Zoe Gawd was born in Queens, New York, “Hillside and 168 to be exact.” Early experiences and growing up in the fast pace life of the city influenced her writing and general attitude toward life. “From literally being near every bus and train leading me to go anywhere in the city I wanted, from having neighbors that were all different races and colors so the food the culture is huge in the hood. I’m way more open minded, I been around people who have been out the country they’ve seen things… the hustle and bustle, everybody always got somewhere to be.”
“Living right off the Ave I seen a lot. We seen stars buying jewelry and spending cash, to fights and junkies, and hustlers and cops we seen it all. The Ave is the Hub. My hood exposed me to so much there’s nothing like it.” Gawd began writing poetry at age 8 and eventually transitioned into writing raps. In 2016 she recorded her first freestyle to Kendrick Lamar’s “Higher Power” and instantly fell in love with the process. Zoe cites 90s hip-hop like early Jay-Z and Nas as major influences as well as Kanye West after being introduced by an older brother, and more recently Nicki Minaj. Her latest single “Do You?” is a high point in Gawd’s fresh career, “It was the first time seeing my whole vision come together independently between the song and the video,” she says. “It was the catalyst for me to really motivate me to keep doing what I was doing. It was like validation.” When Zoe isn’t making music she’s chillin with her friends. “Nothing like smoking a few L’s with my niggas, reading, watching some Netflix or whatever. I love going out to eat tho that’s my shit… love interactive shit like arcades… anywhere I can have fun you know, I like being outside”
“Do You?” begins with a light and melodic loop before the beat kicks in with Zoe delivering a catchy and rhythmic chorus. The beat produced by Accent Beats has a feel-good and lighthearted quality while maintaining its edge with hard drums and super heavy bass. The verses showcase Zoe’s smooth style and ability to lyrically paint a picture of romantic infatuation and the excitement of a new relationship. She oozes mellow attitude and confidence, letting her skills naturally come through the music perfectly complementing the story that the song and video are telling. There are great lines and classic hip-hop word play throughout the verses, mixing the raw honest street style with romantic swagger with lines like “I think about you just to pass the time” and “you’re too beautiful, we cant fuck in the dark”.
Zoe adds melody to her lines and gives them another musical element to match the groove of the track. In the video, (filmed by @rardyrardatlarge and directed by @lifeofbknott) The beautiful muse is enticed into a secret rendezvous in a hotel from a mysterious envelope containing a room number. Paired with larger than life shots of the city and Zoe expressing her story to the camera, the video adds another element of style and depth to the song. You can listen to “Do You?” on our Prime Cuts Playlists on Spotify and Youtube and follow Zoe Gawd on the links below. Please continue to support artists like Zoe and share this music with everyone you know.
Soundcloud – soundcloud.com/zoegawd
The Music Butcher 
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