Mad Skillz: From Battle Rap Legend to Grammy Nominee 🏆 | SWAY’S UNIVERSE

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yeah man Mad Skills
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AKA that I still call you mad skills no
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no it's still mad skills it's still mad
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skills my brother skills that was back
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in 2014 10 years later he's Grammy
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nominated give it up for skills he's in
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the
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building was was that when I was rapping
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and DJing when I was up here yeah he you
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did everything bro um you true true
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quintessential hip-hop person we don't
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all we don't ever do one skill set no we
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don't right we don't did you grow up
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DJing in I mean I had you know my mom
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had turntables um I used to mess around
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with him uh I did everything in the
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culture like uh I I used to break dance
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um Ro graffiti but rapping was the the
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first thing that I got a reaction from
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so I was like oh I must this must mean I
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must be able to do this so that's what
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happened um uh from where that was the
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first project right yeah
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19966 and then um how many projects you
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do after that you did skills formerly
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known as Mad Skills right yeah yeah yeah
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for it was like two years when I was on
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like rockets I I was just skills and
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then I went back to Mad Skills I think I
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did like eight or maybe eight albums
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since from where Wow since then done
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eight albums not even mixtapes you add
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in the mixtapes you talking like 14
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projects wow that's 14 projects yeah at
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least and that's all out of love
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obviously wasn't for profit yeah no I
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mean listen I was I was on every label
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ever big beat Atlantic Rockets I was
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signed with Timberland man um did a lot
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of work over there and that folded went
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to Rocket then that folded M then I went
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you know you cotch E1 like then my own I
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been on six seven different record
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labels damn okay you mean but we always
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you know we always find a way that's
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that's how we are man that's the true
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definition of musical chairs right yes
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in in a real way um in a real way all of
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those projects and it took the one
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spoken word project that you put
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together yeah that CU got that's the
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best spoken word poetry that's up for
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Grammy consideration yes what do you
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think is the difference made the
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difference between this this poetry
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album The spoken word project and the
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projects before for in terms of getting
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this recognition um the projects before
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I was rapping right I was in my rap mode
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you know me I'm a I'm a nature my nature
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is like a battle rapper so I'm in rap
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mode but this time was like I'm an elder
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Statesman in hip-hop at this point you
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like I I teach hip hop at a school in VA
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so this was the first project where I
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was honest and vulnerable and you know
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you know sway coming from where we come
2:40
from our culture like oh you I don't
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want nobody in my business you know what
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happens in this house stay in this house
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you know that's how we grew up so for me
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to put this project out and I'm just
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literally talking about my life I'm
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talking about seven things that happened
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in my life that changed the direction of
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my life so the song we just listened to
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is my parents meeting and and then after
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that me hearing music in the house for
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the first time my mom playing music
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first time I fell in love my first child
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you know what I mean and and all of
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these things are first so it's seven
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number ones that change the direction of
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my life so the first time that I do this
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and I remember when I cut the first two
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songs I was like I can't rap this yeah I
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mean that had to be an adjustment right
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yeah I was like I and you know me if I
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hear snare you going to bounce I want to
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I want to flow like but I'm like I can't
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rap this so
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uh I did the first two songs me and
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James poiser and um oh James po play
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with the roots access music group okay
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so I I sent him to James and he was like
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keep going just keep going and I and I I
