Skyzoo
Encyclopedia
Skyzoo is a New York
hip hop
emcee
.
disco song (his middle name is Skyler). He began rapping at the age of nine and went on to work with producers Jay Dee and 9th Wonder
, releasing several mixtapes in the hope of securing a record deal. He lost to Jin
on BET's 106 & Park freestyle contest, but went on to have tracks used as both the theme to ESPN
's Whiplash TV and the soundtrack to a Guinness
advert, and set up his own Custom Made Entertainment company. He has also had a long association with North Carolina
rap crew the Justus League
, whom he was introduced to via his friend Chaundon
, and who he describes as his "second family". Jay Dee's death in 2006 prompted Skyzoo to pay tribute with the song "Sky's Last Donut". He worked with 9th Wonder on his debut album, Present Cloud 9: The 3 Day High, which reportedly took only three days to record. He also contributed to three tracks on the Hall of Justus album Soldiers of Fortune.
He released the critically acclaimed Corner Store Classic mixtape in 2007, and released a remixed version, including some new material, as a digital download album in 2008. Corner Store Classic was rated 'XL' (4/5) by XXL Magazine. In 2007, he stated that he had a second album ready, called The Salvation, but was waiting for a major record deal before releasing it. It was released in September 2009 courtesy Duck Down Records
.
He cites as influences hip hop artists such as Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z
, Nas
, N.W.A.
, Big Daddy Kane
, and Kid 'n Play
, as well as artists such as Sade
, Nirvana
and John Coltrane
, and cites Coltrane's A Love Supreme
as his favorite album. He credits J Dilla
as his biggest inspiration and favorite producer. He has been critical of the direction that Hip Hop has taken, stating "People are taking the 'whatever we gotta do' method, resulting in gimmick records. I'm about making money but it has to be with dope records".
Albums
EPs
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
emcee
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
.
Biography
Born Gregory Skyler Taylor in 1982 in Crown Heights, he grew up in Bedford-Stuyvesant. He was nicknamed Skyzoo by his parents after the SkyySkyy
SKYY can refer to:*SKYY vodka*Skyy , American R&B/funk band...
disco song (his middle name is Skyler). He began rapping at the age of nine and went on to work with producers Jay Dee and 9th Wonder
9th Wonder
Patrick Douthit , better known as 9th Wonder is a hip hop record producer, record executive, DJ, professor, and lyricist from Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.A. He began his career as the main producer for the hip hop group Little Brother, and has also worked with Mary J...
, releasing several mixtapes in the hope of securing a record deal. He lost to Jin
Jin (rapper)
Jin Au-Yeung , who performs under the stage name MC Jin, is a Hong Kong hip hop rapper, songwriter, and actor. Growing up in the Miami, Florida area, and later living in New York City, he decided to reside permanently in his motherland, Hong Kong...
on BET's 106 & Park freestyle contest, but went on to have tracks used as both the theme to ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
's Whiplash TV and the soundtrack to a Guinness
Guinness
Guinness is a popular Irish dry stout that originated in the brewery of Arthur Guinness at St. James's Gate, Dublin. Guinness is directly descended from the porter style that originated in London in the early 18th century and is one of the most successful beer brands worldwide, brewed in almost...
advert, and set up his own Custom Made Entertainment company. He has also had a long association with North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
rap crew the Justus League
Justus League
The Justus League is a rap collective from North Carolina, that includes L.E.G.A.C.Y., The Away Team, Darien Brockington, Little Brother, Edgar Allen Floe, Median, Chaundon, Cesar Comanche, 9th Wonder, Buckshot, Sean Price, Skyzoo and Joe Scudda....
, whom he was introduced to via his friend Chaundon
Chaundon
Chaundon is an American hip hop artist from, South Bronx, New York City, who is part of Little Brother's Justus League collective. In 2008 he released his debut album "Carnage" and since has become an internet sensation with his website and his independent music show , as well as his internet blog...
, and who he describes as his "second family". Jay Dee's death in 2006 prompted Skyzoo to pay tribute with the song "Sky's Last Donut". He worked with 9th Wonder on his debut album, Present Cloud 9: The 3 Day High, which reportedly took only three days to record. He also contributed to three tracks on the Hall of Justus album Soldiers of Fortune.
He released the critically acclaimed Corner Store Classic mixtape in 2007, and released a remixed version, including some new material, as a digital download album in 2008. Corner Store Classic was rated 'XL' (4/5) by XXL Magazine. In 2007, he stated that he had a second album ready, called The Salvation, but was waiting for a major record deal before releasing it. It was released in September 2009 courtesy Duck Down Records
Duck Down Records
Duck Down Music Inc is a New York City based record label, talent management, music-marketing, and consulting company founded by Drew "Dru-Ha" Friedman and Kenyatta "Buckshot" Blake in 1995. In Duck Down's 16 year existence, the Company has released over 40 Albums and sold more than 3 million...
.
He cites as influences hip hop artists such as Notorious B.I.G., Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
, Nas
Nas
Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones, who performs under the name Nas , formerly Nasty Nas, is an American rapper and actor. He is regarded as one of the most important figures in hip hop and one of the most skilled and influential rappers of all-time...
