Auburn Ave Zay was raised in Atlanta's rich historic neighborhood known as "Old 4th Ward" a neighborhood with a history that dates back to Martin Luther King Jr and the civil rights era. Auburn Ave Zay merges urban grit, braggadocious rhymes and at times thought provoking lyrics over soulful energetic production. Zay credits his musical inspirations to the soulful sounds of the 60's and 70's. "Growing up in a musical household, I heard everything from the Jackson 5, Al Green, and my personal favorite Marvin Gaye". My people had that love for the classics. I would take my money I hustled up to buy music. When Jay- z's "The Blue Print" dropped on 9-11. "I instantly fell in love with hip-hop. These songs that I had grew up to as a kid being sampled I knew I had to be down, so here I am Say Datt!!"