Last year we were standing around across from Shakespeare Park in Central City waiting on a 10th Ward Buck second line when a man rolled up in a Chevy Suburban bumping some crazy-sounding, rifle-fast hip hop. As soon as he got parked I walked up and asked him who it was.

He looked at me like I had just fallen off a turnip truck. “This is Zoewithdaflow” he harrumphed. Properly chastened I shut my mouth, went about my business and made a mental note to look the cat up when I had a minute.

Zoewithdaflow, 28, is from the 9th Ward but refuses to rep any neighborhood. In an interview I found on Youtube the rap star says “Bitch I rep me, I’m Dirty Gang ya heard me”

I came up during the Golden Age of New Orleans hip hop so most of the new stuff leaves me stone cold but Zoewithdaflow is the real deal.