During the late 1970s, Zapp was noticed by two longstanding friends of the Troutman family, fellow Ohio natives Phelps "Catfish" Collins and William Earl "Bootsy" Collins, both of whom were members of Parliament-Funkadelic since the early 1970s.
During the late 1970s, Zapp was noticed by two close friends from the Troutman family's social network, Phelps "Catfish" Collins and William Earl "Bootsy" Collins, both of whom had been part of Parliament-Funkadelic since its early days in the 1970s.