The Zola Story
Part of a series on Black Twitter. [View Related Entries]
[View Related Sub-entries]
About
The Zola Story is an anecdote about a woman who is roped into a weekend of debauchery in Florida with a prostitute, her boyfriend and her pimp. After the story was posted in a series of tweets in late October 2015, many Twitter users began joking about the tale accompanied by the hashtag "#zola."
Origin
On October 27th, 2015, Twitter user Aziah King (@_zolarmoon) posted a series of tweets chronicling a bizarre tale about a road trip to Florida with a white stripper named Jess (shown below). In the story, the protagonist Zola discovers that Jess is also a prostitute, Jess' boyfriend has an emotional breakdown and her pimp commits homicide.
I met this white bitch at Hooters, I was her waitress! She came in with this old ass big ass black dude, so you know as a Hooterâs girl we have to talk to our customers. I sit with them and we get to talking, she tells me she dances! So Iâm like Oh yes bitch me too! Then she tells me this hulking black man is her Sugar Daddy.and Iâm like oh yes bitch my Sugar Daddy at home. So we vibing over our hoeism or whatever and we exchange numbers! and Iâm like ânext time you dance hun Iâma come dance with you!â
The next day I get a text like âBITCH LETS GO TO FLORIDA!â and I âm like huh? Sheâs like âIâm going to dance in Florida, letâs go!â Now Iâm skeptical like DAMN bitch we just met and we already taking hoe trips together? but I had went to Florida two months prior and made 15K so lowkey I was down. So I was like âokay Iâll go, whoâs all going and when we leaving.â All this bitch says is âbe ready by 8â So I call her like âbitch I SAID whoâs all going!â and she says âmy boyfriend and our room-mate. My room-mate has a place in Tampa,â So Iâm like ok. Iâll be ready. So I pack my baddest stripper wear and Iâm ready.
My nigga DID NOT want me to go, he was so hurt. So I had to fuck him calm, and then I left. When I got in the car it was a white boy (her bf) and this hulking black guy (NOT the same one) So I texted her on the slick while in the backseat like âanother sugar daddy? You got a type bitch!â and THE BLACK DUDE HAD HER DAMN PHONE! So he starts laughing and he goes âIâm using her GPS, no Iâm not a Sugar Daddy, Iâve known her and her dude for eight years, we all live together.â
So weâve been traveling on the road for about 12 hours playing Gucci Mane, smoking blunts, drinking etc, and we finally about to approach our destination. Iâm thinking I know our hotel about to be laid and we pull up to some raggedy Motel 6 type cheap ass shit with Pimps and Tricks (with they ass and tittyâs all out) just chilling turnt up like itâs a Playerâs Ball. So Iâm like âIâm not staying here, I got my own money, Iâll get my own room.â So Jessica (the white bitch) pulls me to the side and is like âwe gone be at the club all night, this room for Jarrett not us, donât even tripâ So I was like âyea bitch okay, but trust I am NOT laying my head here.â
So we leave our shit at the motel with Jarrett and head to the club. So we working, it was king of slow (it was early Friday night) the club had HELLA rules which Iâm not use to (Ima full nude type of bitch) but this club require pasties and boy shorts and all this other shit or whatever. After making about $800, I was ready to go. Jessica was talking to some dude, trying to talk him out of his wallet and they exchanged numbers. So I was like âcall your man, Iâm ready!â She calls the black dude, Iâm like ummm thatâs not your man but okay. I pull her to the side before he pulled up like âwhatâs up with your roommate?â and she was like weâre really close, before I met Jarrett I was with him. He was taking care of me. I was like OHHH well I donât need that! âTaking care of Meâ in stripper language means that was her pimp. So I was like does Jarrett know? and she goes âof course not,â strike one, So then she goes âI didnât make anything tonight. What you make because heâs going to askâ I said âumm thatâs not yalls business Jess!â chill!
He pulls up and AS SOON as we get in he goes âwhat yâall makeâ we said at the same time ânothingâ so he goes damn my girl said she had a bad night too. We about to go pick her up, (His fiancĂ© who lives down here) we pick her up and he goes ânobody made shit, yâall wanna trap?â âTrap in stripper lingo means trick, So Jessica goes âhell yea! you got some clientsâ Iâm in the back on mute. He was like âyou can get some!â So Jess is like âyea I need to trap, but Jarret is at the room!â and he goes âI wasnât putting yâall in that shit hole, that was for him not yâallâ Iâm still quiet, we pull up to a nice ass hotel on the other side of town and he goes âIâll get the clients together and text yâall off thisâ He handed her a trap phone. So I am mind blown at this point, then we get to the room. Itâs nice as fuck.
Now itâs Just me and Jess and I start GOING OFF âBITCH U GOT ME FUCKED UP. IâM NOT ABOUT TO PLAY WIT U HO. IâM GOING HOMEâ so she starts crying and sheâs like âI didnât want to take this trip alone, please donât leave me, I would be so scared aloneâ sheâs fucking sobbing, Iâm like OMG really?! Now Iâm feeling bad for the ho, she goes âyou can just check the guys in, heâs not going to force you to trapâ I said âOH BITCH I KNOW HE NOT, I WILL DEAD ASS KILL YALLâ verbatim. She cleans herself up and thereâs a knock at the door. I open the door and some fat white man goes âIâm here for the white girlâ So I check his pockets, take his wallet and let him in, they start fucking RIGHT on the bed next to me. It was a fucking mess, A MESS So when they finished he gave her $100. I said âJess, you selling pussy for $100? Pussy is worth thousands, you trippingâ she goes âI donât make the prices, the prices are already discussed before they come inâ. So I was like âbitch NO, if u gone do this, do it right.â So I took some pics of her and put them on Backpage. Along with a the trap phone # wit a MINIMUM of $500. The phone starts BLOWING UP! I was like âsee bitch, I got you a nigga coming up RIGHT NOW giving $500 for 15 minutesâ he comes, I check him they get it in, he leaves. We are doing this ALL NIGHT! She fucked about 20 dudes and her sorry ass pimp only sent three of them.
Around 6am JARRET CALLS, she answers on speaker and he is going OFF! âWHERE TF ARE YOU AND ZOLA?! The club BEEN CLOSED!â she goes âwe went to another club because it was slowâ So Iâm googling 24h clubs (FL has a few) trying to help her lie and he is NOT having it. Heâs LIVID. He goes âif u went home with a dude your DEAD!â So he asks to speak to ME?! I was like maaannn ima end up killing these crazy white niggas tonight. He starts cursingME out! âWhere are yâall! I know sheâs lying!! Donât be a ho like her Zola!â I said âI PROMISE you, Iâm notâ he hangs up on me and that was it. We didnât hear from him for the rest of the night. We fall asleep, a few hours later the black dude (I STILL DONT KNOW HIS NAME) comes up heâs like âhow much u make last night?â Jess goes â5,500â I was like WTF WHY SHE TELLING THE TRUTH?!?! I pimped her NOT HIM! he goes âwtf how? Thatâs good but I only sent you three clientsâ she goes âZola made me a Backpageâ I was like WOOOOW here we go, he goes âyou can do my job better than me?â I said âI was just helping her out, I really donât care, your clients were cheapâ he started laughing, He goes âgive me the moneyâ she gave him ALL OF IT and he goes âthanks Zola, youâre a real oneâ and throws $500 at me, I put that shit right in my bra. Jess goes, what about me? and he said âyou owe me rent Jess. You havenât paid in monthsâ I was like damnnnn.
We leave and head to Jarret and the raggedy motel because our shit was there. As we pull up, Jarrett chilling outside smoking weed with some dude PAY ATTENTION HERE!! We get out and walk up to them and Jarrett goes âhere they goâ the pimp goes âHERE WHO GO LIL NIGGA, WHO DIS?!â Jarrett starts laughing and was like âhe was asking me who I was here with and I said my girl and her friends thatâs all, chill outâ The guy Jarrett was talking to laughs and goes âIâll catch you later man, nice meeting you,â and leaves. He was a black guy with dreads, a FL nigga. So we all go up to the room and the pimp is going OFF on Jarrett. âYou donât know these niggas! I canât believe you told him two bitches in here!!â and Jarret goes âhe asked why I was out here mad last night, all I said was my girl went to work with her friend and I aint want her to!â Now the pimp SCREAMING âSO THAT NIGGA KNOW ITâS MONEY UP HERE NOW?! HELL NO. WE GOTTA GO!! NOWâ me and Jess are like OMG, So we pack our shit and head out. We went to a nicer hotel about 20 minutes away. So the pimp was like âZola keep a eye on Jarrett!â I was like oh shit he done promoted me to look out and shit, so he leaves (to go back to his fiancĂ© at home) and Jarret and Jess start arguing He was like âI know you was trapping Jess, I saw the Backpage add hoâ and he shows her a screenshot, I was like OH SHIT. HERE WE GOOOO so he starts crying like a bitch. I was like wow, heâs like âI thought you were done with this, I didnât come to FL for this, you messy,â then he turns to me and goes âthis what you came here for Zola?!â I said âHELL NA Jarret she lowkey set me up, Iâm not fuckin with yâall after this, he goes âwow u even set up your friend, youâre such a hoâ they arguing for hours. I leave and go down to the pool. I mean, I am in Florida!
MY MAN calls me! I lied and said everything was okay. I didnât want him worrying. I had a nice dinner and then the
pimp calls the trap phone I answer and heâs like âsince u a madam and shit, do that shit again tonight, but set up outcalls only because this hotel to nice to trap out ofâ I was like cool, I got you, especially for another $500. I go up to the room and tell Jess to get ready, Jarrett goes WTF AGAIN BITCH NO! I said âJarrett calm down, pleaseâ this white nigga starts PUNCHING HIMSELF! like crazy people do dawg! I was like OH HELLLL NAWLLL, He goes âif u do this again Jess, I will kill myself. I love you too much.â I was like this nigga lost in the sauce and his bitch lost in the gameSo I said âJarret sit THE FUCK down, Jess come on so I can take some pics itâs already 10 oâclock, yâall playing.â I make her a fresh ad, we come out the bathroom (I did her hair and makeup and shit) and Jarret goes âeverybody knows you a ho now, FUCK YOU! I wanna go home!â I said HUH? He throws his phone at her and its HER FACEBOOK! A status of BOTH ads! HER MOM IS ON THERE GOIN OFFFFFF in the comments! Jessica starts BAWLING! âOmg. My mom had my daughter this week! How could You! She on the floor literally breaking downâ I was like OH FUCK, So Jessica calls the pimp âJARRETT JUST PUT EVERYTHING ON FACEBOOK. MY WHOLE FAMILY SEES!â The pimp goes âI TOLD ZO TO WATCH HIM!â LITERALLY 5 minutes later its the pimp BANGING at our door. He comes in with his fiancĂ© this time and snatches Jarrett up by the neck, he wasted NO TIME!! He goes âI should really kill yo ass.â Jarrett is dangling off the ground crying âplease donât pleaseâ lowkey Iâm crying, the fiancĂ© pulls out a handgun yâall!!! She goes âyou want to bae or what? Fuck him, He did OUR girl so wrongâ I was like OH MY FUCKING GOD! So now Jess steps in âsheâs like please donât, just beat his ass Zâ I was like (oh his name Z? Okay, got it) so he puts him down. Z goes naw I am gone kill his manhood though, and he sits on the bed next to his fiancĂ©, he goes âsit in front of me Jarrettâ. He does still crying, he goes âdelete the post and give me your phone.â He did, then he goes âcome here Jessâ I was so lost.
His FIANCE unbuckled his pants and Jess gets on her knees and starts sucking his dick IN FRONT OF JARRET AND I! I was like YOOO he then gets up and starts fucking Jess from the back, Jarret just sitting there, iâm standing with my mouth to the FLOOR! The fiance right next to them with a gun in her lap, I was like damnnnnn, So then he gets up and says âgo clean up Jess, you gotta workâ he looks at Jarret and says âany questions?â Jarret says âi wanna go home.â I laughed out loud, I couldnât help it and Z goes ânow Iâma spend the night wit my girl so YOU gone take Jess to her out calls.â I was like DAMNN!!! Thatâs fucked bro He goes âZola got the clients and addresses so yâall can take herâ and him and his fiance leave. The room is silent for the next 30 minutes, swear. The first client calls and says he ready, so Jarrett takes us. Z left a handgun but told me not to tell them, he slid it to me on the slick He texted the trap phone like âIâm trusting you with my bitch Zola. If anything goes left, use it.â I was like WHAT?! NIGGA I CANT! So anyway, Jarrett took us to about four clients and then the phone was slow. Me and Jarrett were in the car together while she was working so we started having deep convo. He really wasnât a bad dude, but he was bipolar. VERY bipolar, so I understood his outburst a little more.
We head back to the hotel and I get this one last call late as fuck and the client says âI got 5,000 but I want two bitchesâ I said âoh sorry we only have one.â The client goes âwell i got 2,000 for one but its four dudes and we only do in callsâ I was like wow, what? So i text Z and told him, he was like âhell yea, tell him come on.â So I set it up, then last min the client goes âactually, out call is fineâ and gives me an address so we get in the car and head to the address. Jess goes âits four of them can you just wait in the hall pleaseâ I was like bitch, iight cmon. So we head up to the room number they gave and Jess knocks, a dude goes âwho is itâ and she says âincallâ the door FLINGS OPEN FAST AS FUCK AND TWO BIG BLACK DUDES SNATCHED JESS! Bitch I ran so got damn fast I couldnât even see straight, I was OUT! Fuck that, I run out and THE CAR IS GONE! Iâm screaming âJARRETT! JARRETTT!!â This fool gone. So i call him, STILL RUNNING and he like âyall done?!â I said âBITCH Z TOLD U TO NEVER LEAVE US! WHERE ARE U!â Heâs like âIâm at the gas station, I was thirsty, I thought she was gone be a minuteâ Iâm STILL RUNNING, lmfaooo. Dont know WHERE Iâm going. Iâm like âthey snatched her dude! COME GET ME. IM CALLIN THE POLICE!â He pulls up a minute later and is like âdonât call the police, call Zâ I was like âZ gone BEAT EVERYBODY ASS!! YOU WASNâT SUPPOSED TO LEAVE!â and heâs like âwell YOU have the gun, if you call the cops you done too!â I was like shit, you right.
So I called Z and told him what happened! Z IS LIVID! and this deep African accent comes out! I couldnt even understand him on the phone. I was like maaaannnnn, we dead bro So Z pulls up and is like âletâs goâ I said
âummm ima stay here, yall goâ he goes âIM NOT IN THE MOOD RIGHT NOW, COME THE FUCK ON!â So we all go me and Jarrett on the side of the hall where you cant see and Z knocks on the door, a man goes âwho is itâ Z goes âwhere my bitch man?!â Jessica SCREAMS and the voice says âaint no bitch in here bruhâ I was like OH MY GAWD. Z goes âopen the doorâ guess who opens the door THE NIGGA WITH DREADS THAT JARRETT WAS SMOKING WITH AT THE RUN DOWN MOTEL! I WAS LIKE YOOOOOOOOOOO! So he goes âcome in and check,â to Z. Z motioned for us to stay hidden. THANK GOD. So he goes in the room and dread head there by himself, Z sits on the bed wit his strap out and goes âwhere she at man?â dreads goes âwell since she wants to steal work from my girls, she clearly wants to be here wit us (we still donât see Jess) so Z goes to the closet and bust the door in and she in there, tied up and knocked the fuck out. Dreads goes âI got 20K for her right now man and all is forgivenâ Z said âwe made more then 20k this weekend alone. Get outta here!â So dreads goes âmy dudes downstairs not gone just let you walk out with her like thatâ and Z said âweâll seeâ mind you, I can barely see Iâm around the corner. So i just hear everything. Next thing I know I hear some shuffling and a gun goes off, once again I TAKE OFF but I took off down the hall threw the back! Jarrett wasnât far behind and then we look behind us and Z is runnin too wit Jess over his shoulder. He throws Jess in the car and hops in the drivers seat, I hopped in wit him and Jarret hopped in the other car and we got the fuck ON, Iâm crying. I said âwtf happened?!â He goes âthat nigga reached for his piece, I shot him in the face manâ i was like OHHHMMAAAGAWDDD!!
We got back to our hotel, packed our shit and checked out. We went to Z and his fianceâs condo, it was nice as FUCK by the way. Jess is up now and she tells us what happened. Apparently they recognized her from the motel and set her up (clearly) and once they snatched her they told her to trap for them and she said no. So they beat her ass thatâs what Z interrupted when he knocked so they knocked her out. I was like, I REALLY gotta go home yâall. Sorry to kill the mood but I cant take no more of this. Jarrett was like âsameâ Zâs fiance was in the kitchen counting money dawg, Just like a rich ho. So Z was like âeverybody get some sleep, I gotta get rid of thisâ (talking about the gun) so he leaves. We all try to get some sleep. The next morning he comes in with tickets for me and Jarrett. Jarrett goes âIâm not leaving Jess here, not after last night,she has a daughter and needs to come homeâ Z was like âNa we making moneyâ I was like wooooww! wit a black eye and busted lip and some FL niggas looking for yâall, you STILL trying to trap? Crazy, I was like âWELL IâM READY!â Jess goes âitâll be ok Jarrett, Iâll be home in three daysâ Jarrett started with that punching himself shit again, I was like oh mannn, here we go. Jarrett goes âcome with me or Iâm killing myselfâ Z was like âugh, not this shit again. Iâll be in the car, yâall need to hurry up!â So Jarrett is literally breaking down. You ever seen someone hysterically crying? Itâs intense and Jess trying to calm him down. Iâm at the door ready Jarrett randomly stops crying. Instantly, like some movie shit and goes âso u arenât coming?!â Jess said âno Jarrett, I cantâ this nigga Jarret RUNS TOWARDS THEIR BALCONY & JUMPS! I swear to GOD, right hand to the Bible, he fucking jumped, I screamed SO LOUD my heart stopped Jess runs towards the balcony and this nigga Jarrett was hanging. He didnât fall all the way, he was stuck by his pants. THANK GOD! We were only on the 4th floor but he still wouldâve died, It was a good drop. So jess is helping him and I call Z. Still crying I was like âJarrett is stuck, he tried to jump off your balconyâ Z was like âWHAT IS WRONG WIT THIS NIGGA!! FAMILIES LIVE HERE BRO, WTFâ So Z came up, helped get him, slapped the fuck out of him (literally) and physically guided him to the car.
