Skyzoo is a huge Jay-Z fan who’s taken a few opportunities to pay homage to the legendary Brooklyn MC. Most recently, while doing promo for his jazz concert The Writings of Skyzoo, he released the song “Floor Seats with Young.” The song is a playful jab toward Hov’s acquisition of the Brooklyn Nets as Sky pays his respect to the BK legend but refers to him as a rival because Sky is a fan of the Knicks.
Afterward, there was a more grandiose action when the Sky created an audio tribute titled An Ode to Reasonable Doubt. The Antman Wonder-produced mixtape was a 2015 updating of some one of the best songs on Hov’s first album, but redone with a live band and jazz musicians. For any other rapper this might’ve been about as blasphemous as it gets but Sky was able to channel his fandom into a truly epic work of art that would make any Jay-Z, or Skyzoo for that matter, fan proud.
With the basis of his fandom already set, Sky is back the third time around with a record that is truly special. Any true fan of Beyonce’s husband will remember the excellent “Friend or Foe” series that started back in 1996 on Reasonable Doubt and came to a stunning conclusion on 1997’s In My Lifetime: Vol 1. The first “Friend or Foe” song finds Jay trying to talk sense into an out-of-towner moving in on his territory. Jay’s kind words and calm demeanor weren’t heeded which made its sequel, “Friend or Foe 98” inevitable. All finished with nice words and warnings, Hov kills the hustler for his lack of respect.
I won’t ruin the story Skyzoo tells in his version because it really is a movie and there’s a definite plot twist to the story. Suffice it to say, Sky’s pen game is on a completely different level as he finds ways to reference both the story and the older tracks while completely staying in character. There’s also some downright hilarious lines that, had this been any other emcee, could most certainly be seen as a diss.
“And I’m with, two heaters, Bluetooth speakers
My theme music blaring
Serenade you with “Ether”, let’s do it
You was catching bodies and escaping
Then bragging about it to 20,000 on stages”
There’s also this hilarious tidbit.
“And yea I thought about how you might have one in the drawer
But I was like “nah, duke Lemonad’ing with his woman
And he ain’t been tough since like ’98 or something”
Sky already said it’s not a diss record and it really isn’t. Still, the jabs he takes at Hov throughout the story, even if they make sense in context, are still hilariously poignant. If I was a rapper that hated Jay-Z and wanted to insult him, I’d be kicking myself for not thinking of something like this sooner.
The song is a byproduct of a collaboration with Genius, who tapped Sky to “concoct a revenge plot” in honor of the 20-year release of Reasonable Doubt. Also, Genius already has the lyrics transcribed so listeners can follow along with the song’s storyline. I highly recommend having the lyrics up while you listen as it definitely adds something to the experience.
Sky’s last album, Music For My Friends, was released in 2015. He hasn’t announced a new project yet but he did drop a couple of verses for The Other Guys on “Realer Than Most.”
https://soundcloud.com/rapgenius/skyzoo-friend-or-foe-pt-3
