Skyzoo Burns Up His “Jansport Strings” (Listen) Posted by Nathan S. on 08/07/12 | Filed under Skyzoo

I'd call Skyzoo one of the game's most underrated emcees, but considering everyone I talk to who's heard his music agrees that he's one of the best lyricists in the game, I guess that makes him pretty properly rated. That also means that when's he's got a new track out like "Jansport Strings", I'm on it like Rick Ross on a buffet line. And if that track just so happens to be produced by 9th Wonder? Get the fuck out of here.

My fellow rap nerds will catch some serious references in "Jansport Strings" - y'all know about that Video Music Box, right? - but I'll let Sky himself break things down:

"The idea behind Jansport Strings is not based on it being literal, but more so in the figurative sense. As a kid in NY, the strings on your Jansport bag were a sign of power and presence. Kids would steal the strings off of each other's bags and burn the tips to prevent getting robbed of them once they got them. The song is a 3 minute auto-bio of me as a kid in Brooklyn and seeing more than my friends and I had bargained for. In essence, my Jansport strings tied it all together, seeing what we all saw and what it made us. The ending is a clip from Video Music Box, the legendary NYC video show run by DJ Ralph McDaniels. This episode in particular was the debut of Chi-Ali's 'Age Ain't Nothin But A Number'. Seeing that video that day on this episode of VMB made me start rhyming. This clip was literally the moment that changed my life." -Skyzoo

Oh fucks yeah. Sky's upcoming album, "A Dream Deferred" album is due out October 2. Until then, enjoy...

See Also: Skyzoo’s “The Great Debater” Even Doper Than I Hoped (Mixtape Listen & Download)