Finally there?s an answer for Hip Hop fans yearning for an MC that could bring them back to the genre?s golden era in New York City and beyond. His name is Skyzoo. Get familiar. At an eager, observant age of just nine, ... more »Skyzoo penned his first song about the urban inner city life he witnessed from the window of his 18th floor apartment in Ebbets Field Projects. Fourteen years, five independent mixtapes, 100 songs and countless shows later, the 23-year-old Skyzoo has matured into a legitimate full-fledged artist. The loyal Brooklynite, who has already received accolades from Jay-Z, Nas, Buckshot, Sean Price and EPMD for his street-heavy, sharp narrating style and wit, understands a Hip Hop fan?s mentality and is prepared to customize music for their eyes and ears. Yes, music for their eyes and ears. "If they lend me their ears, they lend me their eyes," says an assuring Skyzoo, who prides himself in the art of storytelling with a street swagger. "I promise you when you hear my music...I promise you, you're going to not only hear something that you've never heard, but see something you've never seen. It's that real. ?My lyrical style and sound is what Hip Hop used to be.? Some may remember Skyzoo for battling Jin on BET?s 106 & Park, while others may have heard his tracks playing at Madison Square Garden during a Knicks game. In addition, although unsigned and actively grinding for a deal, one would never know it by peeping a live Skyzoo show. More than 800 people crowded into the Star Club, a New York City venue which is meant to host a max of 600, on December 22, 2005 just to see Skyzoo tear it down. The attendees included New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, who witnessed the show and told Skyzoo he?s the real deal. Respected artists and producers in the game have already taken notice at the sheer talent that Skyzoo brings to the table as well. The Brooklyn MC has already recorded with Little Brother, Khrysis, E-Ness from Bad Boy, EPMD, Sean Price, Needlz, Jay Dilla and Hi-Tek, just to name a few. Skyzoo is already off to a quick start in 2006. He has recorded The Way You Get Down, a club banger which industry heads are already dubbing the ?06 In Da Club. In addition, Skyzoo has also completed a project with super producer 9th Wonder entitled "Cloud 9: The 3 Day High". The two completed the 12 song disc in 3 days; which is unheard of in modern day Hip Hop. The buzz surrounding this LP has skyrocketed through the net, and the response and anticipation is beyond belief. Along with that, Skyzoo is enjoying a massive following overseas and is reaching out to his fans with his own site and most recently via MySpace (www.myspace.com/skyzoo). With Skyzoo as the torch bearer, Hip Hop?s future is fluorescent bright.« less
Finally there?s an answer for Hip Hop fans yearning for an MC that could bring them back to the genre?s golden era in New York City and beyond. His name is Skyzoo. Get familiar. At an eager, observant age of just nine, Skyzoo penned his first song about the urban inner city life he witnessed from the window of his 18th floor apartment in Ebbets Field Projects. Fourteen years, five independent mixtapes, 100 songs and countless shows later, the 23-year-old Skyzoo has matured into a legitimate full-fledged artist. The loyal Brooklynite, who has already received accolades from Jay-Z, Nas, Buckshot, Sean Price and EPMD for his street-heavy, sharp narrating style and wit, understands a Hip Hop fan?s mentality and is prepared to customize music for their eyes and ears. Yes, music for their eyes and ears. "If they lend me their ears, they lend me their eyes," says an assuring Skyzoo, who prides himself in the art of storytelling with a street swagger. "I promise you when you hear my music...I promise you, you're going to not only hear something that you've never heard, but see something you've never seen. It's that real. ?My lyrical style and sound is what Hip Hop used to be.? Some may remember Skyzoo for battling Jin on BET?s 106 & Park, while others may have heard his tracks playing at Madison Square Garden during a Knicks game. In addition, although unsigned and actively grinding for a deal, one would never know it by peeping a live Skyzoo show. More than 800 people crowded into the Star Club, a New York City venue which is meant to host a max of 600, on December 22, 2005 just to see Skyzoo tear it down. The attendees included New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter, who witnessed the show and told Skyzoo he?s the real deal. Respected artists and producers in the game have already taken notice at the sheer talent that Skyzoo brings to the table as well. The Brooklyn MC has already recorded with Little Brother, Khrysis, E-Ness from Bad Boy, EPMD, Sean Price, Needlz, Jay Dilla and Hi-Tek, just to name a few. Skyzoo is already off to a quick start in 2006. He has recorded The Way You Get Down, a club banger which industry heads are already dubbing the ?06 In Da Club. In addition, Skyzoo has also completed a project with super producer 9th Wonder entitled "Cloud 9: The 3 Day High". The two completed the 12 song disc in 3 days; which is unheard of in modern day Hip Hop. The buzz surrounding this LP has skyrocketed through the net, and the response and anticipation is beyond belief. Along with that, Skyzoo is enjoying a massive following overseas and is reaching out to his fans with his own site and most recently via MySpace (www.myspace.com/skyzoo). With Skyzoo as the torch bearer, Hip Hop?s future is fluorescent bright.
