Blessed – jackzebra

Release date: Oct 2, 2026

Genre: Plugg/Cloud Rap

Label: Surf Gang Records

It isn’t that surprising to hear Jackzebra sampling Ethel Cain, especially when “Blessed” arrives as the second track on his new 55-song mixtape in such a soft, intimate way.

Many may introduce Jackzebra as “the Chinese Bladee”; it might be an easy description, but his music is much more than the Drain Gang influence. This Shanghai-born artist started creating delirious short internet rap in his bedroom, making “Jackzebra” one of the most recognizable names in the Chinese underground rap scene, before signing to the New York underground label Surf Gang. His heavily Auto-Tuned mumbles drifting through woozy synths create a listening experience of weightless, blown-out, and euphoric all at once, drew his self-released mixtape King of Kings (王中王) widespread attention on Bandcamp, overseas forums and in the music press in 2024. With this exposure, he began appearing in the underground rap scenes of New York and London.

On Zhuang Zhuang Mixtape, released on October 2, Jackzebra continues to write and perform in Chinese. You can tell his blurred diction and elusive phrased lyrics were not meant to carry the primary expression as they do in traditional rap; instead, his voice, melodies, and emotions are doing the communication. This draws listeners in even without understanding Chinese, while also, opens up the room for more producing possibilities. The track “Blessed”, produced with Mental, extended how Jackzebra uses cloud rap’s emotional distance. After sampling Ethel Cain’s line “maybe you are right we should stop watching news…”, unexpectedly, this rapper known for his sharp anger and emotional expression starts murmuring prayers for the safety of his friends and family, with appreciation for the little happiness he owns over candy-colored synths and skittering drums. But this bright, tender moment doesn’t carry over into the following songs, as he returns to his blunt criticism of real-world social issues.

In an earlier interview with i-D, he mentioned how working face-to-face with producers was a major change after joining Surf Gang, and how strongly those in-person exchanges energized his creative process. That experience helps explain how, on this mixtape, working with a broader network of producers allows him to explore more dimensions of his own cloud rap and plugg sound, the Jackzebra’s sound.