Skyzoo is an emcee from Brooklyn that has been releasing music at a steady clip since 2006. Most recently, he teamed up with producer Apollo Brown in 2016 to release the album The Easy Truth. Now he comes back with his most ambitious album to date, In Celebration of Us.

Skyzoo has been at this for a while now, and for many years now, he’s existed in a weird spot in my mind. I’ve known that he’s a dope emcee, and even though there’s been plenty of evidence here and there over the course of his career, but for whatever reason, it feels like we still haven’t gotten the album that delivered on level that I know that he’s capable of. Well, none of that matters any more, because we finally have that album with In Celebration of Us. Now, Skyzoo is about as East Coast as an emcee can get, Brooklyn born-and-raised, and i’s reflected on this album. With production from the likes of !llmind, Apollo Brown, Raheem DeVaughn, and Daringer, we get plenty of soul-sampling boom bap to set the stage for Skyzoo. What makes this album special is the focus on the personal narrative that Skyzoo brings to the album. In Celebration of Us is about half memoir, telling the story of how he grew up and found his way with the help of his parents, and half plans for the future – the ways in which he wants to have a successful career and build a family. This isn’t anything too unusual, but you don’t always have to make something different to make something good. What makes this album special is just how personal it is, and how you’re able to connect to it on that level as a listener. Skyzoo has a nice low voice and a very clear and deliberate delivery, and it often feels like he’s talking directly to you as he relates this really personal tale. It’s not an album big on hooks, but there’s just enough pop sensibility and variation from track to track to keep the music memorable and enjoyable as he takes you on this journey over the course of fifteen tracks.

In Celebration of Us is Skyzoo’s best album to date, and he accomplished this by opening up and telling a focused, personal narrative. It’s a very thoughtful, emotional, and powerful album from a veteran emcee.