Zion I: История американского хип-хоп дуэта и трагическая гибель Baba Zumbi

American hip hop duo

Zion I was an American hip hop project founded by MC and producer Baba Zumbi (real name Stephen Gaines) in Oakland, California. K Genius and Amp Live were also project members.

Originally formed as a group, Zion I released the debut studio album, Mind over Matter, in 2000. It was nominated for "Independent Album of the Year" by The Source. In 2005, Zion I released True & Livin'. It featured guest appearances from Gift of Gab, Talib Kweli, and Aesop Rock. Heroes in the City of Dope, the first collaborative album with The Grouch, was released in 2006. In 2009, Zion I released The Takeover. In 2010, Zion I released Atomic Clock. Heroes in the Healing of the Nation, the second collaborative studio album with The Grouch, was released in 2011. In 2012, Zion I released Shadowboxing, which was included on SF Weeklys "10 Best Bay Area Hip Hop Records of 2012" list. In 2015, Amp Live left the group, and Zion I became Baba Zumbi's one man project.

On August 12, 2021, Gaines checked himself into the Alta Bates Summit Medical Center for a mental health examination. He had reportedly also contracted COVID 19 roughly three weeks prior. On August 20, 2021, the Gaines family announced that they hired attorneys to investigate what they believed was a suspicious death. In May 2022, the Alameda County Coroner’s Bureau finalized a report detailing Gaines's death. Gaines reportedly died from "physiologic stress of altercation and restraint during a psychotic episode" as the cause of death with COVID 19 and cardiomegaly as contributing factors. While the coroner report ruled the death a homicide, the Alameda Country District Attorney’s office declined to pursue criminal charges.