Z-Man

"Aside from being a longtime friend of mine, Z-Man is one of the funniest, most entertaining personalities you will ever hear in hip-hop. You may love him or you may hate him, but you damn sure won't forget him." Phonte, of Little Brother

"Z-Man is the Wolfgang Puck of Parachute Pimpin, the George Jefferson of style and dry cleaning, the danked out meeting between Bootsy Collins and Fillmore Slim outside of E-40's Fatburger joint. The Golden Gate Gator Man. Z-Man is what you need to be listening to, turn that ol Aloe and Lanolin soft shit off." J-Zone

One listen to Z-Man and it's clear he is an MC of a different ilk. From the wordplay and depth of his stories, he goes where others don't. An artist in the truest sense he is equally nice with the pen and the paint brush (he illustrates his own cover art), with the ability to animate and exaggerate the nuances of life in rhyme. Shaped by detail and brought to life with a vibrant energy, Z-Man's music is un-paralleled in today's Hip-Hop world. "You gotta have fun," he says adding, "Own your style; impress people with your words and entertain them."

The name Z-Man may be new to some, but the San Francisco native has been a fixture in the Bay Area underground since the mid 90's. After releasing a handful of tapes with his group The 99th Demention, as well as a few solo joints which have been largely bootlegged since, Z was ultimately heralded in Urb's Top 100. Around 2003 he inked a deal with Hieroglyphics' Hiero Imperium, under which he released his official debut Dope Or Dogfood and preceding EP Anti-Nerd. Established in the underground, Z joined Marty James (who was fresh off the Beastie Boy's Grand Royal label) to form One Block Radius. After releasing Long Story Short in 2005 and enduring a bad label deal, the group toured the country relentlessly and in 2008 were picked up by Island Def Jam for their sophomore self-titled album in 2008. From the underground to the Billboard charts Z has built and progressed his career with a raw, uncompromising and witty approach to music.

Firmly established and thriving in both worlds, Z-Man is back with his first solo effort since 2005's Don't Forget To Brag with Show Up, Shut Up and Rap off SF indie label Machete Vox. The 8 song, free-downloadable EP is much like painter's palette, covering a wide spectrum of styles from cold lyricism on "Go Hard," to tales of bittersweet love on "Cupcakin" and party rockin on "Gurp Logo." With production from fellow San Francisco natives Boac and DNAE Beats, Show Up, Shut Up and Rap finds Z in a new place sonically, but as with each preceding album it's the world he builds around the beats that make his work so unique. As he put it, "We have a gang of rappers, but there are only a few who stick out. Do you want to be another face in the crowd, or do you wanna be noticed?"

With Show Up, Shut Up and Rap there is no question Z-Man will stand out, and set the precedent for Six Pack Of Dynamite which is to follow later this year.