Jess comes out and goes âI swear I didnât set you up Zola. I never intended for you to trap, thatâs why you didnât !I hope we can be friends after.â I looked at her like she wasnât speaking English and I said âiâm not gone beat yo ass right now because you already in bad shape, but I better not ever see or hear from you again.â She walked away. Z LITERALLY buckled Jarrettâs seat belt lmfao and we went to the airport. When we landed in Detroit my man picked us up. We both looked HORRIBLE, so washed up and so tired. My man was like âwho is this white boy and whatâs wrong with yâallâ I said âbabe neither of us are the same, Just take him to his car and take me home.â We drop Jarrett off and on the way home I told him everything, he couldnât even speak honestly. I get a collect call four days later from a jail in LAS VEGAS! Itâs JESSICA! she goes âwe got caught trapping in Vegas and we all got arrestedâ I said â Oh, why you calling me?â She goes âZ was wanted for kidnapping 15 underage girls and is linked to six murders including FLâ I said âFlorida? Murder? You have the wrong number!â She screams âASK JARRETT TO BAIL ME OUT, he wont answer my collect callâ I said âJARRETT??? You really have the wrong numberâ I hung up and called Jarrett. He goes âyea I heard itâs on the news, heâs a huge traffickerâ I found out later that Jessica and his fiance played victim and said they were forced and Z whoâs name I canât pronounce was a African man and was wanted literally everywhere. He got sentenced to life and I hear Jess is back in Detroit with her mom & baby, The END.
Spread
On October 28th, Redditor pscriivin submitted a post titled "What is the Zola Story?" to the /r/OutOfTheLoop[1] subreddit. That same day, Redditor HeathenBarbie submitted a post titled "Zola, Jess and Z," featuring a picture of Drake sitting next to a blonde woman (shown below, left). Meanwhile, Redditor awesomewavves submitted an image macro of a woman sitting on a bed with the caption "Zola on the bed when Jess was trapping" (shown below, right). In the first 24 hours, the post gained over 5,000 votes (91% votes) and 4,900 votes (88% upvoted) on the /r/blackpeopletwitter[2][4] subreddit respectively.
Also on October 28th, American film director Ava DuVernay praised the story as a "best seller in waiting" (shown below).
In the coming days, many news sites published articles about the Zola story, including BuzzFeed,[7] Time,[6] The Daily Mail,[8] The Mirror,[9] Complex[10] and Jezebel.[11] According to the Twitter analytics site Topsy,[5] the hashtag #zola was tweeted over 19,500 times within 48 hours (shown below).
Film Adaptation
On October 30th, 2015, TMZ[12] reported that film and TV producers had been approaching Zola for to turn the story into a movie or series. They write, "Zola tells TMZ her story captivated execs at MTV, VICE, WME and a few independent film makers."
About two years later, The Hollywood Reporter[13] announced that the film would be directed by Janicza Bravo, star Tayolour Paige and produced by A24. The film would be written by Bravo along with playwright Jeremy O. Harris, Andrew Neel and Mike Roberts.
In a statement, Brova said, "Iâm at a coffee shop in L.A. and in walks this girl. Iâm entranced and canât stop staring. Itâs the way she sits in her body. Itâs agency. Itâs self-possessionâŠeverything that drew me to telling this story. One year later she auditions, and I knew instantly -- like, I knew it then: After seeing 700 girls, the one meant to be finally walked in."
A24 said, "Zola is an iconic, iconoclastic role, and Taylour and Janicza are exactly the people to bring the character to life. Weâre thrilled to be working with them on this too-real-to-be-true saga, a defining and legendary entry in the deeply American road trip genre."
Search Interest
External References
[1] Reddit â What is the Zola Story?
[2] Reddit â Zola Jess and Z
[3] LustfulSensations â Tales of a Thot the Zola Story
[4] Reddit â Zola aint playing that game
[6] Time â Twitter is Freaking Out Over This Womans Story
[7] BuzzFeed â Everyone is having a meltdown over this womans story
[8] The Daily Mail â Zolas story
[9] The Mirror â What is Zolas story?
[10] Complex â Zolas Twitter Tales of Strippers
[11] Jezebel â Someone Get Zola a Pulitzer or Potentially a Spot in the Witness Protection Program
[12] TMZ â Zola The Stripper: Hollywood's Knockin' At My Door
[13] The Hollywood Reporter â Taylour Paige Cast as Lead in A24's 'Zola'
Top Comments
Syelle
Oct 29, 2015 at 04:25PM EDT
Krank
Oct 29, 2015 at 04:13PM EDT