ArtistInfo

Zulu

voc, US
Reggae and Electronic
A.k.a. Dominique Rowland 101VOiD

Panamanian MC Zulu's overall sound and vibe is one of the Caribbean immigrant who came to America, just in time to pick up on both cultures. Like any "Born Jamerican-esque" Dancehall hybrid, the fact that it's 75% party, with catchy, pop-anthem choruses will reel you in. The remaining 25% however, is why you'll respect him. There he touches on economic and social disparities, he expresses a desire to do better; but there is also an intangible element that let's you know, no one else would write the song this way. Maybe it's his sense of humor, but there's an underlying vulnerability that makes his music altogether palatable. Zulu the performer does not give himself over fully to the positive, or negative element. Even at his most idealistic, he is still making leering allusions to the ladies at the party. At his most gangster, while involved in a hypothetical shootout with the authorities, he is still praying out loud, "...Tell mama not to shed no tears because I did my best." The subtleties in his writing style, often punctuated with overt harmonies (another method typically uncharacteristic of dancehall) seem to employ the technique of providing insightful details, while leaving enough to the imagination. It is this essential, forgotten method of character development, which gave the Reggae performers we loved in the past their authenticity. In recent times, most of the music world has busied themselves with attempts to replace this with an impossible street credibility. The results of such exploits have proven to be altogether unimaginative, and utterly tragic, usually for the artists themselves. Zulu lives to tell yet another tale of hot girls dancing on the table, with such stark clarity that somehow you know, he must have seen a great deal in his life.

Genres

• Reggae
• Electronic
• Dance
• Hip-Hop/Rap