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April 20, 2008

Skillz




Mad Skillz has just that, mad skills. He's the notorious ghostwriter with
the clever punchlines and rhymes 'tighter than 5 virgins in a Volkswagon'. Nowadays he calls himself Skillz saying 'he's not mad anymore', but he's still putting out good music on okayplayer as well as doing his end of the year rap ups, where he reviews the year's events and music. His first LP 'From Where' on Big Beat was kind of disappointing to me (aside from a few joints). Lyrically he was on point, but I thought he should have been given (or chose) better beats. If you heard him live on Stretch & Bobbito back in the day, you knew dude was definitely talented from jump. I think I have all of his radio appearances from Stretch & Bobbito's show here, from 1994-1996, if I'm missing any
feel free to add them in the comments.



Mad Skillz live on Stretch & Bobbito...


April 1994 (ripped from the Freestyle Frenzy record) Live on Stretch & Bobbito with Q-Tip. The first half was released on the B-Side of the 'Nod factor ' 12" (the part on the 45 king beat). Here you get the full 10 minutes with Q-Tip.

October 1994 (also ripped from a Freestyle Frenzy record) here he rocks over the Beatnuts 'Get Funky Remix' instrumental and The Cella Dwellas 'Land of the Lost'.

July 1995 (bigup to Apani for noting the year) Here he is with the Supafriendz (Lonnie B & Danja Mowf) freestyling over Guru's 'Respect The Architect' instrumental.

Sometime in 1995?? (ripped from cassette I don't have date on) Here he is over Channel Live's 'Mad Izm remix' instrumental.

January 1996 Mad Skillz with the Supafriendz and Crash Course freestyling over Camp Lo's 'Swing' and Godfather Don's 'Properties of the Steel' instrumental.









*Bonus- Check this Supafriendz joint from 1996 called 'Vowel Movement' and the B-side 'Questions' from Danja Mowf.











*Bonus- All of the Skillz Rap Ups from 2002-2007


7 comments:

  1. Good looking on this Skillz post. Brings back so many good memories. Thanks for the shout out as well. Which 1 is your favorite freestyle?

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  2. prob a tie between the first two from 94 but the others are good too.

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  3. you got that beat from 45 king, i've been lookin 4 that instrumental forever, or do you know if someone else rapped over it besides mad skillz

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  4. yeah i have that beat and a few others from the same 45 king record in a previous post

    http://dirtywaters.blogspot.com/2008/02/jersey-post-5-flavor-unit.html

    here's the 45 king beat from the mad skills 12"

    http://www.zshare.net/audio/7185809de97eec/

    I know Stretch used to play this record all the time up at his show for guests but I'm not sure if anyone officially used it for a track.

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  5. thanks man, i never thought i would find anyone with that beat

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  6. Much gratitude!

    Trust ye olde Internet to deliver the (unreleased?) instrumental for an ill and thoroughly obscure Mad Skillz freestyle...

    I'm thinking of doing that "Skillz in 94" freestyle at a Hip Hop Karaoke... thanks again for the illy beat.

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  7. no doubt, the beat came out on vinyl only i think but not sure, definitely a classic

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