Brooklyn rapper and songwriter
Skyzoo has been consistently grinding it out since the early 2000s, delivering dexterous narratives about city life, daily struggles, and dreams of success. He built a buzz through numerous mixtapes and albums during the 2000s, which included production from
DJ Premier and
9th Wonder. Beginning with 2009's
The Salvation, he focused on more personal, autobiographical lyricism, which continued with subsequent full-lengths like 2015's
Music for My Friends. Additionally, releases like 2020's
The Bluest Note and Milestones explored a jazz-influenced direction. Throughout his career,
Skyzoo has worked with
Jill Scott,
Black Thought,
Jadakiss,
Talib Kweli, and many others.
The Brooklynite was born
Gregory Skyler Taylor on December 24, 1982, in Crown Heights but spent much of his youth just south of there in Bedford-Stuyvesant. He got his nickname and stage name from his parents, who had given him the middle name of
Skyler and fused that with the title of a 1980 single by disco-funk group
Skyy. Inspired to rap at the age of nine when he first heard "Age Ain't Nuthin' But a #" by Native Tongue youngster
Chi-Ali, he also grew up admiring local-turned-global legends
the Notorious B.I.G. and
Jay-Z. While still a rookie in the game, he managed to work with the likes of esteemed producers
Jay Dee and
9th Wonder and hit the streets with many mixtapes in hopes of acquiring a major-label deal.
When
Jay Dee, a relatively new friend of his, passed in February 2006, he was devastated and recorded "Sky's Last Donut" in response. Although he was still aiming for the majors, he released a collaborative LP with
9th Wonder, Present Cloud 9: The 3 Day High, on the independent Traffic label. It was reportedly recorded in only three days, and was released in October 2006. After additional mixtape releases,
Skyzoo signed with
9th Wonder's Jamla, a Duck Down subsidiary, and released
The Salvation, his first proper solo album, in September 2009. Productions came from
9th, as well as
Just Blaze,
Black Milk,
Needlz, and
Nottz, among others. His second proper album,
A Dream Deferred -- highlighted by a handful of singles that included "Spike Lee Was My Hero," a
Lee-approved song featuring
Talib Kweli -- was released through Faculty/Duck Down in October 2012.
After completing his contract with Duck Down in 2013,
Skyzoo established his First Generation Rich, Inc. imprint. He collaborated with producer AntMan Wonder on An Ode to Reasonable Doubt, dedicated to
Jay-Z's 1996 debut album and released on the iconic rapper's birthday, December 4.
Skyzoo also collaborated with
Torae on the 2014 album
Barrel Brothers, which featured production from
DJ Premier, Illmind,
Oh No, and others.
Skyzoo's third solo album,
Music for My Friends, arrived in 2015, including guest appearances from
the Roots'
Black Thought,
Jadakiss,
Bilal, and more. The following year,
Skyzoo teamed up with Detroit-based producer
Apollo Brown for the full-length
The Easy Truth, released by
Mello Music Group. A year later, the rapper issued the Peddler Themes EP. In early 2018,
Skyzoo released his seventh set, In Celebration of Us (First Generation Rich), which featured appearances by
Raheem DeVaughn, JillsBlack, Kay Cola, Saba Abraha, and more. The following year, he teamed up with famed rap producer
Pete Rock for the collaborative effort
Retropolitan, with
Styles P,
Westside Gunn, and others.
The Bluest Note, a collaboration with Roman nu-jazz band
Dumbo Station, appeared in 2020.
Skyzoo's second release of the year, Milestones, was a conceptual EP celebrating fatherhood. ~ Cyril Cordor