Zulu was an American

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (commonly abbreviated to hardcore or hXc) is a punk rock music genre#subtypes, subgenre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots ...

band formed in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

in 2019. In a 2023 article, ''

Metal Hammer ''Metal Hammer'' is a heavy metal music magazine and website founded in 1983, published in the United Kingdom by Future, with other language editions published by different companies available in numerous other countries. ''Metal Hammer'' featu ...

'' described them as the year's "most vital hardcore band". Beginning as a solo project by multi–instrumentalist and principal vocalist Anaiah Muhammad, the band grew to also include Dez Yusuf (guitar), Braxton Marcellous (guitar), Christine Cadette (drums) and Satchel Brown (bass). This lineup released two EPs in addition to their 2023 debut album '' A New Tomorrow''. In 2023, Cadette departed from the group, her role filled by Don Brown. During March 2025, allegations of domestic abuse against Muhammad led to his departure, after which the band entered a hiatus.

History

Zulu was founded by Anaiah Rasheed Muhammad in 2019. Muhammed became aware of heavy music because of his father, who was involved in the Los Angeles hardcore scene in the 1970s and 1980s, and introduced him to groups like

T.S.O.L. T.S.O.L. (True Sounds of Liberty) is an American punk rock band formed in 1978 in Huntington Beach, California. Although most commonly associated with hardcore punk, T.S.O.L.'s music has varied on each release, including such styles as deathro ...

and the

Adolescents Adolescence () is a transitional stage of human physical and psychological development that generally occurs during the period from puberty to adulthood (typically corresponding to the age of majority). Adolescence is usually associated with ...

. At the age of five, he had begun to learn guitar. However, he soon discovered he preferred drums. He and his older brother Mikaiah formed

garage punk A garage is a covered structure built for the purpose of parking, storing, protecting, maintaining, and/or repairing vehicles. Specific applications include: *Garage (residential), a building or part of a building for storing one or more vehicl ...

band the Bots in 2007, in 2016 Muhammad began drumming in

straight edge Straight edge (sometimes abbreviated as sXe or signified by XXX or simply X) is a subculture of hardcore punk whose adherents refrain from using alcohol, tobacco, and other recreational drugs in reaction to the punk subculture's excesses. Some ...

hardcore band Dare and in 2018 he began playing in rock band Culture Abuse. Muhammad began Zulu in 2019, wishing to pursue vocals in an all black hardcore band, he experimented with members including Braxton Marcellous, James Stanciell, Rob Watson, Spencer Pollard, professional skateboarder Swampy and Zoin Jakeem. However, it soon became a solo project featuring only live members. Muhammad originally intended for the band's music to be sporadic and atypical

powerviolence Powerviolence (sometimes written as power violence) is a chaotic and fast subgenre of hardcore punk which is closely related to thrashcore and grindcore. In contrast with grindcore, which is a "crossover" idiom containing musical aspects of hea ...

. The band performed live twice prior to the

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, the second of which featured Dez Yusuf on guitar, filling in for Braxton Marcellous. Following this performance both became official members. Zulu's debut EP ''Our Day Will Come'' was released on October 18, 2019, on

Bandcamp Bandcamp is an American online music distribution platform founded in 2008 by Oddpost co-founder Ethan Diamond and programmers Shawn Grunberger, Joe Holt and Neal Tucker, with an office and record store in Oakland, California. Acquired by Epic ...

. The band played then performaned in summer 2020, with Muhammad with the lineup of Christine Cadette (drums), Dez Yusuf (guitar), Braxton Marcellous (guitar) and Satchel Brown (bass). Zulu's second EP ''My People... Hold On'' was released on September 2, 2020. On November 30, 2022, they announced the release of their debut album '' A New Tomorrow'', and issued its lead single "Fakin' tha Funk (You Get Did)". On January 11, 2023, the album's second single "Where I'm From" was released, which featured Pierce Jordan of Soul Glo and Obioma Ugonna of Playytime. The single was accompanied by a music video which featured a cameo by

Eric André Eric Samuel André (born April 4, 1983) is an American comedian, actor, television host, writer, producer, and musician. He is best known as the creator, host, and co-writer of the Adult Swim surreal comedy series '' The Eric Andre Show'' (2012� ...

