Alonzo Mathis, better known by his stage nameGorilla Zoe, is an American rapper best known for being a member of the rap groupBoyz N Da Hood. His solo debut albumWelcome to the Zoo came out in 2007. His next two albums, Don't Feed Da Animals and King Kong, were released in 2009 and 2011. In 2015, he released two mixtapes: Recovery and Raised in the Jungle. He has been an independent artist since 2018.
Musical career
In 2006 he replaced Young Jeezy as a member of Boyz N Da Hood. He first saw success in collaborations with Yung Joc's "Coffee Shop" and "Bottle Poppin'," which charted under several Billboard charts. He was then signed as a solo artist for Block Entertainment and Bad Boy South. On June 19, 2007 Gorilla Zoe released his first single "Hood Figga" it was a success peaking on the Billboard 100 at #38. His first solo album, Welcome to the Zoo, was released October 2007, peaking at #18 on the Billboard 200, #8 on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, and #3 on Top Rap Albums. In 2007 Gorilla Zoe was chosen for the 2008 XXL Freshmen cover along with rappers Saigon, Plies, Rich Boy, Joell Ortiz, Lupe Fiasco, Lil Boosie, Crooked I, Papoose & Young Dro. On October 28, 2008, "Lost", Gorilla Zoe's first single from his second album, was released. Don't Feed da Animals topped the Billboard Top Rap Albums chart. On March 17, 2009 Gorilla Zoe's second solo album, Don't Feed da Animals, it sold 29,000 copies its first week peaking on the Billboard 200 at #8. The second single from the album was "What It Is", featuring Rick Ross, and Kollosus, and the third single "Echo" followed. During February 2010, Gorilla Zoe released a mixtape every day on the mixtape website DatPiff.com. He released an EP, I Am Atlanta 3. He also worked on a mixtape with Die-Verse City's member, Qu1k. On June 14, 2011, Gorilla Zoe released his third solo album, King Kong. Although it was not as successful as his previous albums, it charted on the Billboard 200 at #56, with 10,300 copies in its first week out. Allmusic rated the album three-and-a-half stars out of five. The song from the album, "What's Goin' On", was released on December 14, 2010, and peaked at #99 at the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs Chart. On May 6, 2014, after a two-year hiatus Gorilla Zoe released a new mixtape, Recovery, it was also revealed that Gorilla Zoe had signed to rapper Flo Rida's label International Music Group. In July 2018, he released "Fat Jesus", his first single as an independent artist.
