Features Hip Hop Artists Skyzoo: Brooklyn's Finest
| Skyzoo: Brooklyn's Finest |
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| Wednesday, 28 January 2009 09:50 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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OSHHS: You have been rapping since you where a child, how did you get your start in Hip Hop at such an early age? Skyzoo: When I started rhyming I was like nine years old. I started rhyming when I heard Chi Ali. Chi Ali was an artist that was a part of the Native Tongue movement with A Tribe Called Quest, Black Sheep and De La Soul and all of them. Coming up I listened to everything as a kid. I mean,I was like six years old and I used to hear N.W.A, Big Daddy Kane, and Erick B and Rakim. I heard everything and I loved all of it. But when I heard Chi Ali that’s what really made me wanna pick up the mic cause he was a young kid. He was like 14 at the time and he just seemed like an adult. The way he carried himself, he just seem like so cool and so suave and he didn’t seem like your average kid rapper. I think I was like nine at the time that he was 14. When I saw his video for Age Ain’t Nothing But a Number that’s when I really, really jumped on it and I was like yeah I wanna do this. From day one I took it serious. It wasn’t like it was just a hobby, and then later it became something. OSHHS: Not many rappers get there stage name from there parents, how did that come about? Skyzoo: Well my middle name is Skyler. When I was born in 82’ there was a disco group called Sky, and they had a song out called Skyzoo. It was a real big popular song. They were a disco group from Brooklyn and it was a real big song in Brooklyn and New York and just in the disco scene and being that Skyzoo was similar to Skyler, people called me Skyler or Sky for short. It was very similar to Sky and everything so it kinda just stuck. My parents used to sing the song to me and play the song to me. My family as a whole, they used to play the song to me and sing it to me. It just kinda stuck. When I started rhyming I just kept it authentic with what was already there. I didn’t go and make up a fake name or a gansta name or whatever, whatever. I just kept it authentic and was like if you like it, you like it and if you don’t, you don’t. But this is who I am, you know. It pretty much came from day one. OSHHS: How did growing up in Brooklyn, New York influence your rap skills? Skyzoo: Growing up in Brooklyn you saw Hip Hop everywhere. It was your life. The culture and everything, was everything that I new pretty much from day one it was everything. From the way people dress to the way the music blasting out of the cars and in the hallways and in the corners and in the parks and everything. It’s a culture, you know what I’m sayin’. It was just around you and you couldn’t get away from it even if you wanted to. I didn’t want to get away, but even if you did, you couldn’t get away from it. Just growing up in Brooklyn or New York as a whole. Anyone who came up in the 80’s in New York can attest to that. OSHHS: Genius and ESPN both used your songs in one of their ads; do you feel that people are going to categorize you as mainstream because of that? Skyzoo: Nah I don’t think I’ll be categorized as that, but if your going to get categorized as main stream that’s not a bad thing because mainstream is where the majority of anybody in music is making significant money at. But at the end of the day I’m not afraid of being categorized as anything. My whole thing is being versatile, and being unique, being creative and being able to do different things. So, I think that when people hear my music you can’t categorize me as one thing except being anything but dope. You can’t say he’s only this and he’s only that. That doesn’t exist cause if you hear my music you’ll know that’s not even a factor. I’m not afraid of that at all. OSHHS: Hot 97 named you one of the top 10 MC’s alive, how does that make you feel? Skyzoo: It was amazing. It started off with the top 25. They had 25 MC’s that they listed and I was one of them along with Jay-Z, Nas, ‘Lil Wayne, Andre’ 3000 and a bunch of people. It was real big, just being a part of that was huge. Once it came down to it they broke it down to a top 10, they had people vote and call in and go online and say who they felt was right. When it came down to the top 10 my name was in there. I was the only unsigned MC in the top 10. It was Eminem, Nas, ‘Lil Wayne, Talib Kweli , Andre 3000, Jadakiss. It was a real serious line up, and it was just an honor to know that what I do musically doesn’t get over looked. What I’m doing and where I’m going it doesn’t get over looked. The best thing in the world is knowing that your talent isn’t being wasted. OSHHS: How was it going up against Jin on 106 and Park’s Freestyle Fridays battle? Skyzoo: That was so long ago. It was literally like seven or eight years ago. But I mean it was cool. I mean to this day, me and Jin are cool. I was in Hong Kong doing some shows and I actually did a tour in Hong Kong and Beijing over in China, and I ran into Jin in the street and he came to the show and you know showed a ton of love. It was real cool. It was something that people are definitely going to remember forever because it was one of the most memorable battles on 106 and Park history. That was so long ago; it was literally seven years ago. I don’t think about it, I don’t think he thinks about it. It was all in fun, we had a good time. At the end he showed me tons of love and let me know what I needed to know. He was like, “Dude I’ve never been in a battle like that ever.” It is what it is. At the end of the day I make my music and continue to progress. He’s progressing, he’s doing his thing, and I think we both benefitted from it the right way. OSHHS: You’ve said before that you pride yourself on being a storyteller. Who in the game did you listen to that inspired you to focus on being storyteller? Skyzoo: I came up on everything from Ice Cube, with his story telling to Scarface and Gheto Boys and their storytelling. But it really honed in with Bigge, Nas, and Jay. In 94 you had Nas and Biggie drop in the same year. Then in 95 you had Raekwon with Only Built for Cuban Linx, which is one of my favorite albums ever. People look at it as a great album but they don’t see the story telling in it. But that album was full of story telling. Even the singles was nothing but stories. So with that and then with Jay, with Reasonable Doubt, another album that people didn’t really see the storytelling. It was really that era. It was 94, 95 era. You had your Nas, your Big, Jay and Raekwon. It was just so much storytelling and authenticity and pictures being painted. That’s when it really kicked in with me when I heard all of that. OSHHS: What is your affiliation with the Justice League? Are you still working with them? Skyzoo: As far as the Justice League that’s my extended family. I was never signed to them, I was never under them or anything. Four or five years ago when no one was really checking for me, they were the first ones to hear me and be like, “Yo! We’ll definitely throw you some beats, we’ll definitely record.” Just to get something going. It was never about paper work. It was never about signing with them or anything because they had their agenda and I had mine. But they know their talent and hunger and they held in on it, and I appreciate that. That’s extended family for life. Those are always going to be my people. I look at them like cousins and if we had a family reunion we come together as cousins that ain’t see each other in a while. They’re definitely my extended family. OSHHS: You’re definitely a lyrical MC. Now a days in the Hip Hop scene there seems to be a lack of lyrcists. Do you feel that the lack of lyrical MC’s is hurting Hip Hop? Skyzoo: I think a lack of balance is hurting Hip Hop. It was never about every single artist being super lyrical. If you even look back in the golden days like the mid 90’s or the late 80’s, you always had some people around who were never that dope lyrically. But it was about balance. You could hear somebody’s song on the radio that might have not been that dope, then you can hear another dude that was a lyrical monster like Big Daddy Kane or someone like him right after them. It was always balance. I remember back in the days there was just tours that was tons of different artist that were just dope. You know, you had A Tribe Called Quest and N.W.A on tour together. You know, things like that. I think the balance is what’s missing now a days. There’s no balance no more. At the end of the day, that’s what’s hurting Hop Hop. Everybody is not going to be extremely nice. Just like if you look at the NBA, everybody isn’t Lebron James. But you got your balance. It makes it what it is, a great game. I think that’s what’s missing in Hip Hop. We just really gotta get the balance back. OSHHS: Is there a specific MC that you haven’t already worked with that you would like to work with? Skyzoo: There’s a hand full of MC’s that I would love to work with. Everyone has a list that includes Jay-Z and Nas and people like that. Besides them I definitely would like to work with Jeezy. A lot of people be surprised when they hear me say Young Jeezy, but I love Jeezy. I love his music and what he does and what he represents. I think if we were to get on a track together it’ll be real different and real special. I’m really a fan of his work. I’ve been a fan of 50’s work for a while. I think 50 is dope, he goes through ups and downs and fights them like nobody. I think he’s dope. I’ve worked with a lot of great MC’s. There is a good amount of people that I would like to work with. A lot of them are legends though, cause I’ve worked with other people that are in my circle. OSHHS: What are you currently working on now? Skyzoo: Right now I’m finishing up a mix tape and my debut album now. The mix tape is called The Power of Words. It’s really just more of what the people like to hear from me. It’s more lyrics and more me just going crazy and just hittin’ the rewind button. Just all of oooh’s and ah’s with the dope lyrics and the dope punch lines going over your head and all that. So the mix tape is called The Power of Words. That’s coming up February or March at the latest. After that I’m coming out with my debut album The Salvation. The Salvation is the debut album that I’ve talked about my whole life. From the first day that I picked up a pen and a pad and started writing it was all for The Salvation, so this album is my everything. It’s my debut; it’s my heart and soul. It’s tons of storytelling on the album. It’s nothing like any mix tape that I’ve ever done or any other project that I’ve ever done. The album is storytelling, painting picture and it’s cohesive. Its just one theme through out the whole album that weaves altogether and just comes altogether at the end. It’s real special. The Salvation should be coming out later this year. Probably by the summer or something like that. OSHHS: You’ve dropped so many mix tapes, does it feel different now that your dropping an actual album? Skyzoo: It’s definitely different because it’s a whole different way of thinking. It’s a different way of writing. I’ve always been the type that was big on song structure, and big on being a real artist and not just a dope MC, but being an excellent artist. I think I’ve been able to achieve that. I think people see that. The people who haven’t seen it are gonna see it when all this new stuff comes out. People always said that my mix tapes felt like albums. I always said, “Wow, if that’s the case. Wait till you hear the album.” My goal is to just give people that. Give people what they’ve been waiting for. If you go online or if you ask people on the street, a lot of people are waiting on this album. People are like, “Yeah, I’m waiting on that Skyzoo album. I’ve been waiting for it for a long time. I’ve been a fan of his for years. Cloud nine was incredible.” So I’m really anxious to give it to them. If I could drop the album it tomorrow I would, but the set up gotta be right. Everything is getting laid out now. We just did the deal with 9th Wonder. I’m coming out under 9th Wonder’s label called Jam la records. The album is coming out through him and it’ll be real special. Me and him are going to be executive producing it together. So we’re just getting all of that good, and getting everything tight. It’ll be out later this year for sure. 09’ is definitely when we’re dropping it, more than likely the summer. OSHHS: Is there anything else that you’d like to say or plug before I end the interview? Skyzoo: Keep checking for me, keep listening to the real music, and at the end of the day I think people get real Hip Hop misconstrued. Real Hip Hop is anything authentic to the person who’s making it. You know if the person has a record talking about rims and blinging and dippin’ through Harlem or whatever it maybe, if that’s real to them and that’s what they live and that’s what’s really going on in there life then that’s real Hip Hop…because they live that. If a person is talking about black power this and you know waving a fist in the air and a flag and everything if they really do that, then that’s them. But if any of what I just mentioned is a gimmick to that person, then it’s not real Hip Hop. No matter how dope it maybe or how whack it maybe or whatever. Real Hip Hop is what’s authentic to the person who creates it. Keep supporting real Hip Hop. Keep supporting what you love. Keep buying music instead of downloading it. Mix tapes are the free download all day, I’m with that. But an album, were somebody is putting in their work and their creativity to it and they’re putting their heart and soul into it, you gotta support that. I’m not mad at people for being fed up. Cause a lot of people put albums out and there terrible and the people are like, “I’m over that. I’m not supporting that. I’m not behind that. I’m good, leave me a lone with that. I’ll download that” I understand that, but when you see an album like certain people out there who put records out that are really incredible support that, you know. When my album comes out, if you hear and you feel it, support that. Go spend $15.00 and get it, and it’ll be worth it. Holla at me Myspace.com/skyzoo, Youtube.com/skyzootv, Twitter.com/therealskyzoo Add this page to your favorite Social Bookmarking websites                  
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| Last Updated on Tuesday, 03 February 2009 17:18 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Straight from the streets of Brooklyn, New York, Skyzoo never fails to bring it with his lyrical rhymes and storytelling skills. As the mix tape king prepares to drop his highly anticipated debut album, he took sometime to talk to Onestophiphopshop.com about the album, how he got his stage name, and how he feels about the current state of Hip Hop.