Z the Farmer
Few MC’s rap with as much conviction as Z the Farmer.
Z was born and raised in the heart of Philadelphia, surrounded by both beauty and violence. From museums and gifted schools to moments of survival in the streets, his upbringing was a contrast of joy and harsh reality. He remembers being offered drugs at age nine, witnessing violence, and learning early how to insulate his spirit from a broken environment. But there was always music. Gospel was the standard in his household, and the sound of clarinets, xylophones, and classical compositions shaped his ears and instincts. A lifelong artist, he found clarity through fine arts, literature, and sound. His first experience with Hip Hop was at 5 years old on the shoulders of his father at a Public Enemy and N.W.A concert.
Hip Hop left its mark early, but Z’s musical taste was broad. He found equal inspiration in rock bands like Evanescence, and Flyleaf as he did in MC’s like Killah Priest and Canibus. Trained in classical music later informed Z’s voice and unique syncopation and rhythm in his delivery. By his mid-twenties, during college, he was writing novels, playing electric guitar, composing music, penning verses and freestyling at open mics in Atlanta alongside underground poetry crews.
In 2012, Z stumbled across a Soul Food Cypher flyer dropped off at the Atlanta University Center. He and his poetry crew pulled up to one of the earliest cyphers—just weeks after its founding—and immediately knew it was different. Unlike other open mics or poetry lounges that they often dominated, SFC was different. A crew with real skill that wasn’t about bravado or image. It was real: raw bars and real-life narratives. It gave Z something he hadn’t found anywhere else—a consistent space to sharpen his freestyle gift and to connect with other MCs who prized substance over spectacle. Week after week, SFC became a Sunday rhythm—a place to reset, reflect, and rap with people who meant what they said.
Z’s unique style is both confrontational and reflective—marked by oratory flow, intellectual and spiritual depth, and aggressive unwavering conviction. He asks questions in his verses, challenges assumptions, and provokes thought through storytelling, humor, and zeal. There’s a gospel undercurrent in everything he writes. Scripture, history, and long hours of reading lace his rhymes with weight and wisdom. While others chase stats and stages, Z seeks impact. “Stat sheets don’t make people cry at funerals, ” he says. “Impact lasts. ” He believes the best rhymes make people consider their soul, their neighbor, and the truth—not just nod their heads.
For Z the Farmer, his faith is central and Jesus is everything. He raps not for fame, but to be faithful. Soul Food Cypher gave him the lane to cultivate his rap gift. Without it, he says, he probably wouldn’t even rap. The name “Z the Farmer” came from his literal work in the soil—but also represents the seeds he sows through rhyme: truth, challenge, healing, and hope. He doesn’t perform at the cypher—he participates in it. To him, SFC is more than a platform; it’s the last true communal space in rap that centers freestyle, honesty, and collective growth. And he’s committed to seeing that space thrive—season after season.