Lil Skies Doesn't Want His Son to Be a Rapper

“I’m not about to sit here and explain my tattoos, like they already going to be judging me because I’m the definition of judge a book by its cover,” Lil Skies says, beating the judgemental eyes of pearl-clutching others to the punch.

The indifference extends to others’ opinions of his music as well. He doesn’t have time to explain or correct misinterpretations of his work. He’s too busy watching Scooby-Doo and applying temporary tattoos of Spider-Man to his four-year-old son.

A hands-on boy dad is not your first assumption when meeting Skies, even if his son’s name is staring back at you via a face tattoo. At a point in time, probably around 2018, Skies’ rap career was growing faster than his now son, and his life more closely resembled what you’d expect.

But even then, things were never as they seemed. The graduation from independent rapper to label signee was not so much red roses as it was being taken advantage of because he didn’t take industry politics at the school of SoundCloud. That and he was “young and dumb,” in his own words.

He’s older and wiser now and an independent artist again—life tends to come full circle. He went from being the first guest on Lyrical Lemonade’s interview series in 2018 to being a feature on their upcoming first collaborative album. He’s grown from a son into a father, and thanks to the success of his career, he can give his son the grace to be a kid without expectations of filling his shoes—something he wasn’t afforded in his youth.

The mature riches of his past investments, good and bad, paying dividends in his present are what you’d read about in his book—if he wrote one and you made it past the cover.

Below, he dives into why young rappers get finessed, life will keep life-ing, why he doesn’t want his son to be a rapper, and what to expect from his new music and Lyrical Lemonade cameo.

You’re about to head out on your World Rage tour. What does the 1-2 hour window before you perform look like? Do you have any pre-show rituals?

I don’t have no rituals. I just go and perform. I don’t look at the stage. I started doing soundcheck recently [and] I might do soundcheck once, [but] then for the rest of the time, I won’t. I show up, do my thing, and I’m good.

Do you ever get nervous before you perform?

I guess I get nervous sometimes, but I try to be calm, that’s it. I don’t like a lot of chaos, [or] a lot of people around me. I’m focused. I’m in my zone. That’s all. It’s my own vision.

You’ve discussed the importance of being a student and learning from other artists. Who are the Top 3 artists you’ve been inspired by regarding performance and stage presence?

I want to say two—Travis Scott and Playboi Carti.

You’ve been involved with music since age 4, and you’ve said every year is like another page in the book. How would you describe the chapter you’re currently in?

I don’t know how I would describe it. It’s kind of all over the place. It’s a little chaotic, but it’s cool. It’s a good thing and a bad thing. It’s just life, though, life will keep life-ing. I’m at that point right now, like understanding life is gonna be what it is. We all got problems, and you gotta keep going no matter what, so even though I tell my fans that, I gotta tell myself that, so that’s all.

You’re an independent artist again, what did you learn during your time with a label that is useful to you now?

I learned not to let nobody tell me my worth for one, and I learned you’re not about to finesse me no more like you’re not about to keep me out of the meetings and calls and tell me ‘Oh you don’t got to worry about this, you focus on the music.’ 

No, I ain’t stupid no more like I was young and dumb, you feel me? I didn’t fully understand the business, [but] now I understand the business. It’s like now I know how to maneuver, now I know how to move, now I can see right through people. I can tell if they are true about what they say after they leave.

Do you think education on the industry’s business side is missing for younger artists?

Maybe it’s missing, but they just like me at that age, you’re not worried about it. You got money, you can buy clothes, you can get anything you want. You can do what you want—it’s really up to you. A lot of people, that’s all they ever wanted. They wanted fame, or they wanted the lifestyle. I got longevity. I’m not trying to be a 35-year-old rapper and shit like I’m not doing this shit. I got a whole son. I’m trying to retire young.

You’ve been releasing singles throughout the summer, what’s the intention behind those releases? Is it to give your fans new music or preview the direction your next album is headed?