Member CD Reviews
John M. from OAKLAND GDNS, NY Reviewed on 3/13/2012...
I was reading the review that says very disappointing until it said "I hated the beat for stop fooling yourself". lol. Stop fooling YOURself, with that review. This is actually a very cohesive mixtape/album that only took 3 days to put together. Given, Sky might be influenced by Jay-Z and Nas (who isn't?), but he does have his own flow, style and subject matter. He's def not looking to sell his soul to go mainstream but rather spit what he knows and has lived, over dope 9th beats. He is def one of the best to represent New York Hip-Hop in the new generation. Dope beats, Dope rhymes, Straight Hip-Hop, what more can you ask for!
CD Reviews
Very disappointing
ctrx | 'bout to show you how the EAST COAST rocks... | 02/26/2007
(2 out of 5 stars)
"I had heard a lot of great things about Skyzoo's debut "Cloud 9: The 3 Day High," and decided to finally check i tout recently. I was very disappointed by the whole album. Multiple people have told me that this was one of 2006's best albums, and I wonder if I am listening to the same album. This album did not really appeal to me at all. Skyzoo, a Brooklyn native, is a decent but not outstanding MC. Skyzoo sounds like Jay-Z on a bad day. His flow and voice are almost identical to Jigga's, and much of the time his subject matter is similar. The majority of the time, Skyzoo is talking about hustling to make money, clothes, cars, and women, which I expected better than. There are a few tracks where Skyzoo tells stories and philosophizes a little, which I liked much more, and I wish he would do more often. Even though his vocabulary is pretty street, he is fairly clever and has the ability to keep your attention, which is why I wish he would vary his subject matter a little more. He is obviously very passionate about rapping, but I can't see him going mainstream, which is what he wishes for by the sound of it. Adding to this disappointment is 9th Wonder's performance on this album. I think 9th is a good producer, and I have liked some of his work with Little Brother, Jay-Z, and Kaze. But "Cloud 9" brings all of his weaknesses to the forefront. More so than usual, these beats have a very computerized feel, and you can really tell they were made on his Fruity Loops program. These beats are incredibly repetitive and often quite boring. A few tracks saved this album in my mind, but "Cloud 9: The 3 Day High" isn't an album that has me coming back for more.
"Bare Witness," an intro, starts the album with a typically boring beat and some of Skyzoo's better rhymes, inviting the listener to prepare for a game-changing performance. On "Way to Go," a weak sample anchors an average beat that is the backdrop for some tired bragadagio and boasting. "A Day in the Life" has probably the best beat on the album, a nice bass line covered with strings, but Skyzoo only raps about his proficience with the women, not doing it justice. I hated the beat on "Stop Fooling Yourself," and in this case the lyrics were much better, about a conversation with God. "Comeback" has weak production and the lyrics are bad too, all about women. "I'm on It" is incredibly repetitive musically and the lyrics don't really go anywhere. "The Bodega" is kind of cool, a profile of the city life, but not too memorable. "You & Me," another song about a woman, was more skip material to me. "Live and Direct" has a nice beat with a winding jazzy horn line, but Skyzoo's performance could put you to sleep. "The Spirit" is totally forgettable. Lyrically "Extreme Measures" is by far the best song. Skyzoo tells the tale of a man's life, making a journey hoping to help his young son and get away from his wife. "Mirror Mirror" ends the album fittingly, a bad song with a terrible chorus.
