Alonzo Keith Mathis Jr. (born January 27, 1981), better known by his stage name Gorilla Zoe (), is an American rapper originally from East Point, Georgia. He is best known for being a member of the rap group

Boyz N Da Hood Boyz n da Hood is an American Southern gangsta rap group from Atlanta, Georgia. They were formerly signed to Sean Combs' Bad Boy Records and consisted of Young Jeezy, Jody Breeze, Gorilla Zoe, Big Gee, and Big Duke. They have collaborated se ...

. His solo debut album ''Welcome to the Zoo'' came out in 2007. His next two albums, '' Don't Feed Da Animals'' and ''

King Kong King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...

'', were released in 2009 and 2011. In 2015, he released two mixtapes: ''Recovery'' and ''Raised in the Jungle''. He has been an independent artist since 2018.

Career

In 2006, Mathis replaced

Young Jeezy Jay Wayne Jenkins (born September 28, 1977), known by his stage name Jeezy (or Young Jeezy), is an American rapper. Signing to Def Jam Recordings in 2004, his major label debut, '' Let's Get It: Thug Motivation 101'', was released the followin ...

as a member of

. He first saw success in collaborations with

Yung Joc Jasiel Amon Robinson (born September 20, 1980), better known by his stage name Yung Joc, is an American rapper. He is best known for his 2006 hit single " It's Goin' Down". and as a feature on T-Pain's US number-one single "Buy U a Drank (Shawt ...

's " Coffee Shop" and "

Bottle Poppin' ''Hustlenomics'' (stylized as ''HUSTLENOMIC$'') is the second studio album by American rapper Yung Joc. It was released, by Bad Boy Records on August 28, 2007. The album contains the singles " Coffee Shop" and "Bottle Poppin," both featuring rappe ...

," which charted on several ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' charts. He was then signed as a solo artist for

Block Entertainment Block Entertainment or Block Ent. Worldwide is a record label created by Russell "Block" Spencer and Andrew "Gotti" Couser. The label is known for creating southern group Boyz n da Hood (rap group), Boyz N Da Hood and releasing artist Yung Joc. ...

and

Bad Boy South Bad Boy South was a southern hip hop spin-off label of Bad Boy Records. The label was founded by Sean Combs in 2003. History Bad Boy South was founded in 2003 after this signing of 8 Ball & MJG. The label was created to capitalize on the success ...

. On April 24, 2007, Gorilla Zoe released his first single, "

Hood Figga "Hood Nigga" ( edited for radio as "Hood Figga") is a song by American hip hop recording artist Gorilla Zoe, released as the lead single from his debut album, ''Welcome to the Zoo''. It was officially released via iTunes, on April 24, 2007. The ...

", which was a success, peaking at #38 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. His debut solo album, ''

Welcome to the Zoo ''Welcome to the Zoo'' is the debut studio album by American rapper Gorilla Zoe. It was released on September 25, 2007, by Bad Boy South, which was distributed by Block Entertainment. The album debuted at number 18 on the ''Billboard'' 200, sell ...

'', was released in October 2007, peaking at #18 on the ''Billboard'' 200, #8 on

Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated J ...

, and #3 on

Top Rap Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales in the United States and is compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The chart debuted as Hot R&B LPs in the issue dated Jan ...

. In 2007, Gorilla Zoe was chosen for the 2008 ''XXL'' Freshmen cover along with rappers

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, Plies,

Rich Boy Marece Benjamin Richards (born September 2, 1983), better known by his stage name Rich Boy, is an American rapper from Mobile, Alabama. He is best known for the hit single "Throw Some D's" (featuring Polow da Don) released in August 2006. It was ...

, Joell Ortiz,

Lupe Fiasco Wasalu Muhammad Jaco (born February 16, 1982), better known by his stage name Lupe Fiasco ( ), is an American rapper, singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to fame in 2006 following the success of his debut album, ''Lupe Fiasco's ...

Lil Boosie Torence Ivy Hatch (born November 14, 1982), better known by his stage name Boosie BadAzz or simply Boosie (formerly Lil Boosie), is an American rapper. Hatch began rapping in the 1990s as a member of the hip hop collective Concentration Camp, ev ...

Crooked I Dominick Antron Wickliffe (born September 23, 1976), better known by his stage names Crooked I and Kxng Crooked, (stylised as KXNG Crooked and pronounced "King Crooked") is an American rapper from Long Beach, California. He is best known as a for ...

Papoose Papoose (from the Algonquian ''papoose'', meaning "child") is an American English word whose present meaning is "a Native American child" (regardless of tribe) or, even more generally, any child, usually used as a term of endearment, often in t ...

, and

Young Dro D'Juan Montrel Hart (born January 15, 1979), better known by his stage name Young Dro, is an American rapper. After gaining recognition with his regional hit song "Yes Sir", from his 2002 independent album ''I Got That Dro'', Young Dro aligned ...

. On October 14, 2008, "

Lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

", Gorilla Zoe's first single from his second album, was released. The full album, '' Don't Feed da Animals'', was released on March 17, 2009, topping the ''Billboard'' Top Rap Albums chart. It sold 29,000 copies in its first week, peaking on the ''Billboard'' 200 at #8. A second single from the album, "What It Is", featuring

Rick Ross William Leonard Roberts II (born January 28, 1976), known professionally as Rick Ross, is an American rapper. Prior to releasing his debut single, "Hustlin'", in 2006, Ross was the subject of a bidding war, receiving offers from Sean Combs, D ...

and Kollosus, was later released, and a third single, "Echo", followed. During February 2010, Gorilla Zoe released a mixtape every day on the mixtape website DatPiff.com. He released an EP, ''I Am Atlanta 3''. He also worked on a mixtape with Die-Verse City member Qu1k. On June 14, 2011, Gorilla Zoe released his third solo album, ''

''. Although not as successful as his previous albums, it charted on the ''Billboard'' 200 at #56, selling 10,300 copies in its first week out.

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of five. A single from the album, "What's Goin' On", was released on December 14, 2010, and peaked at #99 at the Billboard

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

Chart. On May 6, 2014, after a two-year hiatus, Gorilla Zoe released a new mixtape, ''Recovery'', and it was revealed that he had signed to rapper

Flo Rida Tramar Lacel Dillard (born September 16, 1979), better known by his stage name Flo Rida (, ), is an American rapper and singer. His 2007 breakout single " Low" was number one for 10 weeks in the United States and broke the record for digital dow ...

's label International Music Group. In July 2018, Gorilla Zoe released "Fat Jesus", his first single as an independent artist.

Discography

*2007: ''

'' *2009: '' Don't Feed da Animals'' *2011: ''

'' *2017: ''Don't Feed da Animals 2'' *2017: ''Gorilla Warfare'' *2019: ''I Am Atlanta 4ever'' *2020: ''31 DAYS OF COVID-19''

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gorilla Zoe African-American male rappers Bad Boy Records artists Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Rappers from Atlanta 1982 births 21st-century American rappers 21st-century American male musicians 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people