Sunday, May 2, 2021

The Haitian Anthem "Imma Zoe" (I'm A Zoe") by Black Dada (2008 video and comments)


GUALDI, Sep 25, 2009
-snip-
WARNING:
Black Dada's song "Imma Zoe" includes some profanity. However, the audio for those words are muted in this video. The lyrics section in this post uses amended spelling for that profanity. Amended spelling is also used for the four letter form of the word that is commonly given as "the word".post.

This video includes some harrowing scenes such as Haitians jumping into the ocean trying to reach American soil and a White policeman chasing young Black boys who are trying to enter the United States from Haitian boats. This song also promotes violence and there are scenes of men burning tatoos ("tats") on their chest. These scenes may be disturbing to children and others.

****
Edited by Azizi Powell

This is Part II of a three part pancocojams series about the word "Zoe" as an infomal referent for Haitians. 

Part II of this pancocojams post showcases the official YouTube video of Black Dada's 2008 record "Imma Zoe". This pancocojams post presents some biographical information about Black Dada and presents selected comments from that YouTube video's discussion thread. Many of these comments include the informal Haitian referent "Zoe"

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/05/what-zoe-really-means-as-informal.html for Part I of this series. Part I presents excerpts from several online sources about the word "Zoe" as an informal referent for Haitians.

Click https://pancocojams.blogspot.com/2021/05/kreyol-la-eastern-parkway-labor-day_2.html Part III of this pancocojams post presents information about Brooklyn's annual West Indiand Day Parade. This post also showcases a YouTube video of the 2019 Brooklyn, New York's West Indian Labor Day parade that features a Haitian music truck and a huge crowd of paraders. Selected comments from several discussion threads of YouTube videos that focus on Haitian paraders during the Brooklyn West Indian Labor Day parade are also included in this post. Many of those comments include the word "Zoe" as a referent for Haitians.

The Addendum to Part III presents information about Haitian Rara processions, as Rara has greatly influenced the way that Haitians participate in the anual Brooklyn, New York West Indian Day Parade. 

The content of this post is presented for linguistic, socio-cultural, and entertainment purposes.

All copyrights remain with their owners.

Thanks to Black Dada for his cultural contribution of the song "Imma Zoe". Thanks to all those who were associated with this song and this video. osng iciaare assicall those who are quoted in this post and thanks to the publisher of this post on YouTube..

****
INFORMATION ABOUT BLACK DADA
From https://hiphopdatabase.fandom.com/wiki/Black_Dada_(rapper)
"Davidson Pierre (born 1980), better known by his stage name, Black Dada, is an Haitian-American Urban R&B Singer. He is currently signed to strictly business records Universal Republic. His stage name is derived from his nick name his mom gave him DaDa, which is the doubling of the first two letters in his name and the black comes from him being well... black. Black dada started as an artist under an indie label "House of Sounds" in Broward County, Florida where he resides."..
-snip-
This biographical statement appears to have been written in 2014. A number of commenters in the discussion thread for this embedded video wrote in 2019 and 2020 asking where was Black Dada now and what new music has he performed. However, no information was posted in that discussion thread about Black Dada. I couldn't find any updated information about that singer anywhere else online.

****
LYRICS: IMMA ZOE (performed by Black Dada)

Yeah...
This ya boy black a.k.a da da {da da, da da }
Got another another one, for my island {oh woa check it}
Tatted on my chest now...

[Chorus:]

Said it's Tatted on my chest
Yes I'm a zoe
I never had a problem getting hoes{dough}

Making this musics all I know
So hold on tight cause I'm a blow
In donk's chevy (we ride)
At the club (we live)
On 6"s & 7"S (we ride)
At any show (we live)...

Said tatted on my chest, yes I'm a zoe
When haters talk mess I lose control.
Using my fists, that's all I know.
On my own two feet go blow for blow.

What you gotta problem, know you now I'm live.
Never had a problem to go inside.
F--king* with me is a suicide.
Step into the jungle, well you won't survive

Red and blue wet on the chevy paint.
Turn in your face, dog my sh-t* will stink
Hypotize rims make you go insane

Just like a bobblehead, bobbling brain.
Riding swerving from lane to lane.
I'm a let the whole world know my name.
On my sh-t* cause I'm a pro.

Tatted on my chest cause I'm a zoe...

[Chorus]

Said it's Tatted on my chest
Yes I'm a zoe
I never had a problem getting hoes{dough}
Making this musics all I know
So hold on tight cause I'm a blow
In donk's chevy (we ride)
At the club (we live)
On 6"s & 7"S (we ride)
At any show (we live)...

If u See me in the streets, know I'm Zoe.
If u See me in the club, I act a fool
With a gang of killers, that's just my crew.
Don't mean to be rude that's how I do. (Yeah)

Cup held high with a mug so mean.
Tilt to the side cause I'm sipping that lean.
My swagg so loose, gotta be the goose.
Flashing lights ike a photo shoot.

Now I'm a do me, you do you.
My wrist so cold, don't catch a flu.
On my flag got red and blue.
Yes I said it red and blue.
If you talking don't waste my time.
Worry bout yours don't worry bout mine.
Dropping hits it's in my soul.
It's Tatted on my chest cause I'm a zoe.
{check it Woa}

[Chorus]

Said it's Tatted on my chest
Yes I'm a zoe
I never had a problem getting hoes{dough}
Making this musics all I know
So hold on tight cause I'm a blow
In donk's chevy (we ride)
At the club (we live)
On 6"s & 7"S (we ride)
At any show (we live)...

Said it's tatted on my chest respect my mind.
I spit creole anytime.
In the booth they know I rhyme.
So with the hood you know I shine.
Sak pase to all my zoes.
What it do to the people I know.
To all my stippers on the pole.
And all my ni--as* blowing dro.{dro}
Let me put u on some game.
Hoes ain't never called no lame.
We seen the worst and felt the pain.
Cloudy weather filled with rain.
United we stand, divided we fall.
They can't break me not at all.
So Stack my chips never go broke.
It's Tatted on my chest cause I'm a zoe!

[Chorus]

Said it's Tatted on my chest
Yes I'm a zoe
I never had a problem getting hoes{dough}
Making this musics all I know
So hold on tight cause I'm a blow
In donk's chevy (we ride)
At the club (we live)
On 6"s & 7"S (we ride)
At any show (we live)...

Source: These lyrics were given in the publisher's summary for this YouTube video.
-snip-
*These words are fully spelled out in these lyrics.

****
SELECTED COMMENTS FROM THIS VIDEO'S DISCUSSION THREAD
Numbers added for referencing purposes only. 

2016

BIG BEAR ENTERTAINING

4 years ago

SAK PASE TO MY HAITIAN DOWN IN PALM BEACH COUNTY.  WE RIDE ALL THE WAY.
-snip-
"Sak Pase" = Haitian Creole greeting meaning "What's happenin'"

****
2017

1. Chevynate 229
"ZoeLifeπŸ‡­πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡­πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡­πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡­πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡­πŸ‡ΉπŸ”ŠπŸ”ŠπŸ”ŠπŸ’―"

**
2. 
Mysterious Queen
"
Whole Florida anthem"

**
Reply
3. Julius 2xx, 2020
"
hurricanefan191 This was definitely the Florida Anthem"

**
Reply
4. 
hurricanefan191, 2020
"
 @Julius 2xx  nah people north of Orlando didn't know what it was"

**
Reply
5. 
Anthony Connor, 2021
"
Miami*" 

 **
Reply
6. 
ikindagotfanss, 2021
" @Anthony Connor  south Florida *"

**
Reply
7. Anthony Connor, 2021
"ikindagotfanss nah I know what I said."

**
2018

8. EMPRESS, C Phillips
"On my bad days...this is my picker upper....Zoe all day!"

**
9. GBE SCMG TV
"Remember watching this on MTV Jams dailyπŸ™ŒπŸΎ"

**
10. Gino 2nice
"Shoutout to all my zoes worldwide we in deep outchea"

**
11. Lola Lawler
"ZOE GIRL ZOE WAY OR NO WAYπŸ‡­πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡­πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡­πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡­πŸ‡Ή"
**
12. complex lifestyle
"I remember when this was heavily on the radio back in 08. 99 jiggy jams!"

**
13. Kavencci
"Classic πŸ”₯"

**
14. Junior Bellevue 265
"Proud true Haitian πŸ‡­πŸ‡ΉπŸ’―"

****
2019
15. Wolf YRK
"Zoe life or no lifeπŸ”΅πŸ”΄"
**
16. ashtray813
"This song made being Haitian in school cool.

No more, “y’all eat cat?!” questions for me πŸ™„"
**
[Another comment is given after ashtray813's commment is an abbreviation for profanity. That commenter may have changed her name from the screen name "mekka knight" that is referenced in two of the replies below.]   

