He first made a name for himself by finishing in second place in a national freestyle competition in 1992, which resulted in a recording contract with Atlantic Records. Skillz' Atlantic debut, From Where???, and its single, "The Nod Factor", were released in 1996, but sank without a trace. In the late-1990s, he allied himself with fellow Virginia natives Missy Elliott, Timbaland, and The Neptunes. He made appearances on Timbaland's albums Tim's Bio in 1998, and Indecent Proposal in 2001; Timbaland made plans to sign Skillz to the Blackhand label he was developing, the label failed to materialize. He along with Danja Mowf, Lonnie B, and Patrice O'Neal, members of Mad Skillz' Supafriendz collective, also appeared on a remix of Aaliyah's hit single "Are You That Somebody" in 1998.
More recently (2000) Skillz is known for his tell all single "Ghostwriter". In which he names (but edits) artists for which he has written hit singles. With lines like 'I'm a ghostwriter, I'm the cat that you don't see/I write hits for rappers you like and charge 'em a fee'. Un-edited versions of the track have not surfaced but Skillz is known to do a live performance in which he includes the names. In one live performance he mentions P. Diddy, Foxy Brown, Mase, and Jermaine Dupri. One artist who openly admits Skillz has written hits for him is P. Diddy.
From 2002 through 2006 Skillz has done a year end "Rap-Up" song that encapsulates the events of the prior 12 months.
Skillz eventually got a deal with Rawkus, where he recorded his 2002 LP I Ain't Mad No More, the title of which commemorated the official change of his MC moniker from "Mad Skillz" to just "Skillz". The afore mentioned LP was never officially released in the U.S., however, during the Sprite Liquid Mix Tour in 2003 he sold some bootleg versions of this CD. The CD was re-packaged without several tracks as "Confessions Of A Ghostwriter" in 2005. A Supafriends LP, Supavision, and another solo LP. A client for the Mama's Boys management company which also includes Musiq, Skillz has been a featured artist at okayplayer.com, run by ?uestlove of The Roots. He just released the 2006 version of the Rap Up.
Discography
1996: From Where???
2001: The 804 Compilation (by the SupaFriendz)
2002: I Ain't Mad No More
2003: Supavision (by the Supafriendz)
2004: Skillz Vs Shaq (by P-Cutta & DJ Whoa)
2005: Confessions Of A Ghostwriter
2006: Mad Skillz (Release Date: October 3, 2006)
The Jam
Mad Skillz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The styles I be inkin' get you hyper when I get and attack tracks
Bruise and snooze on the wack
My crew's in the back, gettin' blitzed like a slow quarterback
No introduc's needed, this be the jam
Which occurs everytime that the mic hits my hand
Now understand, me not makin' MC's sweat
Is like seein a brother sellin the Final Call chillin' in the short set
Makin' cheese like grill, here to test a nigga's mic skills
When I rhyme REAL heads get the shivers
Here comes that nigga name Shakwan, signed sealed and delivered
To your tape deck, CD's and crossfaders
Beats be hard like blowin' bubbles with Now or Laters
Don't front, like you don't know who I am
Fully equipped to mic rip, brother here comes the jam
When the mic hits my hand, you know I'm gonna slam
Money you'll be like, oh shit! That's the jam
When the mic hits my hand, you know I'm gonna slam
Kid you'll be like, oh shit! That's the jam
When the mic hits my hand, you know I'm gonna slam
Yo you'll be like, oh shit! That's the jam
When the mic hits my hand, you know I'm gonna slam
And you'll be like, oh shit! That's the jam
Now if you wanna play around don't play with me
You can play with AIDS, I'm puttin' H's in your IV's
Bum raps over drum taps; rappers jumpin' up in my face
Like the ground was covered with thumbtacks
I'm in your face like mace, take a taste
Make a crowd vibrate, like a device on my waist
