So Far So Good - Skillz (feat. Common, Talib Kweli)

This song is for the lounges and the headphones, not the club scene. But that doesn’t mean that Kanye doesn’t bring some seriously soulful beats for these poets to rap to.  Kanye’s laid back production delivers on his label’s promise of producing “good music.” The East Coast vibe is inevitable, you almost feel like Biggie is about to jump in over the scratching. But Skillz is a part of a wave of conscious hip hop that transcends regional boundaries.  This song is a great example of that with essentially a southern, east coast, and mid-west artist, each throwing down inspirational lyrics.

Skillz is finally trying to get some solo spotlight after some failed attempts as Mad Skillz (even the legendary Timbaland could not get this cat to sell enough records to be called a hit) and his new album Million Dollar Backpack is starting to gain momentum with collabos from Chicago’s finest. He has been traveling with The Roots, which certainly doesn’t hurt his career. The Ghostwriter finally looks like he might be ready to share some of that fame that his lyrics have been getting other people for years.

This song seems like a product of all the hard work of people like Common, BlackStar, and The Roots as it is a gift to mainstream listeners from established underground hip hop; a few years ago it was rare to hear anyone saying anything significant on the radio, now people can hear hip hop isn’t just about what you own.