ZAYTOVEN PRODUCER TAG

Who says the Zaytoven producer tag?

His daughter (the 2006 original: a friend). Zaytoven's real signature isn't vocal at all — it's the church-trained piano runs that open his beats.

What does Zaytoven's tag say?

The tag is “Zaytoven!”. You can hear it on “Icy” by Gucci Mane ft. Young Jeezy (2005).

What song was the Zaytoven tag first heard on?

It was made famous by Hard to Kill intro (Gucci Mane) in 2006. Earlier uses may exist; this is the record that made the tag recognisable.

Who voiced the Zaytoven tag — and where did it come from?

Zaytoven's real signature isn't vocal at all — it's the church-trained piano runs that open his beats. The shouted “Zaytoven!” drop just makes the authorship explicit — and there have been two of them: the 2006 original was a friend's voice, while the high-pitched tag everyone knows today is his daughter. As Zay put it himself: “My tag is my daughter.”

The original tag traces back to the Gucci Mane era — the intro of Hard to Kill (2006), the partnership that defined early Atlanta trap and made Zay's keys instantly recognizable a decade before “type beat” culture named him constantly.

He's the proof that a producer tag can be a timbre: when the piano rolls in sixteenth notes over an 808, listeners say his name before anyone on the record does.

What songs use the Zaytoven tag?

• Icy — Gucci Mane ft. Young Jeezy (2005)
• Versace — Migos (2013)
• Papers — Usher (2009)

Related tags

Want a tag like this?

• How to make a producer tag — phrase, voice, FX →
• Where Zaytoven puts the tag — placement rules →
• How Trap tags are processed →