He first made a name for himself by finishing in second place in a national freestyle competition in 1995, 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) artist 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. One artist that openly admits Skillz has written hits for them is P. Diddy.
From 2002 through 2009 Skillz has done a year end "Wrap-Up" song that encapsulates the events of the prior 12 months. Pop radio will recognize him more for this as the hilarious comedic lyrics are timely & funny. During the last years Skillz has claimed each to be his last doing this track.
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 released in the U.S. and re-packaged with additional tracks as Confessions Of A Ghostwriter in 2005.
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.
Tip Of The Tongue
Skillz Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Uhh.. nine-five shizzot, in the hizzouse
Uh what nigga? Tch, uhh, uhh, uhh..
Watch my style rise like ? on your eyes
And battlin is hard, like retards becomin Jedi's
Watch the dread fry, submerge it from tripes
Born from a virgin, with a eye in her back
makin bitches WOOF, like they had seven niggaz with em
MC's is sleazy, plus they styles is easy
Fool take that shit to help son and give it to fuckin Wheezy
or Helen, I'm crackin open MC's melons
Tonight aight yo, I'ma leave some microphones swellin
(Man I be flowin) Whatcha flow got to do with me?
Yo I'm wiser so be Pryor and act like you can't see
I'm the abyss so wack niggaz take a dive
I'm over killer beats the average kids won't survive
You want to battle? Come on and bring it on son
I got your whole family tree on the tip of my tongue
Chorus: Mad Skillz (repeat 4X)
Floatin lyrics, from the tip of my tongue
I swing (swing) I sway (sway) I swung (swung)
[Mad Skillz]
Check it
I flow with tight raps, niggaz get a tight face
Attitude's, like I parked in they handicapped space
but I wets it, wrecks it when I mic checks it
Givin girls my number backwards, tellin em I'm dyslexic
Don't front -- you know what type of shit I'm on
Rippin mics of all types, Verbal Master Sha-Kwan
You were warned about the Northside click
Bitch, flex, and get your neck stretched like Dionne Warwick
Let me lick a shot for all my niggaz in the streets
Gettin ill keepin it real doin what they gotta do to eat
Compete and get hit with dizzy techniques
The only crossin over I'm doin is a motherfuckin street
So listen, I get in where I fit in and word to God
I like beats hard like holdin your shit in, sit in
on the session watch your body get numb
A real MC keeps his skills on the tip of his tongue, what?
Chorus
[Mad Skillz]
Verse, tre, who's tryin to leave in a hearse today?
See Skillz has skills since your great grandma'a first birthday
In the worst way, my styles be diesel
My crew ain't goin no-fuckin-where nigga we the Forever People
Gettin rid of, bullshit, when I bang ya
So MC's don't talk to me, just consider me a stranger
Take a toke I hope you don't choke
Cause if you ever see my shit it'll be through a kaleidoscope
Leavin marks to embark then gettin beat sparked
Floatin lyrics from the tip like an ark
I got rhymes to stand the test of time
I'm bound to climb, when I go one time for your mind
I'm fulfillin my purpose in life, pah (what is it?)
See I was put here so wack niggaz, would know how wack they are
You know who you are your shit's saggin, word is bond
My shit's tighter than five virgins in a Volkswagen
Chorus 2X
Do you have any idea how tight, that, five virgins, well, fuck it..
Skillz's "Tip of the Tongue" is a classic '90s rap track that showcases the Virginia native's lyrical skills. In the first verse, Skillz delivers wordplay-packed rhymes that demonstrate his superior abilities as an MC. He compares his style to something rising like steam, and then likens battling to something difficult, like a mentally disabled person becoming a Jedi. Skillz's clever wordplay continues throughout the song, with lines such as "I'm wiser so be Pryor and act like you can't see" and "My shit's tighter than five virgins in a Volkswagen."
Line by Line Meaning
Uhh.. nine-five shizzot, in the hizzouse
I'm representing that '95 sound and it's up in this house
Watch my style rise like ? on your eyes
My style is so good, it can cause your eyes to widen
And battlin is hard, like retards becomin Jedi's
Battling is difficult, like a mentally challenged person trying to become a Jedi
Watch the dread fry, submerge it from tripes
Watch the enemies who dread me suffer and retreat in fear
Born from a virgin, with a eye in her back
I'm a unique being, born from a virgin and with an extraordinary insight
So where you at -- when I choose to chew through rhythms
Where are you when I destroy beats with my flows?
makin bitches WOOF, like they had seven niggaz with em
I make even the toughest people tremble and lose their composure
MC's is sleazy, plus they styles is easy
Most MCs lack originality and their styles are predictable
Fool take that shit to help son and give it to fuckin Wheezy
Take your simple rhymes somewhere else and give it to an amateur
or Helen, I'm crackin open MC's melons
I'm defeating MCs in battle so badly that their heads will be split open like a melon
Tonight aight yo, I'ma leave some microphones swellin
Tonight, I will perform so well that the microphones will be damaged from my intense performance
(Man I be flowin) Whatcha flow got to do with me?
