For two decades, Mad Skillz released a Rap-Up track covering the events that transpired throughout the year. In two decades, the traditional seasonal wrap-up song became something to look forward to at the ending of the year. Families have bonded over Skillz and his Rap Ups. Rappers and various brands made their own variants of the year-long summary. A prime example would be Uncle Murda's annual song named the same thing. 2002 was the birth year of the first of many Rap Ups and over Jay-Z's Encore, Skillz concludes the two-decade-long series with an exclamation mark.
Via @skillzva on Instagram
Skillz had a very successful year from appearing on the Drink Champs podcast to lecturing for the University of Richmond to having the return of the Art of Noise events with the heavy hitter DJ Lonnie B along with notable credit for his work in the Jay-Z's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction video package.
Aside from his From Where? album and major ghostwriting features, Mad Skillz engraved his mark on hip-hop history with his Rap Ups. In his final installment, he covered everything under the sun in 2021 from the capital insurrection to Biden becoming the new president to the COVID variants to Tom Brady's winning ways, Bobby Shmurda being released from prison, and many more topics in a six-minute rap up. He even spotlight his "children" that he birthed from the two-decade-long tradition. The final Rap-Up is an emphatic one that leaves fans beyond happy. Hopefully, there can be an album of all the Rap Ups compiled and released in the future.
Thank you to Richmond's Own, Mad Skillz for birthing a tradition in hip-hop that's often imitated but will never be duplicated. It is truly the end of an era.
Written by: Jay Guevara. @justinhisprime on all social media.
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