Skillz Talks Grammy Nod, Writing Jay-Z’s Speech


Skillz is moving into a brand new chapter, and he’s acquired some heavy-hitter initiatives below his belt to indicate for it.
In a dialog with AllHipHop, the Virginia rapper-turned-ghostwriter mirrored on his put up “Rap Up” profession and a few main milestones, together with penning Jay-Z’s Rock & Roll Corridor of Fame induction speech.
Skillz famously launched his annual “Rap Up” collection in 2002, a convention he popularized with witty rhymes that summarized essentially the most vital cultural moments of the 12 months.
He retired from the recaps in 2021, though he did come out of retirement to summarize the occasions of 2024.
His retirement from the “Rap Up” allowed Mad Skillz to focus, leading to his album The Seven Quantity Ones, which was nominated for a Grammy within the Finest Spoken Phrase Poetry Album class.
The Seven Quantity Ones is a spoken-word poetry album that narrates pivotal moments in his life, every monitor symbolizing a key expertise that formed his path.
“The album is about seven various things that occurred in my life that modified the path of my life. Every track is a second,” Skillz instructed AllHipHop throughout an interview with DJ Thoro. “The primary track is about my father or mother’s assembly. The second track is when my mother used to play music in the home. The third track is once I first heard Hip-Hop, my first daughter, first time I fell in love.”
Skillz’s resolution to step away from his annual “Rap-Up” custom, which had change into each an indicator and a limitation, allowed him to channel his inventive power into ventures that showcased his broader abilities.
“After I take a look at the issues which have occurred in my life since I finished doing the year-end ‘Rap Up’…like writing JAY-Z’s Rock and Roll Corridor of Fame speech. When he acquired inducted, I wrote that for Hov,” Skillz instructed AllHipHop.com in an interview with DJ Thoro. “I’m on to different issues.”
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