For the rapper known as Skillz, hip-hop music is a passion that comes with a price. Surviving the game as an underground emcee took both talent and the realization that the business had entered a new era. Firstly, with the 2005 release of Confessions of a Ghostwriter, he exposed a controversial practice within the game: that of buying someone else’s lyrics and essentially taking full credit for them. He should know; he’s written a few of them. And then there’s superficial versus substance. He’s definitely a purveyor of the latter, which is not always the ticket to quick cash. Of course, there’s always the issue of technology, specifically downloading. “You don’t have to buy my music to enjoy it.” He states bluntly on recognizing the impact on artist’s paychecks. “You could have gotten it for free.”
So the Virginian rapper is again prepared to put his money where his mouth is, dipping into a pool of more tangible lyrics and solid beats than generally found on popular radio. It’s what he calls his “formula” and he’s sticking to it for this summer’s release of Million Dollar Backpack. This is his first release in three years, and the title is quite fitting, considering his style is commonly categorized as “backpack rap.” You know what it is, the sort of hip-hop that puts emphasis on lyrical weight, as opposed to pumping out thin messages atop recycled beats. Not exactly radio-friendly, but arguably more substantial. “I think it’s manufactured to be quick and fast,” he notes of the contrast to popular hitmaking methods. “It (music) is manufactured to have a career, not to mean anything in the long run. It’s for right now.”
Skillz just does his thing, and isn’t one much for following the trendy pack. “I’m not out to confuse people by rapping about something tomorrow that you know you’ve never heard me talk about before. I’m not going start selling drugs. I’m a backpack rapper man, that’s who I make music for.” And although he appears to be comfortable with the association, he makes the point that genres and labels aren’t really necessary, stating, “There are just two kinds of music: good and bad.” On the other hand, Skillz understands there’s a place for all sorts of music, just that some of the best works of art out there don’t reach the people easily, even the age of digital promotion. “I’m not mad at radio for what they are playing,” he says. “I’m mad at what they’re not playing.”
Skillz demeanor remains that of someone who remembers having a “day job” and the struggle that all musicians endure, particularly for those on the underground or independent circuit, even though he’s worked and toured with some of the biggest names in the biz. “Even if music wasn’t paying my bills at a time, I never gave it up. It was always my passion.” He also makes the case that in order to truly prosper, artists should come to terms with new technology and seek other ways, such as grassroots movements, to stay alive in this business. “People still do buy it, but they don’t have to,” he reiterates. “My thing is to make good music, and a good show. Don’t act like they’re not supporting you, or put anything out there and think they’re supposed to just accept it. You have to move in the realm of the new age, but a lot of rappers don’t do that. They feel like if they don’t sell a million records, they don’t have a fan base, but you can have a fan base from other things.”
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