I think that some more varied subject matter and a different musical support would definitely benefit Skyzoo. Fans of 9th Wonder should know that this is probably the most musically uninteresting piece I have heard from him, and Skyzoo doesn't help it much. This album has a lot of skip material and overall is very forgettable. I don't recommend this album to anyone except 9th Wonder diehards, but even to those I don't recommend it very highly.
Please note that Amazon's tracklist is incorrect. There are actually twelve songs, appearing in this order:
1. Bare Witness
2. Way to Go
3. A Day in the Life
4. Stop Fooling Yourself
5. Come Back
6. I'm on It
7. Bodega
8. You & Me
9. Live & Direct
10. The Spirit
11. Extreme Measures
12. Mirror Mirror
"
Made in 3 days: but brilliant!!
S. Manqele | Durban, KwaZulu-Natal South Africa | 11/10/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"No one is perfect in this world. Even Jeru, MURS, Buckshot or even DOOM have their own mishaps in their projects. I applaud this dude for taking the road less travelled in today's Hip-Hop, and I think he's pulled it off magnificently only on a shoestring budget. The whole thing flows well from beginning to end. You find Skyzoo's approach (at least for this debut) preety much in-your-face as he's all over 9th thumping beats. It's as if his chest just exploded and all his emotions are pouring out for everyone to see. No big words. No apparent complexity behind the MC. Just thoughts and emotions, like reading straight out of one's diary. And for what it's worth, I truly enjoy his delivery as much as I've enjoyed other cats like DOOM and CL Smooth. He may not be talented like them, but I dig this effort very much. And I think you will too!"
Another great 2006 release.
Pablo | 10/18/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Skyzoo is a cat I hadn't been following for a minute. However, upon hearing this album for the first time, I knew this kid possessed some mad skills. It definitely helps that 9th Wonder entirely produces this effort; his production is correct on each track. Although Skyzoo's flow is rough, and rugged, and 9th's producer is soulful, the two go together like peanut butter & jelly on this release. Sky sounds entirely at home over 9th's beat, and impresses with his street narratives.
There aren't a lot of new cats out with Skyzoo's style. He's a throwback to the early nineties when New York was on top, spitting grimy street tales. Had he been born a decade earlier, he would've made a great acquisition to the Boot Camp Clik with his style. Sky isn't exactly a conscious rapper, but he also isn't obsessed with material object by any stretch; he's simply spitting life tales, that he's experienced personally, and delivering them passionately.
Some of the standout tracks include "Way To Go," "Stop Foolin' Yourself," "The Comeback," "The Bodega," "You & Me," and "Extreme Measures." This isn't a perfect debut, but it does show extreme promise for the young emcee. He seems to work well with 9th Wonder, but on his next release, I'd like to see him branch out a little more, and possibly bring in some east coast cats to lace some tracks for him. Still, this is a fine album, and one of the best of the year; pick it up if you're interested in hearing the future."
Back to the Basics
Kuassivi Mensah | Downtown LA | 10/20/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"There was a time where all you needed was a good beat and some good lyrics, you know, nothing fancy, no thumping beat, no crew with 40+ posses, no beef of the week, none of that glitter, no cribs with chicks packed in every rooms, just a solid production, that sets the mood, but lets you focus on the lyrics. Nowadays everything is drawn into a whole lot of nada, and every cat sounds the same as the next one.
Skyzoo brings it back to the essentials, with real lyricism and honest, honed and introspective story-telling. And if it wasn't good enough, 9th wonder brings some quality, soulful and sample-driven productions.
It's refreshing to hear a sound that embraces the best of the 90s, the beautiful sound of the golden era, when NY was the mecca, and it was all about the lyrics.
The real Rotten Apple, sure to put you in a NY state of mind."
Took me 3 seconds to like it
Joshua Nyhaug | Chesapeake, VA. | 10/13/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Skyzoo the 3 day high is the best cd i have heard that was made in 3 days. It has bangin beats, sweet lyrics and in if the best collabos. All the songs have Skyzoo rapping and 9th Wonder beats. I was turned on to Skyoo when i heard "Way to Go", the hottest song on the CD."
Track Listings (11) - Disc #1
John M. from OAKLAND GDNS, NY