Zoo Rass is a Dancehall/Reggae recording artist who fuses in different styles into his authentic Dancehall sound. Since starting his career, Zoo Rass has had his works played on major networks that include CIN, MTV, and VH1, and has performed with icons that include Konshens, Charly Blacks, Gyptian, A$AP Ferg, and Cassanova. Recently, Zoo Rass released their single “Oh Nah Nah” which features artists Alhaji Currency and Hero. This tune is full of those iconic tropical vibes, there are a lot of little flairs of authenticity but also keeps a modern polish over top. While we were listening we found ourselves dreaming about chilling on the beat drinking from a coconut, it’s a great vibe and this release takes us to that spot. “Oh Nah Nah” features a super mellow trumpet, super vibey keyboards and synths, a modern but characterful drum rhythm with organic elements, and a fantastic group vocal performance that heavily features Zoo Rass but is flourished with beautiful harmonies and additional lines from Alhaji Currency and Hero. This release has such a chill and feel-good vibe where you can’t afford to miss out on it.
Listen to "Oh Nah Nah" here.
Welcome to BuzzMusic Zoo Rass! Your latest single “Oh Nah Nah” is full of great vibes, what was your initial inspiration for writing this track? How did it come to life? Did it start with any lyrics or the beat? First & foremost let me start off by saying thanks for having me. For a couple of years now I always wanted to do an afrobeat song and work with some afrobeat artists. One day my producer Willis Love sent me the beat with him referencing the original track. I thought it was dope and caught a vibe immediately. The inspiration just came from the overall production itself it was just such a good vibe.
We are loving the fusion of all of the different performers here, each shines on their own but also supports each other, what was it like to work with everyone? How did you come into contact and then record together? Well, originally I was looking for either an afrobeat artist or R&B artist to sing the hook so I was shopping it around to different artists and getting different versions. Alhaji Currency sent me back the hook and I thought that one was the best. I thought my search was over until about three days later Hero sent me his version of the song. I really loved both versions so I sat down with my producer and said why not put the both of them on the track and that's what we did. It was definitely dope to connect and work with these two artists. They brought that authentic African flavor to the track but at the same time added their flare to it. I think it was the perfect blend.
We get a super relaxed carefree sense to the lyrics on this record, what would you say the underlining story and message behind them is? Are there any alternate meanings to the lyrics? The underlining story behind the track is just seeing a beautiful female and instantly knowing you want to vibe out with her. I wouldn’t say that there are any alternate meanings to the lyrics but many might ask what is an “Oh Nah Nah”? “Oh Nah Nah” can be your lady, your significant other, a parent, the number one person in your life, its really whatever you make it but in this case my “Oh Nah Nah” is definitely my lady.
It’s really amazing to hear your music has been placed on major networks! How did that feel when you first found out your music played on them? Do you have any future goals that you are aiming to achieve with your music?
When I first found out it was amazing. At the time I was a senior in college and I had just gotten out of class and seen my twitter going off with me being tagged by VH1 and I was excited. The next day I woke up and was told that my video was going to be on MTV and it was just such a surreal feeling. Moving forward with my music my main goal is to improve my fanbase and make sure I interact with as many supporters as possible. It's a beautiful thing to see people support something that you love to do so I feel that it is my duty to show as much gratitude towards them as possible.