I'm the best with my rhymes, what have you got that can match that?
Yo I'm wiser so be Pryor and act like you can't see
I'm wiser than you, so act like Richard Pryor and pretend you can't see me
I'm the abyss so wack niggaz take a dive
I'm so powerful that weak MCs are doomed to fail when they battle me
I'm over killer beats the average kids won't survive
I'm dominating over the best beats and most average people can't compete with me
You want to battle? Come on and bring it on son
You want to battle me? Let's go, bring your best game
I got your whole family tree on the tip of my tongue
I can destroy you and your entire family with my rhymes
Floatin lyrics, from the tip of my tongue
My rhymes are coming so easily from my mouth
I swing (swing) I sway (sway) I swung (swung)
I'm that smooth and versatile
I flow with tight raps, niggaz get a tight face
My raps are so good, it causes people to have tense facial expressions
Attitude's, like I parked in they handicapped space
My attitude is disrespectful; it's like parking in a handicapped spot
but I wets it, wrecks it when I mic checks it
But I destroy it and wreck it when I do mic checks
Givin girls my number backwards, tellin em I'm dyslexic
I'm so unique that I even give girls my number backwards and tell them I'm dyslexic
Don't front -- you know what type of shit I'm on
Don't pretend like you don't know how great I am
Rippin mics of all types, Verbal Master Sha-Kwan
I can destroy any beat with my skills, just like Verbal Master Sha-Kwan
You were warned about the Northside click
You should have known not to mess with the Northside crew
Bitch, flex, and get your neck stretched like Dionne Warwick
If you're foolish enough to challenge me, your fate will be like Dionne Warwick's neck
Let me lick a shot for all my niggaz in the streets
Here's a shout out for all my friends in the streets
Gettin ill keepin it real doin what they gotta do to eat
My friends are hustling in the streets just to make ends meet
Compete and get hit with dizzy techniques
If anyone wants to compete with me, they will become disoriented from my techniques
The only crossin over I'm doin is a motherfuckin street
I'm a street artist and I don't cross over for anyone
So listen, I get in where I fit in and word to God
Listen carefully, I know my place and mark my words
I like beats hard like holdin your shit in, sit in
I prefer beats that are hard and intense, like when you're holding in your bowel movements
on the session watch your body get numb
When you're around me, your body will become numb from the power of my rhymes
A real MC keeps his skills on the tip of his tongue, what?
A true MC doesn't need to think about his skills; they're always within reach
Verse, tre, who's tryin to leave in a hearse today?
I'm the one rhyming here, who wants to die today?
See Skillz has skills since your great grandma'a first birthday
I've had these skills since before your great grandmother was even born
In the worst way, my styles be diesel
I have the hardest, most powerful lyrics of anyone out there
My crew ain't goin no-fuckin-where nigga we the Forever People
I'm loyal to my crew and we'll always be here, no matter what
Gettin rid of, bullshit, when I bang ya
I'm getting rid of all the nonsense with my rhymes
So MC's don't talk to me, just consider me a stranger
Don't bother trying to talk to me; I don't want to hear it
Take a toke I hope you don't choke
Smoke some weed if you want, but don't cough too much
Cause if you ever see my shit it'll be through a kaleidoscope
My rhymes are so psychedelic, they will only make sense when viewed through a kaleidoscope
Leavin marks to embark then gettin beat sparked
I'm leaving a mark on the rap game and igniting it with my skills
Floatin lyrics from the tip like an ark
My rhymes flow freely from my mouth, like a boat sailing on water
I got rhymes to stand the test of time
My rhymes are so powerful, they will never become outdated
I'm bound to climb, when I go one time for your mind
I'm destined for greatness and I'm about to prove myself
I'm fulfillin my purpose in life, pah (what is it?)
I'm doing exactly what I was made to do; rap
See I was put here so wack niggaz, would know how wack they are
I was put here to show inferior MCs how bad they are
You know who you are your shit's saggin, word is bond
You know you're one of the weak MCs, and you can't deny it
My shit's tighter than five virgins in a Volkswagen
My raps are so good that they're tighter than five virgins packed into a small car
Chorus 2X
My refrain is so good, I'll repeat it twice
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind