big ZEE (Photo: Supplied)
Our weekly segment The Weekly Eight returns with the Méchant EP from Ottawa recording artist, big ZEE.
ZEE was born in Limassol, Cyprus as his parents fled the ongoing war in Lebanon. Weeks later, they immigrated to the United States and resided in Dallas for 10 years before finally moving and settling in Canada.
“Therapy through expression… You’ll always know what state of mind I’m in by the music I’m creating.” – big ZEE
The budding rapper recruited some of the brightest and best talent in Ottawa including the likes of Cashtro Crosby, Bromar, Gorgy Swoah and Pter P. The production also showcases a variety of dope local producers including Khamali Jordan, Overdose and 613Tino, as well as some well-known producers from Miami like Brian White, Julian Beats and E-Flat. Méchant was executive produced by The Weeknd’s personal sound engineer, Shin Kamiyama.
When asked about the title of the EP, Méchant, which is French for bad or unruly, big ZEE explained that his daughter would always holler “méchant mots Papa” (French for “bad words dad”) whenever he would say something bad. So he originally wanted to call the EP Méchant Mots or Bad Words. He ultimately dropped the ‘words’ part and opted for just Méchant.
“Words couldn’t possibly describe how important music has been for me. Everyone goes through ups and downs in life and I’m no different. Having a creative outlet to unpack some of the shit going on in my mind, whether positive or negative, has given me a much needed lane. Therapy through expression… You’ll always know what state of mind I’m in by the music I’m creating. Pouring your most personal thoughts out into your music inevitably makes you vulnerable but ultimately that’s what also makes us all human. I do this out of love. I do this out of necessity… but most importantly I do this so that one day when I’m dead and gone my daughter will be able to bump my music and know her daddy was a real one.”
Supporting visuals are expected shortly for the records “4me” as well as “U.C.Y.” and “Imma Dog.” We look forward to more music from this talented artist and songwriter down the road.
ZEE capped off 2018 with the Gorgy Swoah-assisting single, “Shoebox,” which is also featured in the post (and also featured on Apple Music.
SELECTION DETAILS
- Artist/Group: Ottawa-based (by way of Dallas, Texas and Limassol, Cyprus) recording artist, big ZEE.
- Submission: The 5-track independent EP, Méchant, originally released Nov. 9, 2018. Guest appearances include Cashtro Crosby, Bromar, Gorgy Swoah and Pter P.
- Streaming Links: You can find the project on Apple Music, Spotify, and other digital streaming outlets.
- Social Media: You can follow @ZeelonMusk on Instagram.
Check out the Méchant EP below.
BIG ZEE – MÉCHANT EP
THE WEEKLY EIGHT INFO
Submission Sundays was a segment we introduced in 2018 to show love to the hundreds of artists and groups that submit new material to us weekly. The segment also gave us a chance to show love to people who weren’t already receiving regular coverage on HipHopCanada, and gave them a chance to connect with our viewers.
Towards the end of the year, we relaunched Submission Sundays as The Weekly Eight, with the same objective to help artists grow.
Each week, we’ll select 8 new submissions and feature them on our homepage for at least a 24 hour period.
To be considered for The Weekly Eight segment, please submit your content using our Submission Form. International submissions are welcome.
Please note, due to the volume of submissions we receive, we are unable to respond to each submission directly. Submissions with missing information will be deleted.
A summary of this week’s selections:
- King of DC: Shy Glizzy releases the “30s, 50s, 100s” video
- Toronto’s Mathematik previews ReAL/iS-Him album with “The Motive” single
- Ottawa’s big ZEE impresses with 5-track EP, Méchant
- Caviar Dreams: NorthSideBenji enlists Houdini for the “Levels” video
- Visions: Ottawa rapper DaBoiLoc drops first video in support of EP
- Between Somewhere: Token & Tech N9ne call out “YouTube Rappers” in new video
- Merkules enlists Stuey Kubrick for “Reject” visuals
- Toronto’s French of Triple M enlists StrvngeFilms for “On Time” video
