A new extension and the sixth pick from Brooklyn, New York veteran Skyzoo. With “Cloud 9: The 3 Day High,” he rose to prominence in the 9th Wonder underground and continues to make a name for himself with a steady stream of records. Highlights include The Salvation, !llmind’s Live from the Tape Deck, A Dream Deferred, Music for My Friends, Apollo Brown’s The Easy Truth, In Celebration of Us and my personal favorite: Pete Rock’s Retropolitan, dedicated to his hometown. With all the glorious things built around gentrification, “The Thoughts of a Saint” is a tribute to one of my favorite shows, “Snowfall,” which is the theme of “Keep Me Company” backed by old soul music and discusses a lifetime of perspective.
The Camoflauge Monk-produced “Tags at the Moma” tells the story of planning 20 beers a day over booming bap instrumentals, while “Pardon Me” shows off being cut from a holier cloth. “The Wager” takes a drum-less approach, thanks to Cartune Beatz asking for the specifics of the stakes; while “Sky is Like” pays homage to one of Nas’ greatest singles before light years next weekend, and “Devotion” is about a tough challenge being accomplished with flying colors over conductor Williams’ droney grooves.
Thelonious Martin jumps into the background on “Love Day,” comparing himself to Gil Scott-Heron in a Carmelo Anthony jersey over flute and soul samples, while “Hope & Pray” spends a few minutes talking about wishing only the best for the people in his heart. “The Soloist” blends jazz rap with boom bap music courtesy of The Other Guys, suggesting he might be better off on his own, while “Half Bloom” strips away the drums and talks about taking on more than he has to do.
Continuing what Keep Me Company did last year on Black Friday, this new extended series from 53 Weeks will look back at what happens when you enter the new world of growth that Skyzoo’s last album explored, and I’d actually say I like Views of a Lifetime better than the previous album. I felt the production was even stronger, with the first generation founder of a wealthy company reflecting on how his previous life changed dramatically to get him to where he is now.
Rating: 9/10
