“Sometimes everything means nothing to you,” Zzz. croons on SAM standout “NOTHING 2 U,” evidently bearing his soul on his long-awaited debut EP.
Nearly two years after signing to Lil Bibby and Grade A Productions, new music from the Miami-born singer has seemingly been in limbo since murmurs of Juice WRLD’s The Party Never Ends was in the process of being completed. Months later—and still without any sign of new Juice—Zzz takes the reigns for Grade A, finally dropping his first project under the esteemed imprint.
SAM, an ode to Zzz’s real name, ticks off at seven tracks long, which includes an acoustic version of the EP’s opener, “NOTHING 2 U.” With a single feature from NoCap, Zzz rides dolo for a majority of the project—and, admittedly, to his advantage.
A sample platter of what’s to come, forlorn, breakup anthems like “NOTHING 2 U,” “U GIRL” and “I MOVED AWAY” showcase Z’s affinity for songwriting—contrasted with a bona fide summertime hit in “LIE.” However, the acoustic version of “NOTHING 2 U” is the heart of SAM’s sound: stripped-down, deeply personal and packed with emotive croons that ooze longing and heartbreak.
There’s bits and pieces of both Juice WRLD and The Kid LAROI in Z’s sound, but this type of melodic rap is what’s defined Grade A over the years. Discovering LAROI at age 13 and Juice right before “Lucid Dreams” took off, Grade A has found its formula to prop the game’s next superstar. Z’s “RUNNING AWAY” quickly turned heads online as he garnered widespread notoriety shortly after signing with Bibby. Following his debut single in “All I Never Wanted,” Z shared A Gift And A Curse (Dec. 2022) and “Sad & Alone” with Trippie Redd last June.
Now as we await for the full-length debut, let Zzz. lull you into his world with SAM.
Listen to ‘SAM’ below!