Zsuzsanna Eva Ward, better known simply as ZZ Ward (mastermind behind the hit album “Til the Casket Drops”) discusses her Oregon roots, the rap game and her obsession with Voodoo donuts.

Growing up, how often would you say you were in Eugene?

I lived in Roseburg but I would go up to Eugene all the time. The first time I went up there and got involved in the music scene I was 16. Me and my girlfriends would go up to this club right by The Hilton, and it was 16 and older on some nights, and we were all so excited because we got to go out to this club! There were these awesome hip-hop shows and dance troupes — and now it sounds so silly, but we had never seen anything like that before. I reached out to Michael K who was just getting started in the Eugene hip-hop movement and started writing choruses for him, and for other rappers up there.

One thing you love and one thing you hate about Eugene?

I have a new-found love for Voodoo Donuts. My least favorite thing is probably the rain; it just rains too damn much here in Oregon.

Hell yeah! What’s your favorite donut?

I can’t even tell you, they are all amazing. Whenever we tour through Portland or Eugene I can’t help myself — it’s really bad!

Well it sounds like you’ve been in Eugene quite a bit.

I can’t even count how many times I was in Eugene. Between doing hip-hop shows we would open for Bone Thugs and Harmony and Mike Jones and whoever else would come through the McDonald Theatre. And I would also go up onto campus and sell demos. I would drive this like green 1990 Dodge Ram around and sell CDs out of the back of my truck.

Did you ever try your hand at rapping or were you mostly producing and writing?

No, unfortunately I can’t rap. My opinion was always if you were a white rapper who can’t freestyle and back it up you aren’t going to make it.

Well, that collaboration you did with Kendrick Lamar was awesome. How did that happen?

I was a huge fan of Kendrick and Freddie Gibbs and I ended up doing a mix tape where I flipped hip-hop songs and then wrote my own songs over them. They heard about what I was doing, believed in what I was doing and wanted to be on my record.