Check out “The Concerto”, the latest video from The ZYG 808. Zyg, a percussionist and lyricist was born in Bronx, NY and raised in New Bedford and Cape Cod, Massachusetts. His mother lives in the Bronx, so he visits there quite often.
The ZYG 808 is a reference to the Supreme Alphabet (Zig-Zag-Zig, Why God) and the classic drum machine, the TR-808.
He raps and plays a cocktail kit drum set at the same time. One night after a show, and audience member gave ZYG dap and said, “Yo, I’m calling you 808 from now on, ‘cause you got that beat going!”, so 808 was added to his name.
The ZYG 808 started drumming before he was born. His father would tap on his mother’s belly and he would tap back. His father started tapping out patterns and he would repeat them. He got his first drum set when he was four. His father is noted jazz artist and playwright, Mwalim DaPhunkee Professor and he grew up in a home where there was an instrument of some type in almost every room of the house. He gravitated to the djembes and hand percussion.
At age 10 The ZYG 808 got a full-sized drum set for his birthday along with lessons from GroovaLottos drummer, Eddie Ray Johnson. By age 11 he was featuring with the band at concerts and shows. By age 13 he joined the band as a percussionist.
The ZYG 808 began his musical career as a percussionist and drummer. He did his first studio session at age 7, adding African drums to the House Music album, “Deep Soul Chants & Hollers”. By age 12 he was a headlining performer at the Boston Jazz Fest.
His drumming influences include, Art Blakey, Max Roach, Clyde Stubblefield, Quest Love, Eddie Ray Johnson, Tito Puente, Joe Cuba, Lionel Hampton, and John Blackwell, Jr.
Also at age 13 was when he started MCing with his cousin, JJ Nice and showed a natural knack for lyric writing. By age 14 he and his cousins -performing as ‘Soul Poet’s Syndicate’ recorded and released, “Flippin’” an anti-opioid anthem and music video in support of regional anti-opioid campaigns. JJ Nice and his family moved to California and The ZYG 808 decided to keep going as a solo artist.
At age 14, when other kids were getting summer jobs as dish washers and cutting lawns, The ZYG 808 went on tour with The GroovaLottos as well as busked on Weekends, salting away his earning towards a bigger plan that he had in mind.
One Sunday morning he called a breakfast meeting with his father to discuss his plans to enter the Hip-Hop game as an MC, percussionist and producer and wanted guidance from his father in working with the industry. He also wanted to create a subsidiary of his father’s company, Liberation Multimedia, LLC called ‘Soul Poets Records’ that would focus on hip-hop and contemporary r&b, where as Liberation Multimedia is better known as a jazz, classic soul, and dance music label.
As part of his development, his father gave him a homework assignment for the next time he went to New York to visit his mother, “Pay a visit to 1520 Sedgwick Ave and say a prayer.” In his research, The ZYG 808 discovered that his father sent him to the birthplace of Hip-Hop when DJ Kool Herc threw a now legendary party on August 11, 1973.
In September of 2017, The ZYG 808 began making his first solo appearances as an MC and percussionist at community events, youth conferences, music festivals, open mics, local radio stations, and programs around New England and New York City. In April of 2018 he won his high school talent show with a performance of “Explanation”, driving the audience wild with his ability to rap and play drums at the same time.
Gravitating towards MCs who are storytellers, The ZYG 808 is a fan of contemporary artists such a J Cole, Kendrick Lamar, Jarren Benton, and Hopsin. He is also a serious fan of Rakim, Slick Rick, Special Ed, Public Ebemy, Dead Prez, Big Daddy Kane, Notorious B.I.G., Ice Cube, Nas, and A Tribe Called Quest.
He is quick to tell you that he is, “An Emcee, not a rapper,” noting that he doesn’t mumble rhymes into a USB mic on a laptop. He actually prefers live shows and the interaction he can have with a live audience. “I can host a show, not just perform. Also, everything I record has been performed live a bunch of times before we take it into the studio.”
The ZYG 808 is of Caribbean and Native American heritage. He is an enrolled member of the federally recognized Mashpee Wampanoag tribe in Mashpee, MA where he is an active member of the Youth Council. He is also a member of The Universal Zulu Nation.
He is currently a featured performer on The Phunk Hits 2018 summer concert tour along with The GroovaLottos and other featured artists.
The ZYG 808 ARTIST STATEMENT:
Reality Check: While my origins are from “The Hood” I’m not and don’t try to front like I am. I live in a rural/suburban area and my Pops is an artist and academic. I visit the Bronx a lot and feel very much at home there, but I have trees in my back yard. My father had me around The Last Poets, Askia Toure, and Amiri Baraka as a very small child. A lot of classic hip-hop and spoken word artists are like aunts and uncles to me. All of this shapes my concept of rapping and making music and informs the hip-hop that I create.
Part of developing as a musician and Emcee is to understand the tradition you’re coming out of. The MC/Emcee came about long before hip-hop. There were the street poets and griots who were rapping before English was forced upon us. Wampanoags had story keepers and song keepers. All of this is the foundation of my place as an Emcee.
