- The establishment of queer rap as a genre may seem questionable—it's strange to group together artists based on their sexual orientation, even when this factor plays a pivotal role in their visual aesthetics and lyrical content. In any case, the popularity of the genre's main protagonists is an undeniable fact. On a recent Wednesday night, Warsaw welcomed Ojay Morgan, better known as Zebra Katz, a key figure in the scene next to Mykki Blanco and Le1f. Morgan received rave reviews earlier this year for his show at Tauron Nowa Muzyka Festival in Katowice, and news about his set in the Polish capital was met with excitement. His gig at 1500m2 seemed like a sure shot.
The party opened with a warm-up set from Bshosa, AKA respected Warsaw DJ, promoter and club owner Michał Brzozowski. He played fairly regular techno, including a cut from Jon Hopkins, which felt out of place given the headliner's style of doom rap and ballroom house. After a long wait, Zebra Katz came onstage in a white snakeskin mask. Striking a pose, the eccentric artist removed his disguise to present yet another mask, this one in BDSM fashion. This spectacle made a big impression on the mostly young audience.
The New York rapper was accompanied by his DJ, who played tracks from the DRKLNG mixtape while Zebra Katz lured the crowd into his world of doom-laden rhythms. Although turnout was good and the set was loaded with big singles like "PULLA STNT," "Y I DO" and "LST CTRL," the crowd reacted with growing reservation. Zebra Katz tried to rile us up, at one point by climbing the speakers, but the puzzle was clearly missing one piece: Njena Reddd Foxxx. Without his female sidekick, Zebra Katz was a disappointing performer. Even his break-out hit "Ima Read" got a tepid response. Despite his antics, Zebra Katz failed to win our hearts.