In The Deck

Z-Man – Dope Or Dog Food

     Z-Man is not only the latest MC to get down with Oakland’s esteemed Hieroglyphics crew, but he may also be the most eccentric. But like the title of his last project (Anti-Nerd) implies, Z Man isn’t about to get caught up in the same category as the nerd rap he denounces.

     Through his debut LP, Dope or Dog Food, this San Francisco native takes us on one erratic hip-hop trip. Z Man goes from flowing Rasta-style on a low BPM roots reggae cut (“Knock on Wood”) to spitting self-descriptive raps over his bouncy theme song (“Z-Mutiny”). Nearly every direction Z Man turns, it’s hard not to follow.

     With a few exceptions though, the albums second half fares far better than the first, Early songs like “Come Gurp With Me” are funny and give a taste of Z Man’s very own vocab, but don’t compare to what comes later. Take “No Cure For Sugar” where Z Man cleverly speaks on addictions and all the contradictions that come along with judging them. Later comes “UFO” which explains a lot about Z as he raps, “UFO is what they yellin’ when they see me”.

     Newcomer producer Moss definitely deserves credit for helping orchestrate this MCs’ unpredictable approach, as Z Man doesn’t seem to be easy to keep up with. Dope or Dog Food is the sum of a sporadic Frisco MC who proves to be more freak than geek.

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