Zion I
This duo of genre-bender pride has made a name for itself on the Bay Area scene by successfully mixing spiritualism and hip-hop. Oakland's MC Zumbi and DJ/producer Amp Live blend hip-hop and trip-hop beats with lyrics focused on a message of unity, hope, and spiritual awareness. Although Zion I operate out of Berkeley, the pair originally met in Atlanta, making their music difficult to classify as strictly West Coast hip-hop. Their musical style makes them even harder to define. With a style that borrows from hip-hop, trance, drum'n'bass, and reggae, Zion I's style is equally mystical and mystifying.
Zumbi and Amp Live formed Zion I in Oakland, California in 1996, and produced several self-released cassettes. The duo slowly made inroads while opening for rap royalty like De La Soul, Rakim, and Run-D.M.C. Their debut album, Mind Over Matter, was released by Ground Control Records in May of 2000 and featured tracks from their previous cassettes and singles, as well as collaborations with fellow Bay Area rappers Rasco, Planet Asia, and the Grouch. This was also the only Zion I album to feature DJ K-Genius, who subsequently left the group. Sophomore album Deep Water Slang was scheduled for release in 2002, but its distributor Nu Gruv Alliance shuttered, and the album was delayed until 2003, when it was reconfigured and released as Deep Water Slang V2.0 on Raptivism Records. The album spawned several singles and music videos, and was more commercially successful than their debut. Zion I released several mixtapes on their own Live Up Records, leading up to the release of their third album, 2005's True & Livin'. The album featured guest appearances by Talib Kweli, Aesop Rock, and Del tha Funkee Homosapian. The duo's fourth album, Break a Dawn, was initially only released in Japan in 2006, but was subsequently released internationally. Also in 2006, Zion I recorded Heroes in the City of Dope, a collaborative album with the Grouch, which Om Records released toward the end of the year.
Zion I released a few more mixtapes, and contributed guest appearances to albums by Ty, CLP, DJ Deckstream, and others. Take Over, the duo's first album for Gold Dust Media, arrived in early 2009, and featured guest appearances by Brother Ali and Devin the Dude. Atomic Clock followed in 2010, also on Gold Dust Media. Heroes in the Healing of the Nation, Zion I's second full-length in collaboration with the Grouch, appeared on Z & G Music in 2011. The duo released their 2012 full-length Shadow Boxing on Live Up Records. The prolific pair decided to focus their energy on creating EPs. The Vapors appeared in 2013, followed by The Masters of Ceremony and Libations (both 2014), as well as 2015's The Sun Moon and Stars. Stephen Gaines, aka MC Zumbi and Baba Zumbi, died on August 13, 2021 at the age of 49.
© Jon Azpiri /TiVo
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The Take Over
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Live Up Records on 9 Feb 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mind Over Matter
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Live Up Records on 30 May 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
True & Livin' (Bonus Track Version)
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Live Up Records on 19 Apr 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Heroes In The City of Dope
Zion I, The Grouch, Zion I & The Grouch
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Z & G Music on 10 Oct 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Deep Waterslang
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Live Up Records on 15 Jun 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
ShadowBoxing
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Live Up Records on 2 Oct 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
ShadowBoxing
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Live Up Records on 2 Oct 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Street Legends
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Live Up Records on 6 Mar 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ritual Mystik
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mind Over Matter on 23 Nov 2018
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Science Of Breath, Vol. 3
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Jah Works on 30 Dec 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Electrowonderland vol.1: Drum n Bass Sessions 1997 - 2020 A.D.
Drum & Bass - Released by Crystal House Music on 21 Aug 2005
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Love California Like You - Single
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by ZGE Music on 22 Jun 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Wake Up - EP
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mind Over Matter on 7 Jul 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Street Legends, Vol. 2
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mind Over Matter on 13 Oct 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Human Being (BassNectar Edit) - Single
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Live Up Records on 2 Oct 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Neva Bow (Evton B Remix)
Reggae - Released by Easy Star Records on 1 Apr 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Atomic Clock
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Live Up Records on 9 Nov 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Labyrinth
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mind Over Matter on 21 Oct 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Try & Try
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Mind Over Matter on 2 Oct 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dj Amplive Presents Zion I Instrumentals Vol 1
Hip-Hop/Rap - Released by Crystal House Music on 1 Apr 2007
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo