Talib Kweli & Skyzoo Talk Biggie, 9th Wonder, Ghostwriting, & Culture Vultures | People’s Party Full

In this episode of “People’s Party With Talib Kweli,” Kweli and Jasmin Leigh sit down with rapper, actor and ghostwriter:

SKYZOO

He’s been helping carry the torch for NY’s underground since the early 2000’s. Here’s what we discussed with one of Brooklyn’s finest.

• How he got his nickname from his family as a toddler.
• The artist and song that made him want to pick up a mic at 9 years old.
• Where his love of basketball began.
• The influence of Biggie, Bad Boy and Diddy’s iconic string selections.
• Fans’ separation of “pop-hop” from “hip-hop”.
• Meeting 9th Wonder and the rest of the Justice League.
• Writing his album ‘Music For My Friends’ from the perspective of his 13-year-old-self.
• Exploration of Sky’s song ‘Money Makes Us Happy’ and rappers shamed over success.
• The legacy of the late, great Stack Bundles and how ahead of the times he was.
• Working with rapper Che’Noir and producer Apollo Brown on ‘…As God Intended’.
• The importance of the media’s representation of the black family.
• His father making him write essays for movies ‘Boyz N The Hood’ and ‘Malcolm X.’
• Why he felt it was important to write the song ‘A Song For Fathers’.
• Discussion about his love of the film ‘Strapped’.
• A desire to write the blackest album ever with ‘In Celebration Of Us’.
• Culture vultures living in a “make-believe ratchet play world”.
• Losing his voice while on Tour in OKC and being forced to lip sync.
• His love of Jazz music and a dream coming true with ‘The Bluest Note’.
• How he got into ghostwriting and the roadblocks he ran into.
• Why he doesn’t use the N-word in his own rhymes.
• Comparing and contrasting ‘Snowfall’ against ‘The Wire’ and if one is better.