Hip-Hop music is based in the drum. Aside from the boom bap, Hip-hop was taking bits and pieces of music from the West Indians, Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Blues and Soul from the US. The Bronx was a melting pot of all of these cultures. I was born in the Bronx and raised by a musician and griot.
Some of the mainstream hip-hop music is a clear example of hip-hop losing it’s direction and purpose. I’m trying to be one of the artists who actually has something to say and wants to honor the tradition that my music is built upon.
Catch his EP “At The Party” featuring 3 joints, each with ‘Club 808’ and ‘Boom Bap’ versions.
Grammy-nominated Washington, D.C.-based singer/songwriter/emcee Mumu Fresh presents her new single “My Why”. Produced by Carvin Haggins and Johhny Smith, “My Why” will appear on The Healing, Mumu’s forthcoming album which will also feature contributions from DJ Jazzy Jeff, Nile Hargrove, 14KT, Daniel Crawford, Vidal Davis, DJ Dummy and more. Mumu has collaborated with Lil Wayne & Tech N9ne (stream “Too Good”), Busta Rhymes, Salaam Remi & Black Thought of The Roots (watch the music video for “No Peace”) and Common (watch Mumu Fresh and Common perform “I Used To Love H.E.R.” live) and Tobi Nwigwe (watch the music video for “Tundah Fiyah”). Mumu has performed on two separate NPR Tiny Desk concerts (watch Mumu Fresh featuring Black Thought of The Roots & DJ Dummy on NPR’s Tiny Desk) and has performed worldwide at events like the Essence Music Festival, Montreux Switzerland’s Jazz Festival and Dubai’s Sole Fest DBX. “State of Emergency” marks another chapter in a career of self-described “art activism” for the Baltimore native who has performed and given lectures within the US prison system, The Congressional Black Caucus, I.M.A.N. Central in Chicago & Atlanta, The W. K. Kellogg Foundation, Ford Foundation and The Indigenous People’s Movement. Mumu is co-creator of the Recording Academy’s “Best Song For Social Change” trustee award which went live in 2023 at the 66th GRAMMY awards show and was presented by The First Lady, Jill Biden. The winner of Indigenous Music, Washington Area Music (WAMMIE) and Urban World Music Video awards, Mumu has served as Musical and Cultural Ambassador for the US State Department, Ambassador of The Black Music Collective and is a former elected governor of the DC chapter of The Recording Academy. Mumu describes “My Why” as “a tribute to that person(s), place, or thing in your life that is your “WHY”. Your reason not to give up. Your reason to keep trying and to push a little harder than you thought you could. You why reminds you of what you’re made of and brings out the best in you.” The Healing drops April 19.
DMV-based rapper/producer Santa Sallet and France-based producer Nemizzo are MSP, presenting their new single “Big Hands”. Sallet has been busy showcasing his brand of East Coast braggadocious rap across a slew of recent singles like “Camouflage” (watch on Youtube), “I Get Money” (watch on Youtube), “Championship Ring” (watch on Youtube) and “Chinese Funk” (watch on Youtube) in preparation for the release of Plutography, Sallet’s forthcoming album which blends salsa beats, southern trap, and eastern jazz with classic and conventional rap samples, reflecting Sallet’s international upbringing across South Africa, Dominica and the US. Sallet is planning a series of full-length releases, among them C.R.E.A.M. which recounts his journey from broke to financially free, and Women and R.A.P. which describe his pursuit of success in relationships and the music industry respectively. “This is the song that really started MSP Tunes,” Santa says. “Nemizzo had laid down his verse and I was like, let me try something on this and I just talked about what I knew. What I think is funny, the outro is actually me recording a bunch of potential beat tags. There was a miscommunication and Nemizzo extended the beat and made it the outro. I like it though lol.” Check out Santa Sallet merch here.
Upping the ante, NC representative Big YBA unloads the Deluxe edition of his most recent album the Definition of Living. Featuring five new tracks including “New York,” “For Your Love,” “Rap Assassin,” “Rebellious,” and “Cut ‘Em Off,” which was premiered by way of popular live performance platform Off The Curb, the enhanced body of work accents the original flawlessly.
Three months removed from his “Swag Surfin'” sampling collaboration “Hypnotic” featuring Rich The Kid signee SetitOff83 and the strategic seeding of LP standouts “30, “Rookie, “Lord Forgive Me,” “Venting Session,” “Mercy,” and “DOA,” the now 20 track collection of songs includes a lone guest appearance from GetRichZay while production duties are handled by Jozzex, KH Beatz, Maineestreamm, Prod No Heart, and Trippy XVI.
Raised in Durham, Big YBA is rapidly emerging as one of the most electrifying young artists from the Carolinas. With a brand built on authenticity, his versatility and melodic sound have allowed him to break through the industry release after release. Determined to experience success outside of his hometown, he views his personal and professional growth as motivation for listeners with similar ambitions.
Stream the Definition of Living (Deluxe) via Nu Nation / Vydia as well as watch his Off The Curb performance visual for “Cut ‘Em Off” after the jump.
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