Skillz Mad, will he be bad? Ask your dad
Don't front, he know about the skills that I had
Or should I say got 'cause my mic still hot
Back up it's Shakwan' I'm lettin off verb shots
I take MC's, wake 'em up out they sleep
Pour ammonia in they face, slap 'em with some microphone techniques
After that, niggaz retire, 'cause I'm iller
And my lyrics are thicker than Richard Pryor
One time for my crew, two times for the fam
Givin crews sun tans, make way for the jam
When the mic hits my hand, you know I'm gonna slam
Yo you'll be like, oh shit! That's the jam
When the mic hits my hand, you know I'm gonna slam
Money you'll be like, oh shit! That's the jam
When the mic hits my hand, you know I'm gonna slam
You'll be like, oh shit! That's the jam
When the mic hits my hand, you know I'm gonna slam
Yeah you'll be like, oh shit! That's the jam
Yeah, the jam has arrived so all that garbage can walk
Before I personally interact with that ass like Box Talk
So pass the steel when I flex on the reels
You know the deal that nigga Skillz be up in dips like Massengil
Douche, ass toosh, who get loose
Funk money times five gettin' live call a truce
From Compton to Maine I tear, niggaz out the frame
I don't battle I show niggaz how to play the cryin' game
Like last November, when your man got dismembered
It was me I ate his meat, and it lasted through the winter
So enter, cause yo I been, bombin' since
Ninety-one when I started destroyin MC's confidence
So peace, to the real MC's
Kalonji the Mindbenda and my man Lonnie be
Javon, Little Rock, Big Street my man
Fuckin' 'round with Skillz you get caught up in the jam
When the mic hits my hand, you know I'm gonna slam
You'll be like, oh shit! That's the jam
When the mic hits my hand, you know I'm gonna slam
Yo you'll be like, oh shit! That's the jam
When the mic hits my hand, you know I'm gonna slam
You'll be like, oh shit! That's the jam
When the mic hits my hand, you know I'm gonna slam
You'll be like, oh shit! That's the jam
When the mic hits my hand, you know I'm gonna slam
You'll be like, oh shit! That's the jam
When the mic hits my hand, you know I'm gonna slam
Yeah you'll be like, oh shit! That's the jam
When the mic hits my hand, you know I'm gonna slam
And you'll be like, oh shit! That's the jam
When the mic hits my hand, you know I'm gonna slam
You'll be like, oh shit! That's the jam
In Mad Skillz’s song The Jam, the rapper boasts about his lyrical abilities and announces his arrival on the hip-hop scene. In the first verse, Skillz asks who gave his competition the confidence to think they are the best when they clearly are not. He claims that his style is so potent that it sends his listeners into a frenzy. Skillz also mentions his crew, who are partying hard in the background, and states that no introductions are needed when he is on the mic. He then warns other MCs not to underestimate his skills and compares it to a brother selling a newspaper on a street corner in inappropriate attire. Finally, Skillz asserts that when he rhymes, he commands attention, and continues to hype himself up while calling out fake MCs.
In the second verse, Skillz warns any MC who tries to step up to him to be prepared to face the consequences. He uses an aggressive tone and suggests that his opponents should not mess with him. Skillz claims to have the ability to make the crowd vibrate and boasts that he is better than most rappers in the game. Furthermore, he emphasizes that his lyrics are more potent than Richard Pryor’s jokes, and he has been destroying MCs' confidence since 1991. The last few lines are Skillz shouting out his crew, including Kalonji the Mindbenda and Lonniebe and warns that anyone who crosses him will get caught up in the jam.
Line by Line Meaning
Now who done passed you a diaper and got you thinkin' you the shit?
Who gave you such overconfidence and made you think that you are really talented?
