description Zapp II Overview
Zapp II is the 1982 second studio album by Zapp, an Ohio funk group closely associated with singer, songwriter, and talk box player Roger Troutman. The album combines electronic keyboards, elastic bass lines, handclaps, and processed vocals in the electro-funk style the group helped define. It includes "Dance Floor" and "Doo Wa Ditty (Blow That Thing)," and is relevant to listeners tracing the sound later sampled in hip-hop and West Coast rap.
insights Ranking position
Zapp II ranks #98 of 204 in the Funk Album ranking, behind Pleasure, ahead of Hardcore Jollies.
help Zapp II FAQ
Which songs from Zapp II feature Roger Troutman's talk box?
"Dance Floor" and "Doo Wa Ditty (Blow That Thing)" prominently use Roger Troutman's processed talk-box vocals. The effect became a defining sound of Zapp's electro-funk.
Is "Computer Love" on Zapp II?
No. "Computer Love" appears on The New Zapp IV U, released in 1985. Zapp II arrived in 1982 and is best known for tracks such as "Dance Floor."
How is a talk box different from a vocoder on Zapp's records?
A talk box routes an instrument's sound through a tube into the performer's mouth, which shapes it before a microphone captures the result. Roger Troutman commonly fed keyboards through this setup to create Zapp's vocal-like electronic leads.
Why has Zapp II been influential in hip-hop and West Coast rap?
Its elastic bass, handclaps, drum-machine pulse, and talk-box phrases are well suited to sampling and interpolation. Zapp's broader catalog became especially important to the G-funk sound associated with artists such as Dr. Dre and 2Pac.
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