Skyzoo

Artist ∙ Hip-Hop/Rap

Brooklyn rapper and songwriter Skyzoo has been consistently grinding it out since the early 2000s, delivering dexterous narratives about city life, daily struggles, and dreams of success. He built a buzz through numerous mixtapes and albums during the 2000s, which included production from DJ Premier and 9th Wonder. Beginning with 2009's The Salvation, he focused on more personal, autobiographical lyricism, which continued with subsequent full-lengths like 2015's Music for My Friends. Additionally, releases like 2020's The Bluest Note and Milestones explored a jazz-influenced direction. Throughout his career, Skyzoo has worked with Jill Scott, Black Thought, Jadakiss, Talib Kweli, and many others.

September 19, 2019 at PDT
Retropolitan
12 Tracks
September 29, 2016 at PDT
The Easy Truth
15 Tracks
June 10, 2021 at PDT
All the Brilliant Things
14 Tracks
February 1, 2018 at PST
In Celebration of Us
15 Tracks
July 20, 2017 at PDT
Peddler Themes
8 Tracks
January 12, 2023 at PST
The Mind Of A Saint
For the better part of two decades, Skyzoo has built a reputation as one of hip-hop’s most gifted writers, using creative concepts and world-building to tell stories rooted in the Brooklyn neighborhood where he grew up and match wits with some of rap’s best. But on The Mind of a Saint, he draws inspiration from a storyteller of the highest repute: late filmmaker John Singleton. The album is a hyper-conceptual effort by Skyzoo to rap from the perspective of drug kingpin Franklin Saint, the main character in Snowfall, Singleton’s hit series about the rise of crack in 1980s Los Angeles. And as deftly as he adopts the character, he never loses sight of his own identity: The album is packed with the same sort of double-take metaphors, multisyllabic rhyme assaults, and nuanced narration that have earned Skyzoo his rep.

The strongest points on The Mind of a Saint come in Skyzoo’s attention to detail: disciplined punch lines avoid modern references to cite ’80s-specific celebs like Mike Tyson and former Lakers owner Jerry Buss, and Skyzoo breaks down the show’s perspectives and themes instead of simply reliving its key scenes. “Panthers & Powder” illustrates how Franklin’s path as a street pharmacist is informed by his father’s as a community activist, “Bodies” dives into his development as a cold-blooded killer, and “Apologies in Order” sees him lamenting how the poison he sells ruined the life of the woman he loves. While JAY-Z used the film American Gangster as inspiration to reflect on his own experiences in the drug game, Skyzoo taps into Singleton’s series as a challenge to try on a new persona altogether—and it’s as convincing as anything he’s ever done.
10 Tracks
June 18, 2020 at PDT
Milestones
7 Tracks
June 22, 2015 at PDT
Music for My Friends
16 Tracks
December 1, 2016 at PST
Here for the Crown - Single
1 Trackfalse
October 1, 2012 at PDT
A Dream Deferred (Bonus Track Version)
A Brooklyn emcee who's been serving up top-shelf records since the mid-'00s, Skyzoo has consistently impressed heads throughout his career, thanks to countless mixtapes, collaboration joints, and solo projects. Following up his recent concept album Theo vs. JJ, he returns with A Dream Deferred, continuing his tradition of intelligent, highly lyrical hip-hop that focuses on life, love, and BK pride. Produced mostly by longtime co-conspirators 9th Wonder and !llmind, plus DJ Khalil, Black Milk, and Tall Black Guy, among others, he presents another rock-solid collection of 21st-century boom-bap. Guests include Talib Kweli on the bass- and horn-driven "Spike Lee Was My Hero," Freeway on "Pockets Full," and Raheem DeVaughn for the intergalactic synth ballad "Drew & Derwin," while other highlights include "Jansport Strings (One for Chi-Ali)" and the neckbreaking anthem "Range Rover Rhythm." It's nothing inherently groundbreaking, just high-quality rap music from one of Brooklyn's finest.
15 Tracks
March 4, 2024 at PST
The Mind Of A Saint (Deluxe)
17 Tracks
April 23, 2020 at PDT
The Bluest Note - EP
6 Tracks
August 28, 2012 at PDT
Theo VS. J.J. (Dreams vs. Reality)
Following up his much-loved mixtape The Great Debater, Brooklyn favorite Skyzoo returns with this eight-song EP, setting the stage for his forthcoming album A Dream Deferred. Produced by Thelonious Martin, 14K, !iimind, Praise, and Hasan Insane, Theo vs. JJ explores the concept of Skyzoo as two classic TV characters: The Cosby Show's Theo Huxtable on the record's first half (Dream), and J.J. Walker from Good Times on the second half (Reality). As expected, Sky's wordplay here is exceptional. Intelligent, witty, intricate, and visual, it rides perfectly over the diverse selection of beats. "Liquor & Sneakers" flips a minimalist, retro-yet-futuristic track, "Ever Loyal" has one of the nicest bass lines we've heard this year, and "#FGR (First Generation Rich)" reanimates a timeless Bob James jam. Torae joins the party on "Know That Cash Rules," while The Faculty's newest artist, Open, impresses on the closer, "By Any Means."
8 Tracks
August 26, 2017 at PDT
Rolack's (feat. Westside Gunn & Skyzoo) - Single
1 Trackfalse
September 28, 2009 at PDT
The Salvation
A gifted, perpetually underrated MC from Bed-Stuy Brooklyn, Skyzoo has been putting in work for many years, collaborating with superstar producers like 9th Wonder and J Dilla, as well as North Carolina's Justus League collective. Lyrically, he shuns the stereotypical murder/drug/party styles, instead rhyming primarily about real life issues, whether that is family, day-to-day existence, or his ongoing struggle to blow up in the rap game against bigger names with lesser skills. After unleashing numerous mixtapes over the years, The Salvation is his first "real" album, released in 2009 as a collaboration between Jamla and NYC indie powerhouse Duck Down Records. Sixteen joints deep, with absolutely no guest rappers, it fuses honest wordplay with lush production from Just Blaze, Nottz, and 9th Wonder, resulting in standout tracks including "The Beautiful Decay," "Like a Marathon," "Under Pressure," and "For What It's Worth." All told The Salvation is an impressive debut of down-to-earth autobiographical rap from a rising talent.
16 Tracks
September 11, 2006 at PDT
Cloud 9: The 3 Day High
12 Tracks
August 29, 2011 at PDT
The Great Debater Revisited (Deluxe Edition)
One of the most promising emcees coming out of Brooklyn, Skyzoo has been around for a more than a minute. His profile has been steadily rising over the last few years, thanks to quality releases like The Salvation and Live from the Tapedeck, as well as a slew of solid mixtapes. On this one, he adds four new tracks to his recent project The Great Debate, making a great listen even better. Skyzoo's style isn't thugged-out gangster, fashion-show hipster, ballerific hustler, or save-the-world revolutionary. What is it? Something that’s been sorely missing in the game: straight-up hip-hop with whip-smart lyrics, varied concepts, and an original flow, all laid over dope boom-bap production from the likes of 9th Wonder, Ill Mind, Oh No, Best Kept Secret, and Swiff D. There's really not a weak track on here, but "Rap Like Me," "We Here," "Until It All Goes," and "Get Him to the Greek" are especially nice. Don't miss this one.
20 Tracks
April 14, 2023 at PDT
Blue and Orange Everything - Single
1 Trackfalse
July 24, 2024 at PDT
GOD'S PLAYGROUND (feat. Fred the Godson & Skyzoo) - Single
1 Trackfalse
September 16, 2021 at PDT
Cold - Single
1 Trackfalse
May 26, 2014 at PDT
Barrel Brothers
Two outstanding emcees repping for Brooklyn, Skyzoo and Torae are part of a rare breed of New York rappers who bring back the essence of the golden era without simply trying to imitate their forefathers. Both were signed to the classic BK label Duck Down in 2009; they've worked together in the past and have dropped high-quality solo albums. But this is their first full-length collaboration, and it's a doozy. With features from indie-rap favorites Guilty Simpson, Sean Price, Blu, and Sha Stimuli—plus stellar and hard-hitting boom-bap production from Illmind, Oh No, Black Milk, Krhysis, Apollo Brown, and DJ Premier—Barrel Brothers is the antidote for weak-sauce rappers over techno-tinged beats. If you long for the days of Timb boots and Champion hoodies, rolling in MPVs and pre-gentrification Brooklyn, this record is for you. Don't miss "4 Bar Friday," "The Aura," "Blue Yankee Fitted," and "Make You a Believer."
15 Tracks
May 26, 2014 at PDT
Barrel Brothers
16 Tracks
October 4, 2010 at PDT
Live from the Tape Deck (Bonus Track Version)
13 Tracks
October 14, 2021 at PDT
Divine (feat. Skyzoo & Tuff) - Single
1 Trackfalse
June 16, 2015 at PDT
Music for My Friends
16 Tracks

Skyzoo

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