Charles Lawrence is a writer, beat-maker, and rapper based in Durham, NC. Charles, who goes by Zini (pronounced Zen-e), was born in Wilmington, NC on July 14th, 1988. He moved to Havelock, NC at age thirteen but didn’t pick up the pin and pad until eighteen. Early influences included the likes of Cassidy, Fabolous, and Lloyd Banks. In 2007 Zini co-founded the rap group 1st Clazz with fellow creative M.I.D.W.A.Y. Later more members joined the project, turning 1st Clazz into a collective of artists and creators producing unique, infectious music. In recent years Zini has collaborated with 1st Clazz, Silk Smooth (GA), Upzkale (CA), & Sean Jones (London) on a variety of projects ranging from mixing, writing, producing, and rapping. Zini has recorded numerous mixtapes over the years and has officially released two EPs: Hoodie Season 1 (2016) and Hoodie Season 2 (2018), which they can be found on Soundcloud. After multiple moves throughout the state and a career change, Zini is now focusing on the technical skills as well as the art. Join Zini as he continues to grow and innovate on his creative journey. You can follow Zini on all major music streaming services including Spotify, Tidal, Apple Music, iTunes, Google Play, or a DSP of your liking. Happy listening. Oh yeah, this isn’t his final form.