“Tae Zu (born Dante Alexander Greene) is an artist out of El Paso, TX. Music has always been a deep influence in his life. He was surrounded by sounds and family singing – his grandfather on the weekends showing him Jazz, Funk and Blues, while his mother’s poems fueled his interest in hip hop, as he was introduced to artists like Slick Rick, Wu-Tang Clan, Busta Rhymes and others who followed. Tae Zu enjoyed the clever writing in lyrics, flowing with the grittiness of the music, which was the key to igniting his start. Growing up, he quickly moved from his interests in battle rapping, to finding his way to an independent record label, and then onto releasing his own solo projects. This lead to touring and increasing his reach throughout the areas of the southwest, surrounding his home town. All the while Tae Zu continued to hone his craft and study the culture. Feb. 19th 2021, marks the release of Tae Zu’s latest single, entitled “SINK”. It’s relaxing and overwhelming at the same time. The contrast between harsh poetic lyrics and the smooth but disturbing beat, is most evident in the track, which really shows off Tae Zu’s serious poeticism: “Chained to my own fear, Will I ever be clear, Or will I drown in the ocean of tears, That I, see closer ends, That I, welcome with open arms, These dark thoughts, that’ll scares your devil, This level, of pain, unsettling, Crazing the brain, Testament, Stain to the pressure, I gained,” raps Tae Zu in the track’s opening lines. His messages throughout the track, are as clear as they are cryptic, until he gets to the hook, which is explicit in its intentions: “All you’ll get is a hole in the ground, You will not tell me shit, You will not take my crown,” sings Tae Zu. It is a musical triumph, and intentionally so. It is a chance for the artist to showcase his incredible lyricism and confidence, over a complex, but great beat. Though the track has brief duration of 1 minute and fifty four seconds, Tae Zu packs in fantastic wordplay and rhymes. Each of his enunciations is clear, carefully and precisely delivered, and for a moment his delivery drifts into the realm of mesmeric. As he has previously demonstrated on his releases, Tae Zu actively refuses to be boxed in by commercial, label, media or industry expectations, and instead opts to chart his own course across the oversaturated world of rap music. Tae Zu is not in this line of musical creativity to simply make commercially viable hip-pop, he understands that his career and credibility as an artist, will get far more mileage out of recording a profound, thought provoking piece like “SINK”. The track is a truly absorbing release from an ever-developing hip-hop artist. It would seem Tae Zu has thoughtfully evaluated his music-making priorities, and the result on “SINK” is indicative of this meticulous care.” - Bobby Nelson
“"How Tae Zu is keeping lyricism alive" ” - Stephen Vicino
“ Don’t let the ninja vibe of the name and cover image fool you, Tae Zu hails from El Paso, Texas, a fact which just goes to underline that anyone, musicians and artists especially, are free to build up whatever alter ego around them that they choose. It is to be encouraged and changed often…after all, it didn’t do the likes of David Bowie any harm. But in many ways, sonically speaking at least, Tae Zu is a bit of a ninja. Sink is a song which is deftly put together. The beats are unpredictable yet beguiling, the music which dances surefootedly above it drifts and washes like the wind and waves and the lyrics deliver the killer blow. Tae Zu knows that you don’t have to throw everything into a song to drive the point home and it is the space and understatement of the middle ground which allows the beats and lyrical salvos to land so effectively on the listener. Get in, deliver the song, and get out before anyone has realised what has just hit them. Sounds like a sonic Ninja to me.” - David Franklin
““If you trust yourself, any choice you make will be correct. If you do not trust yourself, anything you do will be wrong.” The human mind is not an already fully informed and developed organ. It takes work and time to develop it. Much like a computer and a child it learns through repetition and through what it is exposed to. New code, new language, new frames of thinking, new ideas and concepts are what forms it into a varied and well functioning machine. It is capable of relating to one person’s pain and helping solve the problems of another, it is capable of appreciating sculpture, art, and music of any variety. Yet, we humans limit ourselves to our comfort zone. We are relegated to a limited environment when we don’t seek out eclecticism. This is the purpose of a few, and those few are the creators/creatives that fuel our appreciation for the humanities. Tae Zu is one of those creatives. He was exposed to a variety of music early on in his formative years by his grandfather. Early musical experiences ranging from jazz and funk to blue and poetry. He also developed a strong affinity for hip hop music from the East Coast. The grittiness of the music of Slick Rick and Wu-Tang and the complex lyrical schemes gave Tae Zu an ear for music that he would develop into the person/rapper he is today. An emcee that practiced and tested himself through a variety of experience, he would join cyphers, and then move onto an interest in battle rap. He would develop and hone his craft with a record label out of El Paso, Texas and went on to where he is today. As an artist Tae Zu the Desert Ghod is a practitioner of the sport, meaning he not only creates hip hop but actively records, writes, and works towards his musical goals. He has a recent release on his website only titled “Tel Off”. A gritty beat backdrop and lyrical mastery that is not common in the current musical landscape or era. His other two most recent projects are “Off’ and “Respratory” both available on all platforms and available to listen to below. Check out Tae Zu and follow him on his social media links below. ” - Gabriel Barrio
“This episode of THE Underground Source of El Paso, TX features local hip hop artist Tae Zu. He talks about his recent EP "Respiratory" and his plans for 2020. Features TWO full songs: "Repeat" (intro song) and "Liquor and a Blunt" (outro song)” - M. De Santiago
“Tae Zu knows his way around a beat and that’s the truth. “Two Sides of One Half” comes across as confident. He is a man who knows his way around a rhyme and this showcases that to a tee. With “Troubled Scars” we start off soft with what appears to sound like a classical musical. The piano guides you into something that comes off as serene, and then Tae Zu comes in, but not hard. The beat has a light feel to it. Then with “Who Do You” things take a turn down R&B avenue. We’re back on the hip hop trail with “Point’em Out.” This one really sets the tone for someone who knows the facts of the craft and can do it justice. It has the strongest delivery as well. Closing this one out is “Slicker Guy.” Here Tae Zu gives us his all with a cool beat. He spits the lyrics out in a way that’s easy to follow but dosed in swag. If you’re a fan of artists like Nas, check out Tae Zu today.” - Kendra Beltran
“Tae Zu has been featured on Desert Heat before with tracks that exhibit underground flavor that is representative of the Southwest. DefTonesAndBeautifulSmellz is his latest offering that mixes a sepia/black and white visual produced by David Corral with production that is dark, enchanting, melodic and apropos for Tae Zu’s lyrical style. The producer MOK1 samples what sounds like some ethereal new age throaty vocals, which repeats often and creates a religious or sermon like tone to what Tae Zu rhymes about. The writing focuses on lyrical versatility and proficiency while proving that his art is more complex than that of his naysayers and the dense field of artists he competes with. The adaptation of the artist is highlighted with new sounds, new writing and a new direction. If the project that this video comes from is similar the quality will not come into question. Catch his upcoming album titled P.L.A.N.” - Gabriel Barrio
“In this afternoon’s edition of the Independent Spotlight, we shine our gaze on Tae Zu, an independent hip hop artist and producer hailing from El Paso, Texas. The performer has a new single out, ‘Def Tones And Beautiful Smellz,’ and it was released with an accompanying music video as well. Thus, let’s delve into it and discern whether or not this entry in Tae Zu’s catalog is one you’ll want in your indie music collection! I’ve said this before on the Independent Spotlight, but it bears repeating - I get an immense amount of hip hop across my desk, and the vast majority of that is a sea of monotony and derivative styles. It’s arguably the hardest music community to break out of because of this. There is a lot of noise. Fortunately, Tae Zu has a sound that’s not only fairly unique, but versatile, too. The entirety of ‘Def Tones And Beautiful Smellz’ is centralized around a vocal sample that’s repeated within the main beat. It’s a compelling production, and it does well to separate Tae Zu from his counterparts churning out Garageband presets. Lyrically, ‘Def Tones And Beautiful Smellz’ is quite strong; it’s an anthem of self-determination and drive that manages to not stray into cliche territory. ‘Deft Tones And Beautiful Smellz’ was released with a music video as well, and surprisingly, it’s an excellent video. (We’ll embed it above.) It’s well shot, the black and white is color corrected beautifully, and it far surpasses most indie music videos that get sent to the Independent Spotlight. It’s well worth a watch. ‘Deft Tones And Beautiful Smellz’ is available on all major digital music platforms now, and it’s an early insight into Tae Zu’s album ‘P.L.A.N.’ due out February 23. He’s also planning to announce a tour next month, so keep tabs on his social media below. If this single is indicative of the quality of the rest of the album, it's going to be a record worth spinning.” - Brett Stewart
“Tae Zu’s Complex Retaliation starts out with a solid instrumental like “All We Got”, off Chance The Rapper’s Coloring Book. Complex Retaliation is reminiscent of Sadat X and similar rappers active in Queens during the late 90s. The lyrics are competent with strong images present throughout the album. The track “Brake” features some R&B style singing. The track has a nice melody that a lot of hip-hop albums do not explore enough. Yet, it falls short of feeling complete because it feels like the energy of an EP rather than an LP. My favorite tracks are “Here We Go” and “Death Grip”. “Death Grip” has solid bars that involve complex internal rhyme allowing the lyrical versatility Of Tae Zu to show. An interesting aspect of this album is that the cadence varies from slow and even tracks to punchy and energetic ones. The album overall has the momentum a good project requires, but leaves me wanting more. It showcases his skill as a lyricist but leaves me imagining what else could be done lyrically by an artist such as Tae Zu. Complex Retaliation is a project that shows improvement and the evolution of Tae Zu since the last album Desert heat reviewed. The tracks seem much more carefully put together. The greatest criticism I have towards this album is that the production becomes stale and hinders Tae Zu’s energy. If Tae Zu corrects this error, he could be presenting something that is larger than his region and he could breakout into larger markets.” - Gabriel Barrio
Above Average HipHop By AA Hip Hop Staff