Talent is not always exciting. There are a myriad of artists in the mainstream as well as the underground with plenty of talent who don’t excite. Although Adele and Michael Buble can sing like nobody’s business, I am not particularly interested in either of them. That is not intended to be shade; that style of music, impressive as it is, just does not do it for me.
And then there is Ski Mask the Slump God. The 21-year-old South Florida rapper has talent coming out of his nose and he is, at the moment, one of the most exciting artists coming up in hip-hop. Known for his fast, wild flows and idiosyncratic personality, Ski started uploading his music online in 2015 and officially blew up last year with the releases of a four-track EP titled Slaps for My Drop-Top Minivan and his debut mixtape, You Will Regret.
In December, he teased fans with the tracklist and features for his next project, Beware the Book of Eli. With production by Timbaland on several tracks and guest appearances from Rich the Kid, Lil Yachty, Offset, and Busta Rhymes, it’s bound to be dope. Unfortunately, the tape has been delayed while the samples, one of which is the Boy Meets World theme song, get cleared. In the meantime, here are six Ski Mask tracks to get you up to speed.
“Rambo.”
The opening track on You Will Regret. This Phosphate beat features simple yet almost frightening keys and subtle record scratches over deep bass. In a way that reminds me of Rihanna’s “Work,” Ski’s words bleed together on a hook with a super catchy melody. The sole verse on the not-quite-two-minutes-long track is rapid, tight, funny, and precise. “No Hannah Montana, but bitch I look pretty on camera.”
“Bird is the Word.”
In a rare instance of a Soundcloud rapper pushing four minutes, Ski lethargically flips the bird to the police on a hook that is repetitive and mind-numbing in the best way. At the beginning of the track, his presence is announced by some sort of horn as if he is royalty. The most impressive aspect of this song, and others I will mention, is his ability to seamlessly alternate the speed of his flows. “I just want a cracker like a parrot named Polly.”
“BabyWipe.”
Produced by CashMoneyAP, this track is anchored by a snappy, funny hook that perfectly captures Ski’s electrifying personality. Once again, with unmatched finesse, he manages to completely switch up his flows halfway through both verses without a hint of awkwardness. On top of that, he drops some of the strongest bars on You Will Regret. “How is you feeling, vro? / Feeling like the four, bitch I feel fantastic / Which one would you be, though? / Mr. Fantastic cause the money like elastic.”
“Catch Me Outside.”
On his biggest hit to date, Ski raps over the Timbaland instrumental from Missy Elliot’s “She’s a Bitch” and shouts out Blue’s Clues on an undeniable pop hook. The shoutouts extend past the chorus, too; the verses are full of clever pop culture references to throwback figures including Garfield and Bow Wow’s character in Like Mike. “Put my sauce on lasagna, it could make Garfield purr.”
“With Vengeance” featuring Offset.
Another Timbaland joint, this is the first teaser track from Beware the Book of Eli and it brings a welcome change of pace. Ski momentarily drops the colorful, playful persona and raps with a deeply predatory tone. Offset steals the show with a chilling and energized guest verse that I wish we had seen more of on Culture II. “Snake venom vocals, flow got sicker / Sharper than sabers made straight from Darth Vader.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQyelv-cfSY
“Wassup Wit the Bag” with Lar$$en and Jay Critch.
Although this is technically Lar$$en’s song, Ski and Jay unambiguously take over. I can say with confidence that this is the best banger you haven’t heard yet. Jamz’ beat, anchored by violins, is stupid fire. Ski goes full-blown ballistic on the hook and Jay snaps on his verse. “I just ate Mr. Krabs with some damn tartar sauce.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wctsQlYaggs
I understand why many hip-hop fans are turned off by the Soundcloud wave. It is no secret that most of these guys have no interest in lyricism. In fact, from a technical perspective, some of them are simply not that good at rapping. However, I must emphasize that Ski Mask is different. He raps with skill, diversity, humor, and intelligence like not many others. I have yet to hear a song by him that did not have replay value. He is a rare and extremely young talent with enormous potential. Get on board as soon as you can.