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was like oh okay I so I had these
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Concepts and I did the seven songs and
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I'm I went to mix it I went to mix it
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down I mastered it and I you know we
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always do the CEST as as you know
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musicians we got to listen to it in the
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car that's right so I'm driving back to
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the crib and I'm listening to it in the
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car and I get back home and I tell my
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and I was supposed to put it out the
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next day I told my wife I was like I
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don't think I'm going to put this out
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and she was like why and I was like it's
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it's too personal like it's it's too
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personal she was like no no you should
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put it out and I was like I don't know
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she was like well you already told
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people you got a new project coming out
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like don't disappoint and I was like
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they be all right I was like I don't
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think I'm putting this out so we went
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back and forth about it all night and
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then the next morning she's like no
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you're putting this out and I'm like nah
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babe I don't I don't think so and she's
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like no I'm stand right like what
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whatever button you got hit like you
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putting this out and then I put it out
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wow and then Grammy nomination I know
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who the first person you going to think
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if you get on that stage
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righty nomination but you know we often
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I remember growing up in hip-hop it was
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like I don't care about no award I don't
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care about no billboard I don't care
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about no Grammy Award I don't care about
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that but when you get older what that
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Grammy Award uh consideration feel like
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for I mean for me it just feels like 30
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years into the making
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yeah you know what I'm saying like it's
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a lot of people that are reaching out
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like man it's about time it's overdue
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and this and the third and I'm like you
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know I never been this vulnerable on a
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project and it's just about my life and
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the things that I went through because I
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feel like we all have things that happen
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in our life that make us who we are you
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know what I mean like for me and you
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hip-hop you know I mean soon as we heard
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hip-hop that was it you got a track
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called hip-hop on it you know what I
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mean so and Heather like so it's certain
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things that we can go back to and be
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like yo I might I might can ask you yo
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sway what was you doing on November 10th
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1994 and you like skills I don't know
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and I go sway where was you at the first
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time you heard ill mtic and you go oh
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man I was in the homie car like so the
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music is attached to the memories so for
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me it it's always been a memory that was
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surrounded by music so for me those
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seven number ones are seven things that
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happened that changed my life what was
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the hardest thing on this project for
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you to talk about that was related to
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you personally um
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um my father me not really knowing my
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dad and then later on finding out that
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my dad died from drugs he died from a
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heroin overdose and my mom died from a
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heroin overdose 30 years apart so me
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making a connection that my father was
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the one that turned my mom on to heroin
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MH was very hard yeah because I'm
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sitting down you know I'm sitting down
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I'm taping these conver I'm sitting down
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taping these conversations with my
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grandma just to go back and listen to
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them just so just so I can have I was
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never planning on putting this on no
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record but my mom is telling I mean my
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grandma is telling me how my parents met
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so now it's crazy cuz I'm like if I win
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a Grammy like my grandma will win a
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Grammy she'll be on a Grammy nominated
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project 97 years old my go wow man
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that's
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amazing yeah man sometimes you know you
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got to look back in in in retrospect to
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the things that you know make you who
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you are and and this album is a
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retrospect and me just going back and uh
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it was hard man you know cuz I'm a
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rapper like I you know I mean like I