. On June 14, 2023, they released a double single featuring a cover of "

Wait and Bleed "Wait and Bleed" is a 1999 song by American heavy metal band Slipknot, released as their debut and lead single from their 1999 self-titled debut album. After being remixed to replace the screamed vocals in the verses with more melodic singing, ...

" by

Slipknot The slip knot is a stopper knot which is easily undone by pulling the tail ( working end). The slip knot is related to the running knot, which will release when the standing end is pulled. Both knots are identical and are composed of a slipp ...

, and a reworked version of their jazz-funk instrumental track "Shine Eternally" which features King Isis on vocals. Beginning on June 15, 2023, the band toured Europe alongside

Speed In kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a non-negative scalar quantity. Intro ...

. On 12 September, the band revealed in a

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

interview that Cadette had departed. On 8 March 2025, Anaiah Muhammad was accused of long term

domestic violence Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes r ...

by an alleged ex-girlfriend. The same day, former drummer Don Brown said Muhammad's abuse was why he was no longer in the band. The following day, the band performed in

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

without Muhammad, having guitarist Dez Yusuf instead take on vocal duties. On 10 March, Muhammad released a statement denying the allegations, the same day, the band cancelled their March 17 performance in San Jose, Costa Rica and March 18 performance in

Mexico City Mexico City is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Mexico, largest city of Mexico, as well as the List of North American cities by population, most populous city in North America. It is one of the most important cultural and finan ...

. On March 11, the remaining dates of their Latin American tour were also cancelled. On 12 March, the band announced that they would be entering a hiatus, and that Muhammed was no longer a member. On 20 March, Muhammed released an additional, longer statement, refuting the allegations and claiming that he had never been in a relationship with the accuser.

Musical style

The band's music has been categorised by critics as

metallic hardcore Metalcore is a broadly defined fusion genre combining elements of extreme metal and hardcore punk, originating in the 1990s United States and becoming popular in the 2000s. Metalcore typically has aggressive verses and melodic choruses, combined ...

and

, incorporating elements of

beatdown hardcore Beatdown hardcore (also known as heavy hardcore, brutal hardcore, moshcore, or simply beatdown) is a subgenre of hardcore punk which incorporates elements of thrash metal and hip hop music, hip hop. The genre features aggressive vocals, heavy, ...

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

, dub,

spoken word Spoken word is an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a 20th-century continuation of an oral tradition, ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetic ...

, slam metal,

death metal Death metal is an extreme metal, extreme subgenre of heavy metal music. It typically employs heavily distorted and low-tuned guitars, played with techniques such as palm muting and tremolo picking; deep death growl, growling vocals; aggressive ...

, retro soul, jazz-rap and

funk music Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the mi ...

. Their music is based around contrasting the extreme elements of hardcore with samples and passages from

black music Music of the African diaspora is a sound created, produced, or inspired by Black people, including Music of Africa, African music traditions and African popular music as well as the music genres of the African diaspora, including some Caribbean mus ...

styles like soul, jazz and reggae. ''Treblezine'' writer Tom Morgan stated their sound is based in the sound of late-1990s hardcore bands like Disembodied, as well as that of death metal and powerviolence, upon which elements of hip hop, jazz and indigenous African music are incorporated. Zulu's lyrics discuss progressive politics, particularly

black pride Black pride is a movement which encourages black people to celebrate their respective cultures and embrace their African heritage. In the United States, it initially developed for African-American culture and was a direct response to white ...

. On ''Our Day Will Come'', they sample speeches by both

Nina Simone Nina Simone ( ; born Eunice Kathleen Waymon; February 21, 1933 – April 21, 2003) was an American singer, pianist, songwriter, and civil rights activist. Her music spanned styles including classical, folk, gospel, blues, jazz, R&B, and po ...

and

Malcolm X Malcolm X (born Malcolm Little, later el-Hajj Malik el-Shabazz; May 19, 1925 – February 21, 1965) was an African American revolutionary, Islam in the United States, Muslim minister and human rights activist who was a prominent figur ...

