Quick Facts
Biography
Zamon, or better known by his stage name Z-Man (also goes by Z-Mainey, Z-Dazzle), underground rapper and painter from the San Francisco Bay Area. He has released many full-length studio albums and has recorded several albums himself, he has worked with numerous underground Bay Area rap legends, and continues to make new music today.
He is a frequent collaborator with artists in a collective called "Gurp City", composed of Sacred Hoop, Grand Invincible, G-Pek, Conceit, TOPR, MC Oroville and Bay Area legend Eddie Def. He has also worked with Hieroglyphics Crew, Disflex.6, and Refill Records.
Z-Man is also a painter with a broad body of acrylic on canvas paintings that portray cartoon style hybrid creatures in vibrant, bold color schemes, that often have thematic references to black culture. He paints all of his album covers and T-shirt designs, and has painted and drawn many album covers for other hip hop artists.
He is currently on twitter (@Zmantheoriginal).
Music career
Z-man's first album appearance was in 1996, with his group '99th Demention' (as in dementia or demented). 99th Demention consisted of Z Man and his associates; King Maz, Young Slim, Rated R, Rev Cope and P.B.F.-1. The group was compared to 'The Pharcyde' early on, despite having a unique style. After their first album together, the group members began working on solo projects.
In 2003 and 2004 he released two solo albums produced by the Hieroglyphics label, Dope or Dog Food? and Anti-Nerd. In 2008 his group 'One Block Radius' signed with Mercury/Island/Def Jam Records. Also in 2008, he signed as a solo artist to San Francisco label Machete Vox Records, working on an album titled Six Pack Of Dynamite, produced by BOAC and DNAE BEATS.
Along with his many collaborations he has also worked with Bay Area producer G-Pek and released two albums, 2008's Don't Forget to Brag and 2012's In Case You Forgot.
Discography
- A Verse or Two (199_)
- 4 Hours of Sleep (199_)
- Dope or Dog Food? (2003)
- Anti Nerd (2004)
- Don't Forget to Brag (2005)
- In Case You Forget (2012)
- The Vegetable and the Ferret (2012)
- California Brainwashed (2013)