Official Bio:
In the world of hip hop, Zuby is an anomaly. British born, Saudi Arabia-bred and Oxford University educated, he refuses to fit into the ‘generic rapper’ category.
Zuby burst onto the hip hop scene in 2006 with the aptly titled ‘Commercial Underground’. Armed with nothing more than a backpack full of CDs and a bucket load of confidence, he personally sold over 3,000 copies of the album on the streets of Oxford, London, Bournemouth and Southampton.
The industry also took note - the video for ‘Steppin’ 2 Me’ was playlisted on Channel U (now AKA) and UKHH.com affirmed ‘we could be looking at something big in the making.’ Zuby’s growing following and penchant for self-promotion led to him being ranked as the #1 musician in the Oxford Student newspaper’s ‘50 Most Influential People in Oxford’.
Since graduating, Zuby has raised his profile further - setting up his own label COM Entertainment and expanding his loyal fan base via savvy street promotion, live performances and a strong online presence (over 400,000 plays on Myspace, 250,000 views on YouTube and 5,000 fans on Facebook). To date, he has sold over 7,500 albums independently and hundreds of his infamous ‘I’m Down With Zuby, Are You?’ T-shirts. He has performed live all over the UK and as far as the USA, Germany and Saudi Arabia, with radio support including the likes of BBC and Choice FM.
Zuby's second album, ‘The Unknown Celebrity’ remains popular with his fans and spawned two music videos, 'The Same Ones' and 'Too Many'. This was followed up by ‘How I Feel: The EP’ in 2010 which was accompanied by the hilarious music video for ‘Rock Star’. These releases were followed up by a five date tour across the south of England.
The young rapper has recently released his most accomplished album to date, Commercial Underground 2 (CU2). The debut single 'Comin At Ya' has gained over 25,000 views on YouTube, following the release of the ground-breaking one take video shot on London's South Bank. CU2 also marks Zuby’s first venture into cross-genre music, with the dubstep remix of ‘Stay In My Lane’ commanding dancefloor attention and reaching over 65,000 views online to date.
Music industry says:
Zuby captures that rare atmosphere spurned so well by the old-school hip-hop masters, but rarely since. His vocal is assured, steady and never overly indulgent, plus tonally very satisfying. Impressive stuff. Dan Kinasz - Your Army
I like the old school influence and Zuby definitely sounds different to most UK urban acts out in the market right now. Jenni Page - Chilli PR
Really enjoying the video and track - you've got some impressive styles going on there. Laura May Coope - BBC Radio 1 & 1Xtra
Zuby's unique style and clearly pronounced flow will certainly be the thing for any record executive's palate. It appeals to the club and will turn heads in the underground. UKHH.com
Real Hip Hop, reminds me of The Pharcyde but his name is Zuby. No hip hop honeys, no rentals, no special lighting effects. Just the man, his words and camera, Simples! DJ-Bizzy - Bad Bizznez Eventz
Brilliant! I'll spread the word. Look forward to hearing more from you soon. Love your work! Suzy Wheeler - Strawberry Fields Represents
One of the slickest and most lyrically accomplished rappers on the music scene. Nightshift Magazine
Zuby says:
Hello. My name is Zuby and I’m a rapper. I describe my music as ‘commercial underground hip hop’ - meaning that I rap over cool beats and write catchy hooks, but also take a lot of pride in my lyricism, rhyme schemes and overall message. I’m not a gangster, thug, nor pimp. Never have been and have no intentions to be so I don’t rap about selling drugs, shooting people, or other things that I don’t do. My songs are based on my reality and I’m a person with hopes, dreams and problems just like you and that’s why my fans relate to me.
I’m a 100% independent artist, meaning that everything thus far has been achieved without a record label, manager, or agent - simply hard work and the love of my supporters. My music is all self-released under my own label Courtesy Of Myself (COM) Entertainment and so far I’ve managed to sell over 7,500 albums independently in the UK, an achievement I’m very proud of. Lots of it involved hanging around random town centres, in random weather, convincing random people to buy my CDs. iHustle.
If you enjoy my art then please support it by buying a download, CD, or T-shirt. My music is available online from this website, as well as iTunes, Amazon and Spotify. All proceeds enable me to survive, thrive and make more music for you - thank you. Please remember to join my mailing list and I look forward to seeing you in your town on a future tour. You can also follow/stalk me on Facebook and Twitter. Peace.
1, Zuby.
More about me: stuff you don't really need to know...
Music I like: Jay-Z, Nas, LL Cool J, 2Pac, Biggie, Mobb Deep, Eminem, Chamillionaire, Kanye West, Gangstarr, Common, Talib Kweli, T.I., Wiz Khalifa, Wu Tang, Redman, Drake, Lil’ Wayne, Juvenile, Akala, Tech N9ne, Grafh, XV, Mac Miller, Genesis Elijah, Bob Marley, Michael Jackson, Devlin, Donnis, Tinie Tempah, Sway, Damien Marley, Clipse, Mr ShaoDow, J.Cole, 50 Cent, Grand Central, Pharoahe Monch, De La Soul, Lloyd Banks, The Game, Royce Da 5’9’’, The Lox, Eve, Dead Prez, Mos Def, Beatnuts, Chase & Status, Ed Sheeran, Big Sean, Freeway, Ice Cube, Young Jeezy, Big Sean, Skyzoo, Outkast, Estee, Sir Mic, Rick Ross, Giggs, Wretch 32, UGK, Murs, Young Buck, Fabolous, Cam'ron, Mase, Webbafied, Kendrick Lamar, Obie Trice, Big K.R.I.T.
Things I like: Positivity, music (duh), women, technology, education, travelling, deadlifts, Nandos, ice cream.
Things I dislike: Negativity, ignorance, TV, daytime radio, pillows, Marmite, training abs.
