Zzambo, Son Of Reggae Star Big Youth, On Why He Changed Name From Tafari

When Jamaican reggae artist Zzambo realized that he could never obtain copyrights for his former stage monicker, ‘Tafari’, the first name of Haile Selassie I, a former emperor of Ethiopia, he realized he was facing a conundrum.

“Tafari is the name of H.I.S. Imperial Majesty and I could never obtain copyrights for that name,” Zzambo explained in a recent interview on The Bridge FM with hostess Nikki Z.

“Even if it was the case that I could have gotten clearance to use, it would have appeared malicious of me to authorize a cease and desist order for them to stop using it.”

Over the years, Zzambo, under the name Tafari, experienced copyright and trademark issues for using the name as it was commonly used by many other artists.

Although Zzambo was able to have his music downloaded and streamed, not being fully authorized to use his own name for marketing purposes inhibited the prospects of building a legacy for himself.

“In the business of music, artist names are important, not only to create a sense of purpose but also to align with brand opportunities and so changing a name or moniker especially if it adds value to who you are and the direction in which you intend to steer your career is a necessity,” he explained.

Zzambo, who is known for the songs, Money in My Pocket, is now promoting his most recent release, Put It Down’ featuring his brother Isat.

Zzambo’s move mirrors that of other artists who have found ways to re-energize their careers by changing their names. One famous example of this is Prince who changed his name as a bold strategy to manoeuvre out of his contract, so he had more control over what music he released and when. This was a move which both baffled and bemused fans and critics alike.

At the time, Prince was one of the biggest stars in the world. Prince 1984 album Purple Rain racked up more than 13 million copies, and the movie with the same name won an Oscar for best original song and grossed more than $80 million. The move came out of left field as nobody expected Prince, one of the world’s biggest ever superstars, to change his name to a symbol. Henceforth, he chose not to be referred to as Prince, rather ‘The Artist Formerly Known As Prince’.

Hip-hop mogul Sean Coombs may be one of the most ambivalent name changers in the entertainment industry as he changed his name to Puff Daddy, then changed to P. Diddy, then to just Diddy.

Cat Stevens, known for hits such as “Wild World” and “Peace Train”, changed his name to Yusuf Islam after nearly drowning off the California coast in 1976. Stevens had a religious epiphany and began studying Islam. He officially converted in at the end of 1977, and the next year took the name Yusuf Islam because Yusuf is the Arabic version of Joseph, a name he had admired.

In 2021, global rap star Kanye West announced that from henceforth he would like to be known as Ye.

Rapper and entrepreneur Snoop Dogg briefly changed his name to Snoop Lion after a trip to Jamaica in 2012, when he was christened under this name by a Rastafari priest, following his conversion to Rastafarianism.

David Bowie (real name Davy Jones) was famous for reinventing himself, . He adopted his more famous stage name, Ziggy Stardust, to avoid being confused with a singer in the band The Monkees of the same name.