Bio

In a music world that churns out shallow albums like McDonald's fries up fast food, the Oakland duo of Amp Live and MC Zion, aka Zion I, have provided fans with their organic, conscious rhymes and original, layered grooves for nearly five years.

Now, on the heels of their critically acclaimed debut, Mind Over Matter, the group is poised to drop their second album, Deep Water Slang version 2.0 (Live Up/Raptivism Records), a complicated, powerful and emotional melding of political personal poetics fused with soulful, electronic-inflected rhythms.

Now signed to the noted, New York-based Raptivism Records, home to such talents as performance artist, Danny Hoch, and Tahir (of dead prez), Zion I have the perfect home for their social and political inspired music.

"Zion I is a group of the future," notes Raptivism CEO Vincent Merry. "We want to be the label to bring that talent to the forefront."

Indeed, with 16 tracks of innovative, insightful street verse underlined by varied beats that draw from drum and bass, Indian sitars, and lush soul grooves, Zion I solidify their reputation as artists who forever push the boundaries of hip-hop, lyrically and musically.