ZillaKami

Blazing his own trail as part of trap metal duo City Morgue, ZillaKami's raging vocals proved the perfect counterpart to the grittier style of his friend and close collaborator SosMula. Having established the trap metal subgenre with City Morgue hits like "SHINNERS13" and "33RD BLAKK GLASS," Zilla made his solo debut with 2021 mixtape DOG BOY. Born Junius Rogers in Bay Shore, New York, ZillaKami entered the music game as part of punk outfit Scud Got Quayle, but soon found his calling in New York's underground rap scene. While writing with rapper 6ix9ine, Rogers began to collaborate with the upcoming MC: transitioning to rap with punk-inspired energy and raw vocals, Zilla brought a fiery energy to the 6ix9ine-assisted "Yokai" and "Hellsing Station." He issued his debut EP, LifeIsAHorrorMovie, in April 2017. But the collaboration that would change Rogers' career was just around the corner: Zilla soon linked up with fellow rapper SosMula through his brother's work at a tattoo parlor, and the two combined their talents to form rap duo City Morgue. Their style, described variously as punk rap, trap metal, and nu metal, fused heavy guitar-based sonics with the clattering beats of the trap genre, resulting in floor-shuddering anthems shaped by both rap and rock. Soon, the duo found major success: 2018's Be Patient EP produced the underground hit "Nitro Cell," before the howling "33RD BLAKK GLASS" brought their unique sound to the rap world at large. With City Morgue, Vol. 1 (2018), City Morgue Vol. 2 (2019), and Toxic Boogaloo (2020), the duo became pioneers of the trap metal scene, producing a stream of raging, gothic anthems ("SHINNERS13," "ARSON," "NECK BRACE") as well as gloomier, more introspective work ("DRAINO," "THE BALLOONS"). With City Morgue racking up millions of streams across all platforms, ZillaKami used 2021 to build on his solo career, releasing "Chains" and the Lil Uzi Vert-featuring "Badass." His highly anticipated debut mixtape, DOG BOY, arrived that September: split evenly between hardcore and melodic styles, the project continued to develop Rogers' artistic identity. ~ David Crone, Rovi