SXSW Records

Skyzoo

Anointed the next king of New York after 2007's Corner Store Classic, Skyzoo was rewarded with a murderer's row of beatmakers in putting together The Salvation. Just Blaze, 9th Wonder, and Black Milk ("Penmanship"), among others, helped concoct this ode to NYC's Lox-laden street dominance of the 1990s, a canvas perfect for Skyzoo, who raps so much like Styles P it's hard to tell 'em apart. Sky's as confident as a Gotham rapper can be on his first LP ("Popularity"), and his lyrical nods to Nas ("To my man Stack Bundles, God bless your life") and Mos Def show he knows where he came from. That's important in New York, especially when you've got the weight of the city on your shoulders. Sky knows: "I see them looking for the real, but they ain't find that yet. Now they lookin' on me. And they recognize I'm the look that they all need." (Fri., 9:55pm, Scoot Inn.)