Arranged by Ronnie Pinnell
Mixed/Mastered by Ronnie Pinnell and Bobby Trick

Tove Lo - Stay High (feat. Dave Zup) [Habits Remix]

Built on the foundation of a crackly vocal sample, Dave Zup's The Heart of It All provides the listener with two dense verses that exists in a very rich sonic landscape. Zup opens up about his struggle to find his place in music while being "the most likely to turn heads, unassuming, unread again," before Columbus emcee, Trek Manifest, joins in alluding to having "million dollar dreams on a bi-weekly budget." The song, also produced by Zup, arrives just in time for summer cookouts and warm-weather nights under starry skies. Listeners can also explore the music in a different way through the instrumental version.

The Heart of It All - Single

The Heart of It All (Instrumental)

The Heart of It All (feat. Trek Manifest)

Written by D. Zupkovich (BMI)
Produced by Dave Zup
Additional vocals by Joey Aich
Mixed by Chris "D1" Dickerson
Artwork by Dave Zup & Kenneth Jackson

©2024 Hoping For More Music, LLC

Uptight - Single

Uptight

Written by Dave Zup & Joey Aich
Produced by Dave Zup
Mixed by Chris "D1" Dickerson
Artwork by Dave Zup & Kenneth Jackson

©2024 Hoping For More Music, LLC

Dizzy

Dizzy (feat. Joey Aich)

Written, produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Dave Zup
Artwork by Dave Zup  

©️2024 Hoping For More Music, LLC.

Leftovers

Drawing from Hip-Hop’s first golden age and 70’s Funk, Oh, It’s Going by Dave Zup serves as a bright and bouncy introduction to the emerging emcee. The 10-track, self-produced LP spans just under 25 minutes and is the result Zup’s 3 month recovery period following reconstructive leg surgery.  

Though Dave’s lyricism and in-the-pocket flow often take the spotlight, his craftsmanship of the instrumentals is the real focus. Channeling ingenuity from the Funk and Hip-Hop music that he was raised on (A Tribe Called Quest, Commodores, De La Soul), the 25-year-old manages to pay homage to his influences while staying original and without sounding dated.

The dichotomy between artist and fan is ever-present on Oh, It’s Going. This is a record that is rooted in appreciation for music as a whole.

Oh, It's Going

Every4Hrz

Clocking in at just over a minute, “Red Lentils” finds Dave Zup in a brief period of self-reflection accompanied by jazz-influenced guitar chords and a crackling kick and snare.  Written after a series of open-mic performances by the Ohio emcee, this short verse is packed with flavorful lyrics and delivered with a confident sense of style. “Red Lentils” draws inspiration from a variety of Hip-Hop’s finest acts including Q-Tip, Madlib, and MF DOOM.

Written by: Dave Zup & Dan Prince
Produced by: Dave Zup & Dan Prince
Mixed by: Ronnie Pinnell
Artwork by: Kenneth Jackson

©2019 Dave Zup

Red Lentils

Dayton, Ohio may not be the first location that comes to mind when one thinks about Funk music.  However, Dayton musicians such as Ohio Players, Zapp and Lakeside contributed enormously to the commercial success of the genre in the 1970s.  Dave Zup wrote “Try” to pay homage to both his home state’s rich musical history and his father, a man who spent the 1970s and 1980s grooving on stages across the Midwest.  This 3-minute dance jam blends Zup’s smooth delivery as an emcee with a Funk-inspired beat by The Dreamcatchers.  Zup uses his time on the mic to address people who deal with their insecurities by putting others down.  “Try” further suggests that no matter what anyone tries to do or say, Dave Zup is not going anywhere.

Written by D. Zupkovich (BMI) & Ras Ayele McCollough (BMI) 
Produced by The Dreamcatchers* 
Additional production by Dave Zup 
Mixed & Mastered by PINEL Music 
Artwork by Kenneth Jackson & Wes Fowler 
Recorded at The Dreamcatchers Record Studio in Columbus, OH & PINEL Studios in Dayton, OH 

©2020 Dave Zup

Dave Zup is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer from Cleveland, OH.  His experimentation in musical genres including Hip-Hop and Funk has led to live performances with acts ranging from Shwayze to PJ Morton.  Since the release of his first album in 2017, he has published several singles, produced for a variety of other artists, and composed original music for other projects including a film and podcast series.

Dave is also the primary vocalist and lyricist for MEGA PIXEL (@megapixeltheband), a collaborative Pop project that he formed with singer/songwriter, Benjamin “BJSR” Rivet (@bjsr).  They've released two EPs together and have performed at shows and festivals across the country such as SXSW. 

©2023 Hoping For More Music, LLC

Dave Zup

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