Just giving them new music, and there’s never a direction with me. I want to say that, I do what I feel. I don’t like to plan, I plan shit out, but I don’t plan shit out. I’m independent now. I can do what I want. That’s how I made it before, I was dropping what I felt at this time needed to be dropped. So that’s what I do, but this is to hold them up until that comes.

Your music often explores personal experiences and emotions. How does the music you’re working on right now reflect your growth as an artist and individual?

The music I’ve been working on right now is my current life. Just what I go through is me being honest, my flaws and all. It’s me saying my truth, even if people don’t like it or people gon judge me, or whatever. I’m being straightforward, I’m giving them my life, my lifestyle, [and] how I live. I don’t care if nobody else approves because this is my everyday. I’m showing them that, and that’s what they like.

It’s a lot of turn-up shit on that too. People wanna hear something that’s meaningful, at the same time. But then you got something like me, I like meaningful shit too, but when I get on stage, I got like a beast or some shit inside of me. So, I like to have shit I can jump around to. I be stuck in between, but I try to balance them out.

Do you take into account the opinions of others or do you rely solely on your internal instincts about the music you want to create?

I used to, but now I don’t really care. You gon take it for what you take it for. That’s up to you. Just like with my tattoos. I’m not about to sit here and explain my tattoos, like they already gonna be judging me because I’m the definition of judge a book by its cover. So I’m gonna let you take it for what you take it for, but I know what’s up with it [and] that’s all that matters to me.

You’re featured on the upcoming Lyrical Lemonade album, and you’ve been working with Cole Bennett for years. What can you say about that collaboration, and will it have a visual treatment?

What I can say is it’s a good song, for sure. Got a dope-ass artist on it, and I personally got a little connection with them both , so that makes it even better. The video I can’t speak on that because Cole [Bennett] told me to be quiet, that’s all I’m gonna say.

Is the collab with artists you’ve worked with before or new collaborators?

I collaborated with one of them in the past, but it didn’t drop, and then the other one we was supposed to get it in, but we haven’t gotten up to it.

Your son just turned four years old. How has fatherhood positively impacted your life, meaning, and music?

To give you something every day to wake up for and keep going. That’s what I’m saying with everything in life—just keep going. He’s my biggest motivation like I can’t give up. That shit’s too easy. I got to be a better man for him, you feel me? So that’s what I be working on. But I got the connection with my son; I’ve been there since he was born—we already locked in, so it’s perfect.

The first time you went to the studio, you were 4 years old with your dad, and you recently took your son to the studio for the first time. How was that full-circle experience?

Yeah, it was cool. It was different with me, though. He just wanted to see what it was like. ‘What does daddy do?’ Where does he work?’ I showed him that real quick, and we dipped. It [wasn’t] like we came in to do a song or nothing. My son is into cartoons, and he thinks he’s Spider-Man and all that. I want him to be a kid.

I ain’t worried about no rap music with him. He don’t have no expectations from me, as far as when it comes to music, like he’s got to fill in my shoes—it’s none of that because these are certain pressures I had as a kid, and I’m not dealing with that.

He likes Spider-Man, he likes Scooby-Doo, that’s his favorite shit, Ninja Turtles. So that’s what I’m on right now. That’s what I gotta dress up and do, or be, that’s what I do. I want him to be a kid [and] enjoy life.

Do you enjoy the normalcy of fatherhood compared to your career, which is less private?

I posted him a couple times [on social media], but I’m not an internet dad like I’m really with my son. My son knows his daddy like he knows what’s up. I’m a singer now, my grandfather wanted this for me [and] my grandfather passed away, that shit fucked me up, but I got to stand on business now. You feel me? It’s different. He my junior, so it’s like, all right, I got to carry this shit different—I got to be more.

@skies.pluggg

I just know lilskies son mean the world to him ,its good to know lilskies is happy #lilskies #lilskiesedits #lilskiesfan #lilskiesgang #fy... See more