Detroit rapper Zelooperz has released his new album Pin Breakers, arriving on digital platforms and limited-edition grey vinyl through Earl Sweatshirt’s Tan Cressida Records. Produced entirely by Black Noi$e, the project nearly a decade in the making features previously released singles “Masons Dispatch” and “Beautician,” along with a sole guest appearance from fellow Detroit artist and Bruiser Brigade co-founder Danny Brown.
The story behind Pin Breakers dates back to 2017, when Zelooperz and Black Noi$e shared a home at Bruiser House, a creative hub for members of the Bruiser Brigade collective. With a home studio just steps away, Zelooperz frequently knocked on Black Noi$e’s door in search of new beats, leading to near-daily recording sessions and the beginnings of a full-length project.
Completed in 2019, the album spent years sitting on a discarded hard drive before Black Noi$e rediscovered the recordings. What started as a collection of sessions between friends eventually became a finished body of work, giving the collaborators an opportunity to bring music created years earlier to a new audience.
Throughout Pin Breakers, Zelooperz draws from experiences across childhood, adolescence and adulthood, revisiting memories that reach back to his early teenage years. Inspired by the vivid storytelling of artists such as Scarface, E-40 and Devin the Dude, he moves between personal reflection and the unpredictable, irreverent lyricism that has established him as one of Detroit’s distinctive voices.
Black Noi$e provides the production throughout, bringing an inventive approach that has made him a sought-after collaborator across underground hip-hop. His previous work includes projects with Earl Sweatshirt, Armand Hammer, Danny Brown, LUCKI, Pink Siifu, Paris Texas and Lexa Gates.
The album’s title comes from an incident during a bowling trip in Glendale, where Zelooperz threw a ball with enough force to dislocate his shoulder. The injury affected him for six months, but the experience ultimately inspired the name Pin Breakers. It carries a double meaning, referencing both the physical act of breaking bowling pins and the freedom of breaking the pen to let creative ideas flow without restriction.
As Zelooperz puts it, “You can’t appreciate the good days without the pain from the bad ones.”
Although the recordings date back several years, Pin Breakers arrives as more than an unearthed collection of old sessions. The album captures an important period in Zelooperz’s artistic development, shaped by the friendships, influences and experiences that continue to inform his music. It also marks his first release through Tan Cressida Records, following his time touring alongside Earl Sweatshirt on the Live Laugh Love tour in 2025.
With Pin Breakers, Zelooperz and Black Noi$e finally bring a long-standing creative collaboration into the spotlight, turning years of shared history into a project that reflects the evolution of both artists.
Zelooperz: Instagram I YouTube