Reply
17. lauryn love, 2020
"mekka knight no what she is saying is what people would say to Haitians growing up. Especially growing up in any part of Florida, people would be soooo mean to Haitians they would say ignorant stuff like "y’all eat cats" "

**
Reply
18, Its Tuca, 2020
"@lauryn love  or go do voodoo"

**
Reply
19, sanai Desroches
'mekka knight it’s true it still happens sometimes it used to happen to my mom ain’t nobody try me last time they said I ate cat I made them eat dirt"

**
Reply
20. sanai Desroches, 2020
"@Elizabeth Suffren  right it still happens sometimes at my schoolπŸ™„"

**
Reply
21. Mark Williams, 2021
"Let's not act like y'all didn't roast us African americans alsoπŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚growing up in south florida that's all that went down from the moment you got on the bus to the moment you got homeπŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚ all the homies split up haitians vs blacks roast sessions πŸ˜‚πŸ˜‚"

**
22. Dorothy Jacques
"I love this song 2020 Zoe foreverπŸ‡­πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡­πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡­πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡­πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡­πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡­πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡­πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡­πŸ‡Ή"

**
23.  Austin
"
If you from Palm Beach you wasn't bumping Zoe nothing in the late 90's and early 2000's. It wasn't till TOP 6 came around that they got love in the streets. FACTS πŸ’―"

**
24. 
Alex Del aguila
"I was jamming to this at 18 years old n I'm mexican....much love to my Haitian ppl..."

**
25. Oscar Garza
"2019 ZOE πŸ‡²πŸ‡½ πŸ‡¨πŸ‡΄ πŸ‡΅πŸ‡· πŸ‡¨πŸ‡Ί"
WITH πŸ‡­πŸ‡Ή 🀝"
-snip-
Mx= Mexico; Co=Colombia, PR= Puerto Rico, CU=Cuba with [support] HT= Haiti

**
26. Marco Static
"HAPPY HAITIAN FLAG DAY TO ALL MY ZOES πŸ‡­πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡­πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡­πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡­πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡­πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡­πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡­πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡­πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡­πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡­πŸ‡Ή"
-snip-
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haitian_Flag_Day
"Haitian Flag Day is a Haitian holiday to celebrate the creation of the Flag of Haiti and revolution in Haiti that got its people freedom from France and set the precedent for slave uprisings in the US. The day is celebrated each year on the 18th of May, which is the anniversary of the date of the flag's adoption in 1803. The day is observed in numerous cities of the US that have a large Haitian population.[1][2]”…

**
27. Journal Wright
"This is so motivational. I love the beat and the melodic and inspirational flow."

****
2020

28. 
Terrence Jackson
"That's how you represent yo people ✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿✊🏿"

**
29. Jean-Paul Chatelier
""Black Dada make us proud with this song, Imma Zoe and will always be."

**
30. Oghens Atumah
"Used to play this on the way to school, when I first heard it on BET."

**
31. Min French
"From new york but Bae from Miami and he played this a few times and introduced me to this song we both of Haitian decent"

**
32. LOVELY KWEEN
"I’m not even a zoe but livin n Florida everybody bumpin this😫😫"

****
2021

33. Christina Alexis
"This song still popular in south fl πŸ™ŒπŸ½πŸ™ŒπŸ½πŸ‡­πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡­πŸ‡ΉπŸ‡­πŸ‡Ή"

**
34. Kesha Charlosrtin
"πŸ‡­πŸ‡Ή❤️ Blessed to be a Zoe"

**
35. ArizonaGirl1
"The original ZOE!!! Just remembered this song from my lil boo's playlist 10 years ago. He was 19 living in Miami coming back and forth to Az to visit. It's still πŸ”₯πŸ”₯πŸ”₯"
-snip-
"The original ZOE" probably refers to the fact that there's also a 2009 remix of this song by Black Dada featuring Rick Ross and Birdman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NPM60msrPA&ab_channel=JASONBRICKS

**
36. Relevant P.
"Still going hard in 2021 Respect Black Dada Zoe Life!"

**
37. Franklin Drade
"This song Legendary πŸ’€πŸ’€πŸ’€πŸ¦…πŸ©Έ"

**
38. 
MiWa Williams
"
This song so litπŸ’ͺ🏾"

**
39. 
Rocky Ball
"
Haitian hands up we stay zoe!!! For ever and ever"

**
40. 
Jackie Bonilla
"Love  my  zoes!!!!

****
This concludes Part II of this three part pancocojams series.

Thanks for visiting pancocojams.

Visitor comments are welcome.

No comments:

Post a Comment