In most other cities, Z-Man would be an anomaly of the most bugged proportions, but soon you realize that he"s just a product of his Bay Area environment. E-40, Digital Underground, Illa-dapted, Del--they"re all part of Z-Man"s eclectic lineage. As he says on "Free Spirited," he"s "fresh out the ghetto/I"m a living cartoon," and indeed, Z-Man bounces crazy, comedic lines off the wall like a Looney Tune. Armed with Moss"s quirky funk-filled tracks, Z invents a lot of new slanguage and pops off with his alter ego Gingerbread Man. "White Girls Wit Ass" speaks for itself. His rhymes lurch and jump with a drunken rhythm, but his stinging punch lines let you know he"s always in control. Z-Man"s own Hieroglyphics family have long been the masters of unpredictable creativity in the hip-hop kingdom, and Z"s setting out to be the new crown/clown prince. --Oliver Wang