DOUBLE Bafta winner Big Zuu has captioned the nation’s hearts with his various beloved TV projects.
The star has inspired a generation to get more involved in cooking, all while forging a successful music and presenting career.
Who is Big Zuu?
Big Zuu, is a British rapper, grime MC, songwriter, DJ, chef and TV personality from West London.
He was born Zuhair Hassan on August 19, 1995, and grew up on Harrow Road.
As a teen, Zuu worked as a mentor for young children in a secondary school in Haggerston, East London.
Growing up there wasn’t many chefs or people that look like me on telly.
Big Zuu
The rapper then spent two years at Goldsmiths University where he studied community development and youth work.
Zuu is a member of the MTP crew, which stands for My Team Paid.
The group also features AJ Tracey, who is Zuu’s cousin, and other grime artists like Ets and Sketch.
Zuu released his self-titled debut EP in 2017.
The six-track-long project has had over 2 million streams on Spotify as of February 2024.
Zuu has said that his music style has been influenced by “old school” artists such as Tupac Shakur, Kme, P Money, Ghetts and Skepta.
What TV shows has Big Zuu been on?
Big Zuu began his TV career with the 2020 Dave show Big Zuu’s Big Eats.
The series saw Big Zuu and his two friends, Tubsey and Hyder, cook for different comedians while touring the UK.
Guest comedians on the show included: Ed Gamble, Jamali Maddix, Jimmy Carr, Josh Widdicombe and London Hughes.
In 2022, Big Zuu’s Big Eats won two Baftas in the entertainment performance and features categories.
While accepting his second award, Zuu said: “Growing up there wasn’t many chefs or people that look like me on telly.
“And nowadays, young people watching us doing our ting, thinking do you know what, if these men can win a Bafta surely we can.”
The star went on to present Big Zuu’s Breakfast Show on Sunday mornings throughout the summer 2022 on ITV.
He was also on the main cast of workplace sitcom Sneakerhead, which aired on Dave.
Zuu has appeared as a guest on several shows, including game show Guessable, Celebrity MasterChef, and Jon and Lucy’s Christmas Sleepover.
Since 2024, Big Zuu has hosted ITV’s 12 Dishes in 12 Hours.
The show follows Zuu as he takes a different famous face on a culinary tour of a European city each episode, teaching them everything that they need to know about the place through twelve different dishes.
Does Big Zuu have a girlfriend?
Big Zuu keeps his love life out of the spotlight and has not revealed whether he has a romantic partner.
It has been reported that the star is single but he has not confirmed this.
What is Big Zuu’s net worth?
Idolnetworth estimates Big Zuu’s net worth to around £2.5million.
He has likely amassed this fortune through his various professions.
The rapper has had a successful career as a musician and has performed at festivals such as Lovebox, Boomtown and at the O2 Academy Islington in London.
His most popular songs include Magical, The Advert, Variation, Duppy and No Limits.
Zuu has more than 34,000 followers on his YouTube channel, as of February 2024, where he regularly shares new music with his fans.
Big Zuu is, of course, also a successful presenter and his TV gigs have no doubt helped contribute to his impressive net worth.
In 2023 his company, Big Productions, signed a deal with production company Banijay UK to create a range of projects, including comedy and factual entertainment formats as well as scripted, documentary, and live event shows.
Is Big Zuu a qualified chef?
Though Big Zuu hasn’t been classically trained as a chef he is still a professional cook.
Speaking to the BBC in 2022, he revealed that he was inspired to get in the kitchen by TV chefs he watched growing up and locals in his hometown.
He said: “I used to love watching television cooks, people like Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsay but I was also inspired by the local people I grew up with in my area like my local chicken shop boss man.
“I used to absolutely love him.”
Zuu added that social media sites are important for young people who may want to forge careers as cooks, saying: “You’ve got so many people that are not trained chefs, people who just love food but are blowing up on social media and making it a career.
“I literally have a cooking show because I cooked on Snapchat so I am the epitome of social media transcending into a career within food.
“Social media has some negative sides but some of the good sides are seeing people create careers for themselves and learning how to cook food just because they watched a TikTok.”