, N.W.A.
N.W.A.
N.W.A was an American hip hop group from Compton, California, widely considered one of the seminal acts of the gangsta rap sub-genre....
, Big Daddy Kane
Big Daddy Kane
Antonio Hardy better known by his stage name Big Daddy Kane, is an American rapper who started his career in 1986 as a member of the rap group the Juice Crew. He is widely considered to be one of the most influential and skilled MC's in Hip Hop...
, and Kid 'n Play
Kid 'n Play
Kid 'n Play is an American hip-hop and comedy duo from New York City that was popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The duo was composed of Christopher "Kid" Reid and Christopher "Play" Martin working alongside their DJ, Mark "DJ Wiz" Eastmond...
, as well as artists such as Sade
Sade (band)
Sade is a British smooth jazz band that formed in 1983, named for Nigerian lead singer Sade Adu. Their music features elements of R&B, soul, jazz, and soft rock....
, Nirvana
Nirvana (band)
Nirvana was an American rock band that was formed by singer/guitarist Kurt Cobain and bassist Krist Novoselic in Aberdeen, Washington in 1987...
and John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
, and cites Coltrane's A Love Supreme
A Love Supreme
A Love Supreme is a studio album recorded by John Coltrane's quartet in December 1964 and released by Impulse! Records in February 1965...
as his favorite album. He credits J Dilla
J Dilla
James Dewitt Yancey , better known by the stage names J Dilla and Jay Dee, was an American record producer who emerged from the mid-1990s underground hip hop scene in Detroit, Michigan...
as his biggest inspiration and favorite producer. He has been critical of the direction that Hip Hop has taken, stating "People are taking the 'whatever we gotta do' method, resulting in gimmick records. I'm about making money but it has to be with dope records".
Discography
Mixtapes- I'm for the People
- Back for the First Time
- The Greatest Flow on Earth (2005)
- Ghetto Celebrity: The Mixtape (2005)
- The City's Favorite: The Mixtape (2005) Custom Made
- The Way You Get Down (2006) D.B.R.G./Custom Made
- Corner Store Classic (2007)
- Corner Store Classic (The Remixes) (2008) (Digital download)
- The Power of Words with DJ DramaDJ DramaTyree Cinque Simmons better known as DJ Drama is an American hip hop artist and the official DJ for Grand Hustle/Atlantic recording artist T.I.....
and Statik SelektahStatik SelektahPatrick Baril better known as Statik Selektah, is an East Coast-based DJ, Producer and CEO of Showoff Records.-Biography:...
(2009), Audioworx - The Great Debater (June 2011)
Albums
- Cloud 9: The 3 Day High (with 9th Wonder9th WonderPatrick Douthit , better known as 9th Wonder is a hip hop record producer, record executive, DJ, professor, and lyricist from Raleigh, North Carolina, U.S.A. He began his career as the main producer for the hip hop group Little Brother, and has also worked with Mary J...
) (2006) Traffic - The Salvation (September 29, 2009) (First studio album) Jamla Records/Duck Down RecordsDuck Down RecordsDuck Down Music Inc is a New York City based record label, talent management, music-marketing, and consulting company founded by Drew "Dru-Ha" Friedman and Kenyatta "Buckshot" Blake in 1995. In Duck Down's 16 year existence, the Company has released over 40 Albums and sold more than 3 million...
- Live from the Tape DeckLive From The Tape DeckLive from the Tape Deck is the collaborative studio album by Brooklyn rapper Skyzoo and New Jersey producer Illmind, released on October 5, 2010, under Duck Down Records. Recording sessions for the album took place at Big China Studios in Brooklyn, New York in 2010.-Background:Unlike Skyzoo's debut...
(with IllmindIllmindIllmind is a Filipino American hip hop producer from Bloomfield, New Jersey. He participated in Beat Society, competing against well-known acts like Kanye West and Just Blaze. Illmind has created music for underground artists such as Little Brother, Boot Camp Clik, Akrobatik, Supastition, and El...
) (2010) Duck Down RecordsDuck Down RecordsDuck Down Music Inc is a New York City based record label, talent management, music-marketing, and consulting company founded by Drew "Dru-Ha" Friedman and Kenyatta "Buckshot" Blake in 1995. In Duck Down's 16 year existence, the Company has released over 40 Albums and sold more than 3 million... - A Dream Deferred (TBA) (Second studio album) Jamla Records/Duck Down RecordsDuck Down RecordsDuck Down Music Inc is a New York City based record label, talent management, music-marketing, and consulting company founded by Drew "Dru-Ha" Friedman and Kenyatta "Buckshot" Blake in 1995. In Duck Down's 16 year existence, the Company has released over 40 Albums and sold more than 3 million...
- Barrel Brother's Corner (with ToraeToraeTorae is an American rapper from the Coney Island section of Brooklyn, New York.- Career :Torae gained recognition by collaborating with DJ Premier and Marco Polo. He and Polo went on to receive critical acclaim for their collaborative LP entitled Double Barrel. In 2007, Hip Hop DX featured him in...
) (TBA)
EPs
- The Strung Out Remixes (2009) Coalmine Records