Gorilla Zoe

Gorilla Zoe is an Atlanta rapper with a sound similar to Young Jeezy — whom he replaced in the Bad Boy group Boyz n da Hood — with his raspy voice, slow flow, simple rhymes, and cocaine-centric lyrical focus. Gorilla Zoe’s first taste of commercial success came with “Coffee Shop,” a 2007 hit by Bad Boy labelmate Yung Joc. His debut single as a solo artist, “Hood Nigga,” followed shortly thereafter, along with the accompanying debut album Welcome to the Zoo. Gorilla Zoe’s first album as Jeezy’s replacement in Boyz n da Hood, Back Up n da Chevy, was released next, also in 2007. The album spawned a series of singles, including “Everybody Know Me” and “We Ready.” A collaborative single with Lil Wayne called “Lost” landed in late 2008, while the full-length Don't Feed da Animals followed in March 2009, debuting atop the rap charts and cracking the Top Ten of the Billboard 200. In 2010, he released 28 different mixtapes, one per day for all of February, along with the single “Just Like My Chevy.” His club-oriented effort King Kong was released in 2011. Mixtapes such as Recovery and Raised in the Jungle followed in 2015. He issued a sequel to Don't Feed da Animals in 2017. ~ Jason Birchmeier