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said you have to redo a lot of the stop
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down and let me do it again I'm rapping
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yes I was like and don't get me wrong
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it's in Rhythm but it's still spoken
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words so for me I was just like once I
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started letting my friends hear they
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were like nah man you got to put this
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out out and once I put it out I wasn't I
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I never you know I was never like going
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to submit it or anything one of my home
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girls called me she was like no you got
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to submit this and I was like to what
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she was like for the Grammy like you got
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to submit this like how do you do that
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like right so I mean I I I knew I wanted
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to impact the Grammy so I had you know I
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had got in as a as a member but not like
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I wasn't G to put nothing out you know
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what I mean and she was like no you
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should submit your own project and I was
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like you can do that yeah you know what
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I mean so once I found out I was like
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okay cool throw it up and then boom this
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happened I love it man give it up for
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skills and this this is for
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consideration right for best spoken word
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poetry So you you're on the campaign yes
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I'm on a campaign um if you are a Grammy
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voter and you want to listen to the
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album and you would like to consider it
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please do it uh we're voting now until
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January 2nd and then February 2nd in La
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we find out who won okay and the album
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is called seven number ones we got fast
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vast on the line from Washington say
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what up to skills fast
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what
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up hey hey what's up HB what's up sway
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what's up
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TR hey yo check this out Mad Skills I
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went to school with you I went to hugan
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you was over I think you was at TJ or
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George wh but we we jhw family bro I
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just wanted to tell you how proud I am
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of you you took Richmond to New York bro
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yeah when you went to New York we went
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to New York with you man we love you man
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you are Richmond's finest thank you man
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I appreciate that and what curious cuz
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Faz V bring up a good point everybody
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had to make a pilgrimage to New York
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what at some real MC's true I was I was
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here in 93 how hard was that on you
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though not being from here had I always
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tell people if I was from New York I
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never would have made it I don't think I
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would have made it why you say that
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because it's so many good rappers up
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here yeah you know what I'm saying it's
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the mecca so we was coming here in 93 we
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was trying to get on so when I would
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come back when I did the new music
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seminar in 93 you know we go back to VA
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it's like yo skills went to New York and
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and battled New York like that's how
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people was talking back home so for me
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to come back home yeah like it was a
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real thing like I screamed I've been
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screaming VA since 91 who was the back
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then MC's we know now that you know that
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you had to Supernatural
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oh my God me and Supernatural went head
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to-head in 93 shout to
10:04
supernat yeah me and Supernatural went
10:06
head tohe and they couldn't decide like
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they went back and forth like it's on
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YouTube you can look at it shout out to
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Supernatural because he brought out the
10:13
best of me Supernatural is one of the
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greatest ever freestylist ever you know
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what I mean so 100% um and when we did
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that battle in '93 rest in peace Clark
10:22
Kent there's a Superman uh Superman
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battle for World Supremacy and um I came
10:28
in second you know what I mean and um I
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I technically lost but you know a year
10:34
later you know I started hanging out
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with qtip and then I did stretching
10:38
Barbo and then that was it it catapulted
10:41
to that freestyle went viral wow before
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viral was viral it was viral we used to
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we we piled it off a cassette tape yeah
10:50
and we would play it on the wakeup show
10:52
the the the rumor was that you were so
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good at freestyling that it sound like
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it was written
11:00
versus that that verse was actually
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written I actually and that was in the
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same style of uh remember remember uh
11:06
Caris One Hip Hop versus rap I was just
11:09
I was trying to do what Chris was doing
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with with newer songs you know what I'm
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saying with faride and Onyx and master
11:15
the ace and you know what I mean and
