The electro-funk band Zapp & Roger, led by frontman Roger Troutman, were known for their innovative use of talk boxes throughout the 1980s. The group’s sound would later become a key ingredient of G-funk hip-hop. • Roger Troutman started his music career in the 1960s as a solo artist under the name Lil Roger and His Fabulous Vels. In 1976, he teamed with brothers Larry, Lester and Terry (aka “Zapp”) to form Roger & The Human Body. • Taking on the name Zapp and playing shows around their native Ohio, Roger and his brothers earned the attention of Parliament-Funkadelic members Bootsy and Catfish Collins, who helped facilitate a deal with Warner Bros. for the band. • Zapp’s eponymous 1980 debut album was co-produced by Roger Troutman and Bootsy Collins. Led by the single “More Bounce to the Ounce”, the album was certified gold four months after its release. • As Roger balanced a solo career with the group, Zapp found more success in 1982 with Zapp II, their slickly produced sophomore effort. The single “Dance Floor” became their first (and only) No. 1 R&B single. • A few more albums followed, and while their style fell out of favor by the end of the decade, they enjoyed a resurgence of popularity with the rise of West Coast hip-hop. Zapp tracks were frequently sampled by rap producers, and Roger Troutman was tapped by 2Pac to provide talk-box vocals for his 1995 smash “California Love”, a No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. • Zapp’s original run came to a dark end in April 1999, when percussionist Larry Troutman carried out a murder-suicide that took his and his brother Roger’s lives.