, and on ''A New Tomorrow'', the track "Créme de Cassis" is an interlude featuring black poet Alesia Miller, and the album's concluding lyrics are interpolated from

Bob Marley Robert Nesta Marley (6 February 1945 – 11 May 1981) was a Jamaican singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Considered one of the pioneers of reggae, he fused elements of reggae, ska and rocksteady and was renowned for his distinctive voca ...

's " Small Axe". ''

Kerrang! ''Kerrang!'' is a British music webzine and quarterly magazine that primarily covers rock, punk and heavy metal music. Since 2017, the magazine has been published by Wasted Talent Ltd (the same company that owns electronic music publication ...

'' writer Sam Law stated that "their music marks the intersection where the current hardcore movement and the energy of

Black Lives Matter Black Lives Matter (BLM) is a Decentralization, decentralized political and social movement that aims to highlight racism, discrimination and Racial inequality in the United States, racial inequality experienced by black people, and to pro ...

thrillingly meet." In particular, the band have discussed topics including racism,

disenfranchisement Disfranchisement, also disenfranchisement (which has become more common since 1982) or voter disqualification, is the restriction of suffrage (the right to vote) of a person or group of people, or a practice that has the effect of preventing someo ...

, racial injustice and

police brutality Police brutality is the excessive and unwarranted use of force by law enforcement against an individual or Public order policing, a group. It is an extreme form of police misconduct and is a civil rights violation. Police brutality includes, b ...

. The band's lyrics are also informed by the gang violence in Los Angeles, Muhammad's

Rastafari Rastafari is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic religion that developed in Jamaica during the 1930s. It is classified as both a new religious movement and a social movement by Religious studies, scholars of religion. There is no central authori ...

faith as a youth and his current

Islamic Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

faith. ''

Stereogum ''Stereogum'' is a daily Internet publication that focuses on music news, reviews, interviews, and commentary. The site was created in January 2002 by Scott Lapatine. ''Stereogum'' was one of the first MP3 blogs and has received several awar ...

'' writer Tom Breihan stated that their lyrics can "be angry and defiant, but it can also be celebratory." ''

Revolver A revolver is a repeating handgun with at least one barrel and a revolving cylinder containing multiple chambers (each holding a single cartridge) for firing. Because most revolver models hold six cartridges before needing to be reloaded, ...

'' writer Eli Enis called them "one of the heaviest bands in contemporary hardcore", and ''

the New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' writer Hank Shteamer stated their music is "a visionary fusion of cathartic heaviness, hip-hop flow and artfully interwoven samples from classic R&B and reggae." ''

'' writer Stephen Hill stated their music is "the classic sound of

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

, hardcore and powerviolence reimagined and rebred with both the liquid grooves and righteous protest polemic of the golden era of funk and soul."

Members

Current *Dez Yusuf – guitar (2020–2025), vocals (2025) *Braxton Marcellous – guitar (2019–2025) *Satchel Brown – bass (2020–2025) Former *Christine Cadette – drums, vocals (2020–2023) *Don Brown – drums (2023–2024) *Anaiah Muhammad – vocals, guitar, bass, drums (2019–2025)

Discography

Albums *'' A New Tomorrow'' (2023) EPs *''Our Day Will Come'' (2019) *''My People... Hold On'' (2020) Singles *"Fakin' Tha Funk (You Get Did)" (2022) *"Where I'm From" (2023) *"

"/"Shine Eternally" (2023)

References

{{reflist, 30em 2019 establishments in California 2025 disestablishments in California African-American rock musical groups African-American heavy metal musical groups African-American punk rock musical groups Hardcore punk groups from California Musical groups established in 2019 Musical groups from Los Angeles Metalcore musical groups from California Powerviolence groups