Coming hot off his mixtape The Penny Freestyle Series, Skyzoo's official 2012 album builds on all the power and grace of the Brooklyn rapper's early work while adding just a bit of polish, but certainly not too much.
Literate and with a natural backpacker flow, Skyzoo rides a superior 9th Wonder production on the key cut "Jansport Strings," a loving tribute to his hero Chi-Ali with a promise to always keep it positive and real.
Talib Kweli joins Skyzoo for the album's other major tribute, "Spike Lee Was My Hero," while guest shots from Jill Scott and Freeway are choice, both offering a chemistry with their host that's even better than expected.
Black Milk, DJ Khalil, and Tall Black Guy supply the crafted beats, but it's Illmind who becomes the album's MVP (Most Valuable Producer), turning in four tracks of prime future soul including the massive "Pockets Full," which just may make the listener feel as such.
| Title/Composers | Performer | Listen | Time | Size | Size | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dreams in a BasementG. Taylor | Skyzoo | Play | 05:59 | 13 MB | 0 MB |
| 2 | Jansport Strings (One Time for Chi-Ali)G. Taylor | Skyzoo | Play | 03:19 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 3 | Pockets FullG. Taylor | Skyzoo | Play | 04:11 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 4 | Give It UpG. Taylor | Skyzoo | Play | 03:40 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 5 | Glass CeilingsG. Taylor | Skyzoo | Play | 03:47 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 6 | Range Rover RhythmG. Taylor | Skyzoo | Play | 03:28 | 7 MB | 0 MB |
| 7 | The KnowingE. Gabouer, G. Taylor | Skyzoo | Play | 06:00 | 13 MB | 0 MB |
| 8 | Drew & DerwinJ. Stephens, G. Taylor | Skyzoo | Play | 04:19 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 9 | RealizationKhalil Abdul-Rahman, G. Taylor | Skyzoo | Play | 03:52 | 8 MB | 0 MB |
| 10 | The Rage of RoemelloKhalil Abdul-Rahman, G. Taylor | Skyzoo | Play | 05:39 | 12 MB | 0 MB |
| 11 | Steel’s ApartmentC. Cross, G. Taylor | Skyzoo | Play | 04:12 | 9 MB | 0 MB |
| 12 | Spike Lee Was My HeroG. Taylor | Skyzoo | Play | 05:37 | 12 MB | 0 MB |
| 13 | The Cost of SleepG. Taylor | Skyzoo | Play | 05:37 | 12 MB | 0 MB |
| 59 mins | 136 MB | |||||
| 0 mins | 0 MB | |||||
| Artist | Job | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | !llmind | Cello, Composer, Engineer, Executive Producer, Fender Rhodes, Flute, Glockenspiel, Keyboards, Mixing, Percussion, Producer, Score, Synthesizer, Timpani, Trumpet, Viola, Violin |
| 2 | Khalil Abdul-Rahman | Composer |
| 3 | Alvin Akinti | Promoter |
| 4 | Nina B | Vocals |
| 5 | Craig B. | Producer |
| 6 | Craig Balmoris | Composer |
| 7 | Best Kept Secret | Producer |
| 8 | The Big China Symphony | Cello, Fender Rhodes, Flute, Glockenspiel, Percussion, Timpani, Trumpet, Viola, Violin |
| 9 | Black Milk | Producer |
| 10 | Matt Blakely | Promoter |
| 11 | Chris Boerner | Mastering |
| 12 | Marshall Brooks | Tuba |
| 13 | Buckshot | Associate Executive Producer |
| 14 | June Cardona | Promoter |
| 15 | Gavin Carro | Stylist |
| 16 | Fab Ciraolo | Illustrations |
| 17 | Matt Conaway | Publicity |
| 18 | C. Cross | Composer |
| 19 | Raheem DeVaughn | Featured Artist |
| 20 | DJ Khalil | Producer |
| 21 | DJ Prince | Featured Artist |
| 22 | DJ Sherazta | Promoter |
| 23 | Dru Ha | Associate Executive Producer |
| 24 | Eric G. | Producer |
| 25 | Jared Evan | Featured Artist |
| 26 | Eli Evnen | Promoter |
| 27 | Focus | Producer |
| 28 | Freeway | Featured Artist |
| 29 | Noah Friedman | Project Coordinator |
| 30 | E. Gabouer | Composer |
| 31 | Shane Gill | Marketing |
| 32 | Godfather | Keyboards, Producer |
| 33 | Jean Goode | Art Direction, Design |
| 34 | Peter Hadar | Vocals (Background) |
| 35 | Shareef Hakim | Promoter |
| 36 | Langston Hughes | Quotation Author |
| 37 | Jahlil Beats | Producer |
| 38 | Kay Cee | Vocals (Background) |
| 39 | Talib Kweli | Featured Artist |
| 40 | John Legend | Vocals (Background) |
| 41 | Bram Van Leuken | Promoter |
| 42 | Jonathan Master | Marketing |
| 43 | Robert Adam Mayer | Photography |
| 44 | J. Nicholson | Promoter |
| 45 | 9th Wonder | Producer |
| 46 | Kevin Robinson | Publicity |
| 47 | Reuben Rodriguez-Robbins | Promoter |
| 48 | Marion "OJ" Ross | Trumpet |
| 49 | Jill Scott | Featured Artist |
| 50 | Shucky Ducky | Marketing |
| 51 | Skrilla | Artwork |
| 52 | Skyzoo | Executive Producer, Primary Artist |
| 53 | Lou Smith | Promoter |
| 54 | J. Stephens | Composer |
| 55 | Tall Black Guy | Producer |
| 56 | G. Taylor | Composer |
| 57 | Soul Wallace | Executive Producer |
| 58 | Terrel Wallace | Producer |
| 59 | David Weiss | Promoter |
| 60 | Jessy Wilson | Featured Artist, Vocals (Background) |
| 61 | Sheila D. Yeah | Vocals |
| Quality | Format | Encoding | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Standard | MP3 | 320kps 44.1kHz | MP3 is an audio coding format which uses a form of lossy data compression. The highest bitrate of this format is 320kbps (kbit/s). MP3 Digital audio takes less amount of space (up to 90% reduction in size) and the quality is not as good as the original one. |
| CD Quality | FLAC | 16bit 44.1kHz | FLAC is an audio coding format which uses lossless compression. Digital audio in FLAC format has a smaller size and retains the same quality of the original Compact Disc (CD). |