Skyzoo

Aside from his rhyming skills and bright prospects, Skyzoo is probably best remembered for his loss to fellow rhyme-slayer Jin on BET's 106 & Park freestyle contest. Nonetheless, coming out of that defeat, the New York MC has launched his career by landing theme tracks for ESPN and Guiness beer, building his own Custom Made Entertainment company, and securing a continuous relationship with North Carolina rap crew the Justus League. The Brooklynite was born on December 24, 1982, in Crown Heights but spent much of his youth just south of there in Bedford-Stuyvesant. Skyzoo (nicknamed by his parents after the Skyy disco song of the same name) was inspired to rap at the age of nine when he first heard "Age Ain't Nuthin' But a #" by Native Tongue youngster Chi-Ali. While still a rookie in the game, he managed to work with the likes of esteemed producers Jay Dee and 9th Wonder and hit the streets with many mixtapes in hopes of acquiring a major-label deal. When Jay Dee, a relatively new friend of his, passed in February 2006, the news devastated him. He was one of the few artists to do a tribute song, which he named "Sky's Last Donut." Although he was still aiming for the majors, he released the collaborative LP with 9th Wonder, Present Cloud 9: The 3 Day High, on the independent Traffic Entertainment, which apparently only took him three days to record.