Sky's The Limit

Growing up just a block away from The Notorious B.I.G., watching him go from local corner boy to rap superstar, Taylor couldn't help but dream big. The Brooklyn native saw life in all of its heaven and hell splendour being from the infamous home of Jay-Z and Do The Right Thing. He started rapping at age nine, writing about what he witnessed on his daily routine as a child. For Taylor, there was never a backup plan. “I've been a writer since as long as I can remember. At six, seven years old, my grades in English were always an A+. For me, plans A, B and C were always music. I never pictured myself doing much else that didn't at least relate to or tie back to the music and writing. I knew to be smart enough to prepare for other things in case the dreams never materialised, but I never saw them not doing so. Since day one I've credited my abilities as an MC to me being a writer first, then an MC.”

Those years of observation and living have turned into first person narratives that have labelled Taylor as a 'new legend' and have led to his albums being lauded by fans and critics alike. Confidence in his ability saw him form a collaborative EP release Cloud 9: The 3 Day High with 9th Wonder back in 2006, in what ultimately led to his rise to prominence. “9th and I met in 2005 through my man Chandon,” he explains with that traditional swagger. “When The Justus League was still together, he was a member and took my early mixtapes to 9th and co, and we grew a working relationship which turned into us becoming almost family, outside of the music. The process with 9th is to always knock 'em out and keep going. 9th doesn't over think the music, he just goes. I learned that trait from him early on.” The fan base Taylor has been able to acquire since then stretches across the world and through a variety of demographics, from the college hipsters to the women who shop in luxe boutiques, which have all led to memorable placements: HBO's hit Entourage, NBA 2011 and 2012 (he's the first and only artist to date to be included in the franchise's game and soundtrack in back to back releases), Grand Theft Auto 4: The Lost & Damned, and ESPN's KIA NBA Shoot Around have all directed Sky's music towards their markets, and the rapper also has a longstanding relationship as a musical rep for brand Jordan.

This rise in reputation has certainly affected Taylor's style since putting together the aforementioned collaboration, but it's always been for the better. “I definitely feel like my music has matured, as it should for myself or any artist out there,” he says matter-of-factly. “You never want to stay stagnant, or complacent, or just run a treadmill creatively. You always want to push yourself and grow as an artist. That's the point, to me at least, to make better music today than I did yesterday. All of my heroes did so musically, such as Jay-Z, John Coltrane, Black Star and Andre 3000, so I'm just doing what I saw firsthand.” If his heroes influence him to create and perform as he does, then we could be seeing the steady rise of another influential force in the rap scene. He drops his projects more deliberately than most of his peers and has successfully been able to keep people's attention spans in a climate where fans are accustomed to getting music fast. “My trick is to stay in people's ears but not over saturate them. Some people drop once every two years, some once every two weeks. I'm not a fan of either of those theories. What works for me personally is one to two complete projects per year, which normally includes three to five accompanying videos, leaks, freestyle series to promote said projects, and press. Add all of that up and you have a full year of keeping people fed but still ready for more. That's always been my game plan. To me, albums are supposed to be cohesive, tell stories, and show your life as is. So in order to write an album, I have to do some living. The living is what I write about and convey on record and what the fans relate to. So I can't make two albums a year, because I haven't lived enough life yet. Mix-tapes are more about hitting the rewind button, more loose as far as concepts and freedom and experimentation. To me, albums have to be perfect; nothing less.”

And so began the creation of his album A Dream Deferred, which was released late in 2012. Skyzoo took this project on as a challenge to build a stronger relationship between his music and his listeners; for them to be able to see themselves within the stories he tells. The scene thrives in the US as of late, with Skyzoo now at a point in his career where people are considering him an influence. He believes the World Wide Web has played a massive role in his success and the success of other musicians. “The scene in the States is cool, it's starting to get better. The Internet has made it so that people can make whatever music they please, and somewhere someone will be a fan of it, and help draw in more fans. Building a core fan base is more of a reality now due to the net, so the playing field is shaping up. I personally make the music I see fit to represent me and my story, while still staying aware of what's moving and what matters at the moment within the climate. To me it's about walking the line.”

For Skyzoo, the idea of journeying down to Australia is an extremely exciting prospect, an entirely different scene beckoning him. “I'm looking forward to the culture. I'm not as well versed in the Australian scene and what the way of life is, so I'm interested in that for sure!” He plays at the Causeway this week in Perth. As for the rest of the year, Skyzoo is feeling optimistic about what lies ahead. “It's gonna be huge. Coming up, I'm working on a collaborative EP with Jahlil Beats, as well as the Barrel Brothers group album with Torae, and then my next full length solo album Urban Vintage. The next 12 months are definitely packed for me and I'm really excited to see how it goes.”