Zebra Katz
Ojay Morgan (born 1987), better known as Zebra Katz, is a Berlin-based Jamaican-American rapper, producer and songwriter who has collaborated with artists including Busta Rhymes and Gorillaz. His career took off in 2012 when fashion designer Rick Owens featured Zebra Katz's song "Ima Read" on loop at Paris Fashion Week in 2012. Morgan self-identifies as queer. Musical style. Throughout his career, Morgan has openly spoken out against the "queer rap" genre coined by Pitchfork and other publications used to classify Zebra Katz, and artists like Mykki Blanco and Le1f. While stating that  if it weren't for his sexuality, he'd be generally classified as a "rapper", Morgan claims the inherently homophobic genre pigeonholes musicians. In this sense, his music has been classified as genre-defying. Ima Read. Despite not having a strong personal relationship with voguing, Morgan says the movement was pushed onto him as a means for creating context for "Ima Read". The connection between voguing and the track was fueled by the 20th anniversary of the ballroom scene documentary film "Paris is Burning" and popularization of voguing in 2012. That said, Morgan loves ballroom culture /voguing. He performed at the 2012 GMHC House of Latex Ball, supports House of Vogue founder, DJ MikeQ, and is a forming member of the House of Ladosha. Section::::"Less Is Moor". Inspired by James Baldwin, Grace Jones, Nina Simone, and Little Richard, Zebra Katz's 2020 debut album, "Less Is Moor" pays homage to the minimalist approach often demanded from artists of color. Morgan clarifies this by saying that non-white people are commonly expected to be more resourceful than their white counterparts. With elements of hip-hop, drum 'n' bass, and electronic music, "Less Is Moor" is said to  channel Katz's caustic lyricism into its biting rhythms. The basis for the "Less Is Moor" album started while Morgan was studying at the New School's Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts. His senior thesis project, "Moor Contradictions", was a performance featuring monologues and raps, including "Ima Read", from different personas created by Morgan. Among these characters is Zebra Katz, who Morgan says, was formed as a result of his thesis on identity obsession. Since then, Morgan has been fighting against the various boxes and typecasts created by those around him. The title of the album is  inspired by the Moor people. Discography. Studio albums. Notes