The title of this review encompasses the audio-visual eargasms you’ll receive while consuming this EP. Skyzoo’s Milestones album is a masterful dedication to Fathers! Oh so timely as it dropped on Juneteeth celebration day just ahead of Father’s Day.
Skyzoo Milestones (A Story Dedicated to Fatherhood)
Coming off the heels of The Bluest Note Skyzoo just gave us a few months ago. He drops Milestones, named after his son Miles. It’s a dedication to his father, to his son, to himself as a dad, and to us fathers who can relate. It’s also symbolic of the steps (or milestones) a man takes in life through fatherhood.
In a social media post, the author describes the motivation for the piece, “The idea for this project came from me noticing the landscape of how fathers are represented in Hip Hop. Outside of Will Smith’s classic “Just the Two Of Us” and a handful of others, the majority of the records in Hip Hop that speak on fatherhood have a negative connotation. I wanted to change that narrative, as it’s not the only one that exists.
“Myself being a father, there are a ton of others like me who are engulfed in Hip Hop and are also 24 hour a day dads, whose kids mean the world to them. I wanted to showcase that.
—Skyzoo”
If you know Skyzoo’s flavor, you already know it’s going to be a deeply lyrical, story-driven, Jazz-infused Hip Hop orgy of an album. Of course, the emcee didn’t disappoint. This album is in the pocket. With only the vocals of Ashtin Martin on a lone track Milestones by Skyzoo has no features, just Sky.
Skyzoo Milestones Track Review
The pop culture film Boyz n the Hood has so much influence in this album as it mimicked the life of Skyzoo. Just as Tre (Cuba Gooding Jr.) in the film, and as a preteen, he was uprooted from living with his mother to living with his father. In hindsight, it was for his own good. It’s not so cliché to say a woman cannot raise a boy to be a man. That’s a father’s job…
“Memory Serves Me” begins with a snippet from the classic film, where Tre’s mother (portrayed by Angela Bassett) speaks to his father (played by Laurence Fishburne) about transitioning the young man. Skyler blazes the track with several small anecdotes that shaped paths in his which skewed him from poor decisions. Take, for example, the few bars where he describes his dad’s grip on his life. As a mischievous teen, he tried to buck but there was always someone behind him to curb him from the curb scene.
The song ends with another scene from the film. It illustrates young Tre trying to educate his classmates in lessons his father taught him. Yet schoolboys verbally scuffle. The protagonist whips a snarky yet starkly true remark to the opposing boy. That sets up perfect segue to the next song…
“At Least I Got One” duplexes the soundbite from the film. The story arc leads to a sad reality in the Black community. Most fathers are not around. Whether deceased, incarcerated, or simply gone from the household- this creates a disposition for children and more strain on mothers. The rebellious statement can be viewed as a saving grace for a young Black man.
“Turning 10” intros with a sad reality. Skyzoo describes puffing with a friend. The friend sells drugs to his mother at a discount “to show her he loves her.” The story lends back to why his own mother made him transition households. This is my joint! No need to review this joint. The hook should snag you! “So if you gotta son with ya ex, I tell you right off the deck, go and get your son when he turns 10. Give that boy up!”
“Duffle Bag Weekends” delves into packing his green Nike duffle bag as he migrates from his parent’s households. They chastised him the same. Which attributed to him missing key times when youth get into life-changing mischief. I value the story where he kicks back with his Pops, having a drink, and senior remarks about surviving shootouts. Junior’s realization of his father’s dangerous past reminds him that heroes can be right in your presence and you not fully acknowledge it.
“Eyes Wide Shut” offers a snippet from late visionary John Singleton. In an interview, he talks about why he created the film. It shows the difference between how an open-minded father who raises his son and shows him the contrast of how his friends are raised by their mothers.
“A Song For Fathers” was the first single released early. I honestly had it on repeat the past few weeks because it gave me a glimpse of what to expect. In Skyzoo’s Milestones EP, this joint serves as a celebratory track to fatherhood. A smooth Jazzy Doo-wop filled ode. You can’t help but vibe to this anthem!
“Duly Noted” is a poem set to a simple piano ballad. The words have power and insight as you can open another chapter in the author’s upbringing. Most importantly, growing up with a Black father in an era where mass incarceration would have devastated the youth’s life. Because of his dad’s transgressions, senior one-eighties his own life so he could steer his child’s life in the right path. The outro snippet is another audible life lesson learned in John’s film.
Skyzoo Milestones Album Cover
- Memory Serves Me (prod. by 1st Official)
- At Least I Got One (prod. by Marc Nfinit)
- Turning 10 (prod. by Marc Nfinit)
- Duffle Bag Weekends (feat. Ashtin Martin) (prod. by Tuamie)
- Eyes Wide Shut (prod. by Marc Nfinit)
- A Song For Fathers (prod. by !llmind)
- Duly Noted (prod. by Aaron Hardin)
Album artwork by @cxppington
Release Date: June 19, 2020
We’ve been engulfed in Skyzoo’s music for a while now. We even had him as a guest and interviewed him on the show. Check it out!
Conclusion
I highly recommend you purchase Skyzoo’s Milestones album now! It’s only seven tracks, but it’s a rock-solid seven. The beat production pays homage to the golden era of Hip Hop. That era often borrowed from other genres such as Disco, Blues, R&B, and Jazz. Of course, this lends from the latter ilk. Sky’s signature coded lyricism, deep story-telling, and correlation to fatherhood on multiple levels churns out a masterpiece in music. Salute brother, in this joint you were speaking to my soul, as a Father.
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