Today, Jan. 26, marks the 37th birthday of Atlanta, GA rapper, Gorilla Zoe.

Born Alonzo Mathis in 1982, the ATL MC has been on the come-up since 2006 and is still rising. After replacing Young Jeezy as a member of Bad Boy's southern rap group, Boyz n da Hood, in 2006, Gorilla was on the fast track to success. Then, as a featured artist on Yung Joc’s 2007 album, Hustlenomics, Zoe got his first glimpse of a Billboard listing.

Following that, his 2007 solo single, “Hood Figga,” reached No. 38 on the Billboard Hot 100, while his subsequent debut album, Welcome to the Zoo, peaked at No. 18 on the Billboard 200 chart. With that, the successful Welcome to the Zoo LP earned him enough attention to score a spot on the roster of XXL’s 2007 Freshman Class alongside the likes of Boosie BadAzz, Joell Ortiz, KXNG Crooked, Papoose, Rich Boy, Plies, Saigon, Young Dro and Lupe Fiasco.

Since then, Zoe has released four more albums, Don't Feed da Animals, King KongDon't Feed Da Animals 2 and Gorilla Warfare. has linked up with other Southern acts like Flo Rida for both business ventures and music, and impressively released more than 20 mixtapes, including 2014's Recovery. Upon leaving Diddy's Bad Boy roster, the "Hood Figga" rapper signed to Flo Rida's International Music Group, where he continues to flourish and grow as an artist.

Happy Birthday, Gorilla Zoe!

Here Are the Best Projects Released From 104 Past and Present XXL Freshmen

More From XXL