Skyzoo

After releasing numerous buzzed about mixtapes, such as the critically-acclaimed Corner Store Classic in 2007, Skyzoo, the Brooklyn MC who cites J Dilla as his favourite producer and calls the Justus League homeys, has finally pushed out a proper full-length, The Salvation. Boasting production from the likes of 9th Wonder, Nottz, Black Milk and Just Blaze, Skyzoo delivers on the hype with a confident flow and a plethora of street metaphors and narratives over a soulful backdrop. Lead single "The Beautiful Decay" is a love letter written to the city that raised him, which finds the Bed-Stuy wordsmith finding the beauty beneath the grimy exterior of his surroundings over 9th Wonder's mesmerizing street soul. Other reload-worthy tracks on this gimmick-free offering are the menacing, Black Milk-produced "Penmanship" and horn-inflected head-nodder "Metal Hearts." This is rap music how it's supposed to be: beats, rhymes and real talk. Consider yourself saved.