The styles I be inkin' get you hyper when I get and attack tracks
My rap style electrifies and energizes the listeners as I'm attacking the beat
Bruise and snooze on the wack
Crush the wack rap and make them sleep
My crew's in the back, gettin' blitzed like a slow quarterback
My crew is enjoying getting drunk and high in the back while I'm performing
No introduc's needed, this be the jam
My performance is so impressive, it doesn't need any introduction
Which occurs everytime that the mic hits my hand
Every time I touch the mic, I deliver a hit performance
Now understand, me not makin' MC's sweat
If I'm not making other MC's nervous, it's like seeing someone trying to sell Islamic newspaper wearing short pants
Is like seein a brother sellin the Final Call chillin' in the short set
It's unnatural and strange
Check the drill when you see me write your will
You should be worried when you see me writing a diss track about you
Makin' cheese like grill, here to test a nigga's mic skills
I'm making money while testing other rappers' rap skills
When I rhyme REAL heads get the shivers
When I rap, true hip-hop lovers feel the goosebumps as a sign of appreciation
Here comes that nigga name Shakwan, signed sealed and delivered
Here comes Shakwan – the rapper that you have been waiting for and he's ready to deliver
To your tape deck, CD's and crossfaders
My music is for all recording mediums, including tapes, CDs, and scratching DJs
Beats be hard like blowin' bubbles with Now or Laters
My beats are so intense that they feel like the hardness of Now or Later candies while blowing bubbles
Don't front, like you don't know who I am
Don't act like you have never heard of me
Fully equipped to mic rip, brother here comes the jam
I'm fully ready to destroy the mic and show you how it's done
When the mic hits my hand, you know I'm gonna slam
Once I touch the mic, all I'm going to do is deliver an amazing performance
Money you'll be like, oh shit! That's the jam
People will give me money because of my amazing performance
Kid you'll be like, oh shit! That's the jam
People will be impressed and say "oh shit, that's dope"
Yo you'll be like, oh shit! That's the jam
My performance will impress people to the point where they say "oh shit, this is sick"
Now if you wanna play around don't play with me
If you want to act like a comedian, don't try it with me because I have nothing to laugh about
You can play with AIDS, I'm puttin' H's in your IV's
Instead of playing with me, you can play around with diseases and other stuff because I'm going to hurt you by injecting harm into you through an IV
Bum raps over drum taps; rappers jumpin' up in my face
Annoying beats that don't make sense combined with other rappers disrespecting me
Like the ground was covered with thumbtacks
It feels like there's a lot of pain from stepping on thumbtacks
I'm in your face like mace, take a taste
I’m confronting you like pepper spray and challenging you to try to do better
Make a crowd vibrate, like a device on my waist
My performance is so electrifying and intense that it makes the crowd shake like a vibrator
Skillz Mad, will he be bad? Ask your dad
People should ask their dads about me to hear how awesome I am
Don't front, he know about the skills that I had
Your father knows about my impressive rapping skills
Or should I say got 'cause my mic still hot
I'm still popular and considered hot in the game
Back up it's Shakwan' I'm lettin off verb shots
Stepping back because Shakwan is about to start dissing people with his verbal shots
I take MC's, wake 'em up out they sleep
I challenge rappers who are not even doing anything to prove themselves
Pour ammonia in they face, slap 'em with some microphone techniques
I damage their face with ammonia and attack them with my powerful rap verses
After that, niggaz retire, 'cause I'm iller
After trying to face me, rappers retire because they know I'm superior
And my lyrics are thicker than Richard Pryor
My rap lines are so dense that they compare to the legendary Richard Pryor
One time for my crew, two times for the fam
I dedicate half of my performance to my crew and family for their support
Givin crews sun tans, make way for the jam
I'm giving the audience something to enjoy like getting a nice tan, so make a path for my incredible jam
The jam has arrived so all that garbage can walk
This is where the real talent is on display, so all of the bad stuff should go away
Before I personally interact with that ass like Box Talk
I'm going to personally confront and embarrass those I think suck like Box Talk
So pass the steel when I flex on the reels
Give me the cue so I can start rapping as soon as the beat drops
You know the deal that nigga Skillz be up in dips like Massengil
Everyone knows that I'm a master rapper and I know how to control my flow of words like Massengil brand of feminine hygiene products
Douche, ass toosh, who get loose
I'm challenging those who think they're hot and better than me, calling them douches and butts
Funk money times five gettin' live call a truce
I'm making so much cash from my music that I'm telling others to give up and call for peace
From Compton to Maine I tear, niggaz out the frame
I'm tearing my way through the US, from California's Compton all the way to Maine, and destroying every rapper in my path
I don't battle I show niggaz how to play the cryin' game
I don't need to fight other rappers, I can humiliate them with my rapping technique
Like last November, when your man got dismembered
I made a great performance like the one I made last November when everyone else looked pretty weak
It was me I ate his meat, and it lasted through the winter
I was killing on the mic then and I continued to produce hot verses throughout the winter
So enter, cause yo I been, bombin' since
Come and see me perform, I've been amazing people with my flow for a long time
Ninety-one when I started destroyin MC's confidence
I've been great at this since 1991 and have been crushing other rappers' self-confidence since then
So peace, to the real MC's
I give a salute to all the genuine MC's and their dedication to the art form
Kalonji the Mindbenda and my man Lonnie be
I have high respect for Kalonji the Mindbenda and Lonnie in the rap community
Javon, Little Rock, Big Street my man
I give a shout out to Javon, Little Rock and Big Street as well
Fuckin' 'round with Skillz you get caught up in the jam
If you mess with me, you will get trapped in the middle of my excellent jam
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: D. LEWIS, JAMES DEWITT YANCEY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind