Remastered at Alchemy by Matt Colton

Born in Westwood, Memphis, Lil Sko aka Sakata Oatis is a lifelong resident of Tennessee. Sko first started rapping and making music with his childhood friend and producer “Mr. N****” or “Mack Nig”. I called Sko the other day to get some more insight into “U Know The Sko” and he answered from a studio in Tennessee where, funnily enough, the pair were still collaborating on music together even after 20+ years. Sko explained to me, whilst Mack’s beats played in the background, that when they first started making tracks they only used turntables for looping samples. He remarked at how the pair had first recorded in their drums. “We started off by beating buckets in the bathroom” Sko said. “We would put a pillow inside of a plastic hamper and flip it over and you would get a kick sound. We had a lil radio with a tape deck on it, we would hit record and that was that”. 

As a result of the creative interconnectivity of the Memphis music community, a lot of producers would sample other rappers or collaborators vocals. These samples would then be cut up to form a new hook or chorus for their own song. It’s always fun listening to one project and discovering a part of a verse used for another completely different project. So although Sko’s record is a solo tape, the project still includes multiple features. These features come in the form of verses from the likes of Kingpin Skinny Pimp, C-Roc, Lil Gin, Project Playaz, N.O.D. and Psycho. As well as beats and production from legendary producers such as DJ Squeeky, Maceo and Tommy Wright III. Sko, at times also a member of Tommy Wright III’s infamous Mason Family rap group. 

I asked Sko about any memories he had from recording “Miss White Cocaine”, the closer to the record and one of my personal favourites. I told him that I love how the track’s verses just keep ratcheting up in energy levels. Just when you think you’ve heard the hardest verse the next rapper comes in biting at the beat even more ferociously than the last. “No way I can win, To live my life is a sin”. Sko said, “[Miss White Cocaine] originated with me and Maceo starting a track together”. Perhaps sadly though there wasn’t that much more to say than that. There isn’t any grand perspective on the project. It’s simply a collection of tracks thrown together to showcase his, and his homies abilities as rappers and producers. 

I think a lot of Memphis hiphop has flown under the radar and yet modern rap owes so much of it’s sound and feel to these 90’s pioneers. Whenever I play other producers or friends these records, so many are dumbfounded when I reveal the music didn’t come out within last few years, let alone the last few decades. As this response became more and more common I knew I had to rerelease the music to a new audience. Something so ahead of it’s time can’t continue to be this overlooked. 

I had the strange pleasure of meeting Sko in person whilst I was briefly in Las Vegas last year. We had been speaking together online for some time after I tracked him down on Facebook, but we ended up meeting face-to-face on the main floor of the MGM Grand. Although a weird setting, we got to know each other a little better, and I at least managed to express my enthusiasm for wanting to rerelease the record on PLZ Make It Ruins. I’m glad he agreed to trust me with this piece of work as it brings me great joy to reintroduce the world to “U Know Tha Sko” - One of my all time favourite Memphis “junts”. I hope it bumps the same for you as it does for me.  - Vegyn

Download

Lil Sko - U Know Tha Sko

Lil Noid - Load My Clip

Skinny Pimp - Creepin Like A Hitman

Tommy Wright III - Psycho Sounds

Yo Lynch, Tom Skeemask - Cloud Of Smoke (DJ Squeeky)

I just vomitted like I drank bleach, caught my first body now i’m feeling like I gotta leach, feeling sick but I gotta up and leave, coppers never catching me I be fucking outta reach, gotta take the body ain’t no time to clean, Throw em to the ocean now they haunting the beach, if you saw me last night you saw nothing capeesh? nothing else to teach, I be fucking off the leash, mad and hungry Imma bite ya like I got rabies, bath salts in my system Imma eat ya like we in COD zombies, this ain’t like FNAF world why you smiling for? This shit like a nightmare I be in FNAF 4, I’m the gore watching edge lord liveleak addict, affliction wearing, skeleton gloves, pants sagging, Imma future terrorist future school shoota you just a faggot, aye you know I’m planning, aye you know I’m packing, the little kid in me is dead like this is Sandy Hook, never got the respect I needed nobody gave my hand a shook, never got the attention I wanted nobody gave me a look, so many pages in my manifesto that shit a book, I be like stephen king, but if only he could sing, the way I write my manifesto I feel like R.L. Stine, that shit will give you goosebumps it’ll make you question life, left for dead I’m a broken boy lost child left behind, the edgelords and all the fucked minds, were the only ones there for me they be my kind, the world hates me so Imma kill everyone, I’ll be the only one left standing in the debris, a burning, failed, fallen world and on it will be curved Enziee, I’m the king of outcast and God of the underground, but when I’m finished with my mission there won’t be one around, ride through the badlands blasting my sound, my zombie followers praise me and mosh in a crowd, we’re the only ones in town, fuck the world Imma cause the rapture, you’re lucky I gave all you a heads up watch ya back make sure. Just wrote in sharpie natural selection on an all white shirt.
333

Fallen World

Juicy J & Lil Gin - Scoping With The Red Dot

Underground Vol. 1: 1991-1994

Fuck All Dem Hoes

Primo - Stayn Paid

U Know Tha Sko

Lil Sko - Smoke A Sack

Lil Sko - Till Day Light

Lil Sko - What I Represent

Lil Sko - Playeristic Music

Lil Sko - This Is A Robbery

Lil Sko - Killa

Lil Sko - I Want My Tone

King Of Da Playaz Ball

Kingpin Skinny Pimp - One Life 2 Live (feat. DJ Paul & Juicy J)

Lil Sko - Till Day Light

PLZ Make It Ruins

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