, they were saying things like these guys sound kinda like the Pharcyde, and people were feeling it and they loved the whole tape so then we went on to put out RSP Student,” says Z. The 99th Dimension’s first two releases (Self Titled and RSP Student) were cassette-only, four-track masterpieces featuring production from Slim Goodworth under verses from Z-Man, Rev Cope, Rated R, Slim, PBF-1 and Z’s little brother King Maz. The tapes were sold throughout the Bay in local mom and pop shops as well as larger music stores like Amoeba and Rasputin’s. While still working with the 99th D, Slim hooked up with Palo Alto underground act Sacred Hoop and recorded the classic track “Not Our House” for the Cue’s Hip-hop Shop compilation, dropping in 1998. The 8-minute epic about crashing house parties, drunken debauchery and drug abuse became an instant anthem for kids and further pushed Z-Man’s name outside the Bay, thanks to the record’s national distribution. The demand for more Z-Man product began to grow in the underground. With his distinct flow — snotty and high pitched with crystal clear delivery — combined with his smart-aleck, just clownin’ attitude, Z-Man’s releases have steadily been burrowing into the underground. In a market where rappers are taking themselves way too seriously, Z possesses something most underground artists lack nowadays; an amiable personality.
Since hooking up with Sacred Hoop, Z-Man has amassed an impressive underground catalog of hard to find releases. Two cassette-only releases, A Verse or Two and 4 Hours of Sleep, the widely bootlegged Bachelors project Wine Women and Song with Hoop producer Verse Murphy and Live From The Candy House with the notorious Gingerbread Man, which actually gained some recognition from the Beastie Boys-owned Grand Royal online magazine.
Things are starting to get hectic for Z-Man, who is working on multiple projects simultaneously as his Hiero debut is put on the backburner while his label, Hiero Imperium, puts the majority of their focus on the new Hieroglyphics album, Full Circle. It doesn’t look like Dope Or Dog Food is going to see the light of day anytime soon. But the wheels are in motion for Z to blow up. Hiero has released his first 12-inch from the full-length, “Z-Mutiny” b/w “Buckle Up,” which is making noise in spots as far away as London and is seeing rotation nationwide on the college radio circuit. At the same time Z, along with Eddie K, are putting the finishing touches on the E-Z project they have been working on as well as a collaboration project with Elon.is of Disflex 6 fame known as the Anti-Nerd.
As we roll around the city of San Francisco hitting shops on the Haight, stopping to take pictures, eat food and whatnot, we discuss how the Bay Area hip-hop scene has changed over the past decade. As of right now you won’t find Web pages or message boards devoted to Z-Man, you’d be lucky to find more than a couple songs readily available to bootleg off Kazaa or iMesh, and there’s no such thing as a Z-Man online street team. These are the new means of promotion now for underground music. Thanks to the Internet, kids don’t have to hit the record stores anymore to see what’s hot on the streets, legendary magazines like 4080 and BAM have dissipated, underground hip-hop has become an outlet for self-loathing, depression and middle-class angst instead of good times and girls. And its fan base has become intolerable due to one of the worst trends to manifest from the final years of the ‘90s. You can thank the Internet for creating the elitist rap nerd.
“Fuck a rap nerd!” Z-Man says with authority. “They ain’t talking about shit.” He knows it’s just a matter of time before he gets his chance to shine. “Just wait, shit is about to get crackin’.” Dope or Dog Food will be the test to see if the rest of the world is ready. “The crowd is going to judge, and the listeners are going to judge,” proclaims Z. ”Is it dope or is it dog food?” Quoted from one of his all time favorite MCs Big Daddy Kane, the full-length album will feature guest production from Elon.is and Slim Goodworth. However the bulk of the record will be produced by Canadian beatsmith Moss. A Toronto resident, Moss has also been working with D12 member Obie Trice on an underground solo LP. Listening to Z dance around Moss’ bouncy compositions is bliss; he can switch his style up to match any beat. From battle hungry to Rasta, from party vibe to political, Z-Man’s versatility is just another added bonus.
Surely hip-hop is hungry for a new direction to take, desperately in need of its “Nirvana” to surface and wash away this shine and glossy formulaic plague known now as glam rap. Z-Man’s fans believe he is the future. His material is addicting and his live performance is on point (so long as he’s not too faded). When you watch Z perform on stage his presence and enthusiasm are obvious indications of the star power he possesses and I’m willing to bet that with the right marketing and promotion, Z-Man will indeed become the clichéd “next big thing.”

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