In The Zoo

This past Tuesday I got assigned to interview Gorilla Zoe and Yung Joc for this kinda big assignment that I've been alluding to for the past couple weeks. Over the past couple years I've grown to be very familiar with the Block Entertainment camp. And no, not familiar to the point where my journalistic integrity goes flying out the window when I have to write about them (I see you Dre). Sure, I don't like each and every song that they come out with, but being around these cats at least helps me to look at their music with a more open mind.

Anyways, since I was gonna be around them, I figured I'd chronicle some of the day's events. It just so happened to be the same day that Gorilla Zoe's album Welcome to the Zoo came out. I had to review the CD recently and I was impressed. When dude sticks to his script he's on some 'Face shit, for real. I didn't care for some of the formulaic "gangster" or "club" or "ladies" songs he had on the album. Come to find out, he didn't either. But at least they were few and far between and didn't take away from the whole scope of the CD. Check it out if you haven't already. Keep an ear out for the songs "Last Time I Checked," "Battlefield" and "I Know."

Here are some pics I took and wanted to share with you all:

Greg Street, Yung Joc, Zoe and Block at the album signing at FYE at North Dekalb Mall (yeah, I know, wack location...more on that later)


Zoe and producer Chris Flame

Crazy. I used to intern at Hot 107.9 with Chris. I knew he was out in the streets doing his thing and I'd always see him around the area Zoe's studio used to be at, but I never knew that they was working together. We'd say whats up and honk horns when we saw each other but that was about it. It had been a minute since I saw dude and I ran into him on this night outside Block studios, so we was chopping it up. Then someone came up and was like "whats up Flame." I put two and two together and realized I knew the dude everybody been in the street hollering about for the last year or so. I've been name dropping this dude in my articles not even realizing I know dude. I'm slow.

Zoe outside the studio, telling everyone he loves them and to "take yo' ass to the store and buy the CD in the morning."


Youngblood (and Redan Raider) J-Bo and DAMN!, I forgot buddy name.



Baby D, Joc and Diamond of Crime Mob

I don't know what it is, but whenever I'm out and about, every teenage girl I see has Diamond's mixtape blasting out of their earphones. Don't be surprised if ya'll see and hear more of her in the near future. Granted, I don't ride around bumping her stuff, but ya'll know how I feel about female rappers so I can't be mad at what she's doing.

Comedian Nard, Baby D, and AK of the P$C


Early crowd shots of ESSO



If you haven't been inside the new ESSO yet, its kinda like a mini-Club Visions. Except here, the attitudes are much better. Perhaps because its sitting right in the middle of Kirkwood. To me, Visions was hugely responsible for the fake-ass Black Hollywood attitude that's running rampant throughout the city. The only thing the new ESSO is missing that the old ESSO downtown had was the three-floors of music and dancing. The old ESSO had the reggae floor, the east coast Hip Hop/Top 40 floor and the Southern Hip Hop/Crunk doing down on the bottom floor. Its still a cool lil' spot though.







Block Ent. selling CD's at the show

Like I said earlier, for some reason the powers that be decided to have the instore at wack ass North Dekalb Mall which nobody I knows even goes to anymore. Only reason to go to that lame ass mall is to get neckties and furniture for the low low. Knowing that they might have fucked up in doing that, Block Ent. decided to have an unofficial instore in the club and started selling CDs during the show.

Big Duke and 107.9 radio personality Mizz Shyneka

Alot of folks be trying to hate on Duke and just look at him as a faceless member of Boyz N Da Hood. Dude has put his work in. He was one of the first solo cats out of Decatur to get a solo major deal, him and KB who used to be on Rap-A-Lot. He was on Suave House in the late 90's and was featured twice on Ball & G's In My Lifetime album. Then he went on to do some writing for So So Def. Oh yeah, I used to intern at Hot 107.9 (back then 97.5) with Mizz Shyneeka too. Something has got to give...Ludacris, DJ Sense, Flame, Shyneeka...all these interns blowing up, I need to start making beats or something.

Rick Ross came through and performed too






Zoe hopping down in the crowd to shake hands and hug folks after the show