Zebra Katz

American rapper Zebra Katz aka Ojay Morgan shot into the spotlight in 2012 with single ‘Ima Read’. With a hat tip to voguing doc Paris Is Burning, Morgan has played an important role in the revival of black LGBT ball culture that owes elements of its style to Grace Jones’ iconic place at the crossroads of fashion, music and performance art.

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Grace Jones
Island Life
(Island Records, 1985)

Listen / Buy

Growing up in a Jamaican household, music was usually played from morning to dust and as a child my mother said that anytime ‘Pull Up To The Bumper’ played I would immediately loose it and dance like a mad man. At the age of 12 I found my parents record collection and fell deeper in love with Ms. Jones visual aesthetic – her album covers were and still are works of art by themselves. I believe Grace’s collaborative work with Jean Paul Goude amplify how iconic Grace is as an artist, actor, and musician. I’ve recently been working on a cover of ‘My Jamaican Guy’ for my live shows and I still dream of meeting and/or possibly collaborating her in the future. She’s such a huge inspiration to me that I would be foolish to not pay respect to the legend – her voice, choice of production teams, and live performances are like no other.

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