Z-Man (rapper)

Z-Man is a Hip Hop artist and painter from the San Francisco Bay Area. In 2004 he released the album, Dope or Dog Food, on Hieroglyphics/Refill Records. He got his start as part of the group, 99th demention, and has been a frequent collaborator with artists in a collective called "Gurp City".

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.

He is known for his distinctive contributions to San Francisco's underground slang, having introduced words such as "mainey" and "rellie" into popular use in the bay area hip-hop crowd. He is also notorious for his bizarre and often comical and/or offensive alter-egos.

Z-man's real name is Zamon, and beyond being an MC, he is also an extremely talented painter with a broad body of acrylic on canvas paintings that portray cartoonish hybrid creatures in vibrant, bold color schemes, that often have thematic references to Black culture. He paints all of his album covers and tee-shirt designs, and has painted and drawn many album covers for other hip hop artists.

References

• Z-Man interviewed on Under The Bay (2010). thizzler.com.]
• This is Z-Man's album "Dope or Dog Food"
• "Get ready world, cause Z-Man is coming", Synthesis.com (July 28, 2003).
• Z-Man interview (July 21, 2003). newrealm.com.
• Anna Klafter (February 4, 2004). "Come Gurp With Me", SF Weekly
• Z-Man on Myspace