Jackzebra

Zhang Zhengkai (born 2002), known professionally as jackzebra (stylized in lowercase), is a Chinese rapper, singer and record producer based in Chengdu, Sichuan. His discography spans genres such as cloud rap, plugg, and trap music. He is a member of the American music collective and netlabel Surf Gang.

Zhang was born in Xujing, Shanghai,¹ in 2002. Growing up, his favorite musicians included Imagine Dragons, Coldplay and M.I.A.² He began making songs in 2018, after setting up his own bedroom studio, initially freestyling in English. Zhang later caught the attention of Chinese cloud rap pioneer, Bloodz Boi,³ who supported his musical direction, and encouraged him to focus on rapping in his native language, Chinese.⁴² He recorded his first Chinese song in 2021.⁵

Jackzebra is a part of the Chinese underground rap scene, alongside other contemporaries like Billionhappy, 1kpbs, and Chalky Wong. On April 26 2024 Jackzebra performed his first show in the United States at University of California Los Angeles for the Pi Upsilon chapter. This west coast debut Jackzebra gave established his role into the western underground music scene giving him more traction.⁶ He released the mixtape "王中王" (King of Kings) on October 29, 2024, which was rated a 7.8 by Pitchfork, and gained wider prominence online.⁴⁷ The Fader described jackzebra's style as "[...] zealously Auto-Tuned slurring interlaced with atmospheric soundscapes that further distort lyrical meaning," further stating that his work had gone viral on social media platforms like Reddit and Chinese microblogging site Weibo.²⁸⁹¹⁰ In late 2024, Zhang went viral online being labelled "Chinese Bladee".³¹

On June 13, 2025, Jackzebra released the single "Givenchy," produced by evilgiane, elipropperr, and fleadiamonds, followed by a performance of the track on the popular online radio show On The Radar.¹¹¹² He would also sign to internet rap collective and netlabel Surf Gang.¹³¹⁴

Additionally, Dazed described Jackzebra as "perhaps the only artist ever to enjoy simultaneous virality on both sides of the Chinese firewall," as well as "the voice of post-industrial China".¹

In December 2025, he released the mixtape Hunched Jack.¹⁵ Pitchfork rated it a 7.4 out of 10 stating, "On his first release for Surf Gang, the Chengdu plugg rapper embraces his outsider persona atop the strongest, most cohesive production of his career".¹⁵

On March 20, 2026, Jackzebra and Bloodz Boi teamed up to release their collaborative album, titled Bloodzebra. Pitchfork rated the album a 7.9, with reviewer James Gui describing the album as "where slurred Mandarin intersects with stuttering synths, the Chengdu rapper and his mentor interrogate the disconnect between social life and our internal worlds."¹⁶