Gorilla Zoe Biography

The American rapper known as Gorilla Zoe was born Alonzo Mathis. Gorilla Zoe started his career as a solo artist signed under the name Tavares “Buck” Thomas, but after joining Boyz n da Hood in 2006, he began to perform under the moniker Gorilla Zoe. In 2007, he was signed with Block Entertainment and Bad Boy South as a solo artist, releasing his major label solo debut, Welcome to the Zoo, later that year.

Welcome to the Zoo was Gorilla Zoe’s first successful endeavor, rising into the top twenty on the mainstream charts and even higher – into the top five – on the rap charts. The single “Hood Figga” also fared well, reaching the mainstream charts top forty. Welcome to the Zoo set the stage for the follow-up albums Don’t Feed Da Animals (2009) and King Kong (2011), featuring the singles: “Lost” (featuring Lil Wayne); “What It Is” (featuring Rick Ross); “Echo”; “What’s Goin’ On”; and “Twisted” (featuring Lil Jon.)

Gorilla Zoe has also lent his vocals to three songs by Yung Joc: “Coffee Shop,” “Bottle Poppin,” and “Portrait of Love.” Gorilla Zoe most recently released the mixtapes Recovery and Raised in the Jungle, both arriving in 2015.