Gorilla Zoe

Gorilla Zoe is an Atlanta rapper in the mold of Young Jeezy, whom he replaced in the Bad Boy group Boyz n da Hood. Both Atlantans have raspy voices, slow flows, simple rhymes, and a shameless obsession with the illegal drug trade, in particular cocaine. 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 would follow in 2011. ~ Jason Birchmeier