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Method Man like so this was all when
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wuang Clan was new and black moon was
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new like so to come to New York man and
11:23
and and try to get on it was you know it
11:26
it was the mecca like we would come here
11:28
and just take make meetings and be
11:30
outside go to clubs go to parties who
11:32
was the first DJ to give you a shot
11:35
other than stretch Clark DJ Clark can't
11:37
rest in power man come on man I love
11:40
that hey hey fast vast thank you man you
11:42
a citizen s the morning Vinnie and
11:44
Maryland you want to say something the
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skills Vinnie V oh hold on hit that for
11:47
me torch line
11:49
one Vinnie we coming can you get that
11:52
torch thank God it's today that's Vinnie
11:54
okay Vinnie goo thank God it's a day
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y'all thank God it's a day what's going
11:57
on up up yo hey I first Heather B sway
12:03
Tracy G DB what's up everybody what's up
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family up hey Vinnie yo but it's so
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important skills MTH skills thank you
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for all you do brother for hip-hop Real
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Talk you are uh of course bis Mar is the
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reason why I got into hip-hop right why
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I love hip-hop but you took it to a
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whole another level brother you helped
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me raise my girls man my daughters right
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you know Jaden shout out to Jaden
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what's up bro what's up
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brother he's a long time fan he's a long
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time and he always me yo my brother and
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I were talking about you two days ago
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Vinnie we were talking about how you
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raised your daughters and I kept in
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touch with us through this show and how
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hea Heather bought a piece of art from
12:48
one of his daughters pie and it's
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hanging in Heather's house right now yes
12:51
it is wow yes they are wow love y'all
12:56
man it's important thank you for
12:58
everything brother and congratulations
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man [ __ ] yeah you finally getting love
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you man love you too bro love you toor
13:06
raer faite rapper blessing y'all I love
13:08
it man Vinnie U thank you brother you're
13:10
a super citizen us way in the morning
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skills I know this is just a quick quick
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visit for us today but I I wanted to
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make sure you got a chance to be on the
13:17
platform so we could so we could put
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this out there and anybody who's uh
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Grammy you know yeah Grammy voters check
13:23
it out man it's a it's an amazing
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project um and it it's a good album It's
13:28
a quick listen you I think it's like 28
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28 minutes long it's not long at all 2
13:33
um and uh you know it's another song on
13:36
there called fatherhood right where I'm
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talking about my my my first daughter
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being born and um can you give us a
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little bit of that yeah yeah yeah like I
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I no what I'm saying is I have the the
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um I was telling you it's a video of it
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okay so it's a video on my page of me
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playing her the song For the First
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Time old is she she's 30 now Okay so
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listens to the song and you know I play
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her songs and the funny part is she gets
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in the car and I'm like I want to play
14:03
you something that's that's regular for
14:05
me and my daughter and she's like oh my
14:07
god did you are you did you do a wrapup
14:09
and I'm like no I didn't do a WAP
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up I'm like I it's no wrapup I said but
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I want to play you something so I play
14:17
her the song and um she don't even know
14:19
I got the camera filming right so I film
14:22
her reaction and then after after the
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piece like she you know we get emotional
14:27
in the car like cuz any any father
14:29
you know what I mean it's going to feel
14:30
that moment so I I'm looking at the
14:33
video and in my mind I go yo this is the
14:36
music video uhhuh like it don't got to
14:38
be a whole bunch of lights and cameras
14:40
and action and glossy you know like just
14:43
post this this is the video so I put
14:45
that video up the other day and um man
14:49
what kind of re fathers the fathers
14:51
alone were like bro I watched this with
14:53
my daughter you know what I mean like
14:55
bro like we need more transparency and
14:57
you know what I'm saying like we got to
14:58
be be there for our kids like so just
15:01
seeing how it's affecting people and and
15:03
people are reacting to it it's just a
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blessing man it's a blessing oh man I
15:07
man I'm really happy for this guy man
15:09
because let me tell you why people often
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tried to box you in yes throughout your
15:15
whole career you know they always want
15:17
to make you something they see you as
15:19
right and not recognize who you truly
15:21
are and that's what makes this project
15:23
so special people get to hear about the
15:25
person we know you know what I mean in a
15:27
way that they never had you know and so
15:29
hearing you tell stories about your
15:31
daughter and me being a father you know
15:33
it's hard not to cry when your daughters
15:35
acknowledge you yes man cuz that's what
15:37
we do it for you know what I mean like
15:39
that's what we do it for so it's just a
15:42
beautiful feeling man to be able
15:44
to have connect with other people and
15:47
for you to be able to listen to my
15:49
journey and think about your own yeah
15:51
you know what I mean so like we said the
15:53
music makes you reflect and have memory
15:55
so I'm I'm just I'm just a vessel man I
15:58
was just a vessel to make
15:59
skills give it up for skills man the new
16:01
project is the seven number ones Yes Man
16:05
nominated Grammy nominated if you're a
16:08
voter man look listen to this project
16:10
you would not waste a vote if you voted
16:12
for him right we have black ice up here
16:15
yes one of the greats one of the greats
16:17
Amazing Project him and Rich KN put
16:19
together that too you know so we rooting
16:22
for all of you yeah man in the hallway
16:24
we bumped into another Regional hero
16:26
from where you're from yes go by the
16:29
name of mvin mayo man he's up next yes
16:33
Richmond VA we all over we all over
16:36
Richmond love you man love you too bro
16:38
thank you man congratulations and happy
16:40
holidays thank you man same to y'all I
16:42
see y'all in a minute 888
16:44
74233 February 2 by

Mad Skillz: From Battle Rap Legend to Grammy Nominee 🏆 | SWAY’S UNIVERSE

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Mad Skillz: From Battle Rap Legend to Grammy Nominee 🏆 | SWAY’S UNIVERSE

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