We were happy to connect with Brooklyn bred MC, Skyzoo and cover this insightful Q&A at Legacy in Dumbo, Brooklyn. Sky was interviewed by the owner of the record store, Victorious De Costa. Skyzoo broke down his latest album, All The Brilliant Things virtually bar for bar. It was apparent to me (and the audience) just how intricate and dense this album truly is. I personally listen to it regularly and believed I had a great understanding of the underlying themes and messages. Gentrification was the central theme followed by growing up around street culture yet being an honors English student. What I appreciate about Sky is that in my opinion he‘s caught between two worlds. His albums make me think of someone that could’ve easily been a trap rapper based on his upbringing and what he was exposed to (which is actually a song on the album) and instead you’ve got someone who lists Langston Hughes, Spike Lee, Biggie, Jay and Nas as influences. In my opinion it’s intelligent, street rap. It’s catchy and insightful. Gritty yet beautiful. I love the juxtaposition of street and poetic references found in his music.
Furthermore hearing Sky unpack his own music was like attending a masterclass. There are so many layers to this album. A six bar line for instance literally had four meanings to it. It’s as he said…”If we broke down all the meanings behind every bar we’d be here all day.” So, while attending this three hour I still had the feeling as though we were still scratching the surface. I look forward to more talks like this and it was an honor to cover this event. Victorious and Skyzoo had rapport and it made the time fly by. I appreciate how the conversation weaved and flowed between the album and Skyzoo’s own personal history. Especially since the two are so intrinsically linked. See below for photos. More posts to come.
Photos and story by Raheem Nelson