Skyzoo Pays Homage, Makes His Own Mark on ‘An Ode To Reasonable Doubt’ [EP]

Skyzoo drops a musically creative ode to Jay Z’s classic album, while finding a way to make these beloved standards, his own. No small task, and done quite well.

We’ve been long-time supporters of Skyzoo, the Brooklyn wordsmith often considered a “writer’s writer,” especially since his breakout project, The Great Debater, which we called simply “a damn fine project.” For years, while the general hip hop media and public shied away from anything or anyone displaying the slightest bit of lyrical dexterity, Skyzoo stayed in his lane, one of metaphoric, introspective and creative wordplay, often matched with equally inventive musical accompaniment. A frequent subject on our e-pages, Skyzoo surely belongs among the “Reasons Why New York Hip Hop Doesn’t Suck.”

Honing his skill with frequent festival appearances, as well as worldwide touring (I witnessed him rocking the crowds in Lyon, France in April, as part of the yearly L’Original Festival), Skyzoo is well positioned to take full advantage of the resurgence of hip hop music with an intellectual, lyrical focus. His beat selection and feature choices have largely been on point, appealing to both old-heads and new, and his latest project, An Ode To Reasonable Doubt takes that idea one step further, with an Antman Wonder-orchestrated, vivid re-interpretation of several tracks from the Jay Z album that Jay Z himself said was his best.

Ripping through the expertly crafted and executed musical selections, with well-placed features from songbirds Mela Machinko and Kay Cola, wily rap veterans Torae and Sha Stimuli and up-and-comer Diizco, Skyzoo continues what he has been doing for years, bringing out his own life and times with emphatic delivery, expert cadence, often brilliant metaphoric acrobatics and a solid, listenable, re-listenable musical foundation. The hallmarks of what once made Reasonable Doubt a classic in the first place are well re-visited here, upgraded in some ways, on An Ode To Reasonable Doubt.

If you still haven’t taken the time to delve into Skyzoo’s work, a) you’ve been missing out, but b) it’s never too late.

DOWNLOAD/LISTEN/PURCHASE: Skyzoo & Antman Wonder – An Ode To Reasonable Doubt