Zebra Katz

Folie Douce Compilation II out now

9 August 2013

Folie Douce have dropped their second compilation of their favourite artists from around the world. Featuring tracks by the likes of Bad Dancer and Poolboy92, as well as excellent covers of Jennifer Lopez and A$AP rocky. Dutch label Paradisiaca -responsible for some excellent bass releases like Drippin x Copout- is represented by HYDRABADD. But our favourite is Miss Eaves laying rhymes over Surfing Leons’ ‘What You Gonna Do?’, her flow reminiscent of a cross between old school Salt’ N’ Pepa and Zebra Katz collaborator Njena Reddd Foxxx.

The cutting edge quintet of promoters and party-throwers from Liège have been going since 2010 and are responsible for introducing a slew of artists to France and Belgian, including Sinjin Hawke and Mykki Blanco.

See the Folie Douce Facebook page for a free DL. **

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Zebra Katz – ‘Y I Do’.

Zebra Katz - Y I Do.
6 March 2013

While the promise of a new mix tape from New York performer Zebra Katz (aka Ojay Morgan) in February never eventuated there have come good tidings in this next track, ‘Y I Do’. Just premiered on V Magazine the fashion-oriented publication is a good home for the artist who blew up in the sartorial world when the vogueing and literacy-inspired ‘Ima Read’ featured as the soundtrack to Rick Owen’s Fall 2012 collection. The track was released as a 10-inch on Diplo’s Mad Decent label in January 2012, and features the menacing beats and black and whites of all excellent doom hop.

Zebra Katz.
Zebra Katz.

Thankfully, ‘Y I Do’ figures somewhere along similar lines as Morgan’s growl follows the same insistent meter of an angry bass line, as well as a popping synth sequence, some healthy word play and a consciousness of phonetic rhythm. Having heard last year’s Champagne mix tape and witnessed the brilliance that is Zebra Katz live, we hold high hopes for a rap star in the making. Listen and see the new track here. **

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Zebra Katz @ Shoreditch House reviewed

5 November 2012

Multidimensional producer and performer Zebra Katz (aka Ojay Morgan) personifies the maxim ‘timing is everything’. Only recently sending the internet into a tizzy with the menacing bounce of vogue inspired track ‘Ima Read’, he’s been around for longer than Google history will have you believe. In fact, the aforementioned track has been gestating for five years, ever since Morgan laid it down in Garage Bands from his bedroom, adding friend and collaborator Njena Redd Foxx’s complementary lines a couple years later and finally blowing up on the catwalk of Rick Owen’s Fall 2012 collection. Since then, there’s been a European tour support with rising ‘rap brat’ Azealia Banks and this, one of a handful of UK performances at Shoreditch House in London.

You wouldn’t know that ‘Ima Read’ is a track that’s been doing the rounds of the New York ballroom scene for half a decade and there’s been a recent surge in interest in voguing spearheaded by the re-release of Jennie Livingstone’s 1990 documentary Paris is Burning and the subsequent homages of Azealia Banks’ ‘Fierce’ and DJ Mike Q’s ‘My Vogue is the Shit’ (not to mention Lady Gaga’s blatant appropriation in Haus of Gaga &c). But as a performance and theatre graduate with an interest in visuals and design, there’s much more to Zebra Katz than being part of a hype-driven trend. ‘Ima Read’ sounds as fresh as ever and its performers equally as happy to play it. In fact, Morgan comes furnished with a black and white cap saying ‘READ’, opening their set with the now notorious track opening ‘Zebra Fuckin Kaaaaaatz!’ before launching into his brilliantly affectionate rhyming tete-a-tete with friend and collaborator Njena Redd Foxx.

Despite the menacing tone of the mixtape that made him shoot into public consciousness, Champagne, there’s only fun to be had this particular night. As Njena sings “Like a slaughter house, I’ll bleed that bitch”, wide grin applied with the occasional scissor headstand, a dark sunglasses-wearing Zebra Katz throws himself into the heaving throng to count “duck, duck goose!” The fun and good will is infectious, even if Morgan uses ‘bitch’ more times over one set than a person might use in a lifetime. But then it’s all about context and his is about changing the power of what is a commonly derogatory word and taking it back for any form of ‘other’ that it might represent. By the end of the trip there’s a faux-furred model climbing a pot plant for a better view, others with their face planted through latticework around the side and the occasional unprepared onlooker who originally came for the The Invisible and stayed for the the primal beat and bodily rumble of Zebra Katz. **

Zebra Katz and Njena Redd Foxx performed at Shoreditch House November 1, 2012.

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Zebra Katz @ Grand Street Bakery

20 July 2012

There was an article in The Guardian earlier last month on the rising trend of “queer rap” and the uniqueness (and also intelligent move) in the way this new generation of American gay rappers have exploited and transformed the always influential ball culture into something mainstream.

And despite the critics and comments on the real lack of novelty last week was a pretty busy for the genre, LE1F presenting his clip for Wut, and Mykki Blanco doing the likes for Head is a Stone.

But funkier than these pre-defined clips was Ojay Morgan’s live @ Brooklyn’s  Grand Streek Bakery store with the improvised percussion by Compton Timberwolf (needless to mention Njena Reddd Foxxx at this point). A couple of clips produced for The Fader which maybe, just maybe, you should consider watching.

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