Inspired by “Grace Jones, Nina Simone and [Elizabeth Berkley’s character in the sleazy b-movie Showgirls], Nomi Malone,” Zebra Katz is the alter ego of 26-year-old Brooklyn rap provocateur Ojay Morgan. Taken from his self-released EP Drklng, the subversive lyrical bravado and pounding bass quakes of today’s Mike Dextro-produced track are accentuated by the rapper’s hypnotic gaze in the new video by British director and photographer Matthew Donaldson. Morgan sees live performance as his stock in trade. “To live in the moment, react, create and breathe,” he says of his aim when up on stage. “I’m driven by audience participation, so the higher, louder and more intoxicated the audience is, the greater the show's energy.” Drklng also features the unbounded energy of fellow New Yorker Busta Rhymes on “Ima Lead,” a re-appropriation of Morgan’s explicit breakthrough single “Ima Read.” “My audience is evolving more than my performance at the moment,” says Zebra Katz of his growing cult-like popularity. “With each new show in a new city I’ve never been to before, I see and hear more Katz presenting themselves in the front row like offerings.”
Check out more exclusive Zebra Katz stills by Matthew Donaldson at The Telegraph.
Look 1: White blazer, Tommy Hilfiger; white T-shirt and trousers, Lacoste. Look 2: Mohair coat, Neil Barrett; white T-shirt and trousers, Lacoste. Look 3: Fluffy jacket, Neil Barrett; white T-shirt and trousers, Lacoste. Leather mask, vintage.
Thanks to Alex Shah at Premier Model Management