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Twista’s Protégé, Skooda Chose, Chicago’s Next Big MC
Leaning
against the railing of his grandmother’s porch in Chicago’s K-Town
neighborhood, Skooda Chose seems completely in his element. A product
of the gritty, notorious neighborhood that also produced Twista (the
rap legend who discovered the Young MC), Skooda — known as one of the
most promising young lyricists to emerge from his city since Lupe
Fiasco — has an undying passion for being the voice for the people who
go unheard. Skooda invited ro to K-Town and shared five things you need
to know about the Windy City’s next great rapper. –gavin philip godfrey
My Name
“My grandmother gave me that. She passed last year and she was a big
influence on my life. She named me that because when I was a baby I
used to scoot around on my forearms and knees. It was ‘Scooter,’ so I
flipped it to ‘Skooda,’ which stands for Strategically Killing Off
Oppression Daily and/or Annually.”
My Sound
“I just try to bring that ‘90s hip-hop back. I grew up listening to
Mase, [DJ] Clue and The Lox. When they hit Hot 97, they used to do
those freestyles — I used to love that. Big L, Pun, Old Twis’ — like
just real, raw lyricism, bringing the fun back.”
My Voice
“My voice is kind of squeaky. You’ve got to hit certain things right
because it will be annoying if you hit too hard, but that’s why in the
studio I’ve got to hit everything and deliver it a certain way, so it
can come out dope. If not, it will come off kind of irritating …”
My Bullet Wounds
“I got set up — it was a hit — like 50 Cent, but worse. I’ve been
through that twice, left for dead twice. They shot me 10 times, emptied
the clip in my direction, tried to kill me twice. How I got out of
that? I got up after they shot me and walked to the hospital like,
‘whatever,’ [and] brushed it off.”
My City
“In Chicago, we’ve go to mark our territory and get that distinct sound
because people steal our sound so much … They take our words to
Atlanta, then they … say [our] stuff is Atlanta’s. We’ve got to mark
our own territory.”
