Skydro Elevates on "The Castle Above The Clouds"
Review by: Paul Thorson (PaulyT03)
Edited by: Andrew Perrizo, Owner/Editor @PlaylistTC
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The homies at B&E Music don’t know when to quit. In fact, no one on the St. Paul-based roster has that in their vocabulary. Emcee Skydro is a textbook example of B&E’s relentless work ethic as “The Castle Above the Clouds” marks his second project to drop this year, following up his late-April EP release The Wolf That Cried Idiot.”
Skydro’s cousin and fellow B&E labelmate Nacho Suave cooked up over a half-dozen definitive beats to accompany Skydro’s rigid flow and classic lyricism. With B&E head Poppa Squat taking the helm at recording with Minneapolis great Orikal Uno refining and sculpting the mix, “Castle Above the Clouds” presents a polished--but gritty--project that’s sure to reverberate with gusto in any royal chambers.
“Castle Above the Clouds” begins with a melodic trance, ascending to the abrupt smack of the drums and Skydro’s vocals in Lucid Dream. Skydro melds his lyrics into a motivational coaching session. His wisdom lands on every bar as he urges you to keep pushing along through all the road bumps on the way to actualizing your success.
“Slow Progress is better than no progress.”
Skydro and M.I.S.T.A LEGACY performing at B&E’s Annual Hip Hop Hoedown at Can Can Wonderland on September 10th
The project immediately flips the tone in Co-Op, with soft bells and the steely-blue melancholy of a keys sample. The sound serves as a bed to Skydro’s melodic, 90s-style chorus. Skyro’s cousin and other half of Born Hated, M.I.S.T.A. LEGACY graces this track with OG bars and a cadence to match.
“Don’t wake daddy unless it’s time to make that bankroll.”
Deadly Lullaby lives up to its title. The menacing drone mixed with bright, quick-chopping samples provides a bed for Skydro, Capaciti, and Mookie the Magician to deliver lethal lyrics and ghastly flows.
Dozin’ Off lands right in the meat of “Castle Above the Clouds.” The hazy and gritty production makes this an ideal interlude. Throughout the minute-fifty-long track, the woozy vocals of Skydro dapple the soundscape and intermix with scratches and indistinct soundbite samples.
The second half of “Castle Above the Clouds” falls into a ruthless tale of Skrydro’s bloody rampage in Reoccuring Dream. In this track, Skydro’s initiable lust for cash turns him into a merciless villain willing to empty as many clips as possible to get that sweet paper. His dreams don’t end so sweet as the piggies hogtie him into submission. This joint further proves Skydro’s storytelling abilities, creating vivid audio theater that’s a banger.
In Rude Awakening, our project’s protagonist offers precious pieces of mind as he vents over his past mistakes and shortcomings. A bright, uplifting, chopped-up instrumental creates an optimistic feeling as Skydro airs out his struggle with alcohol and stands face-to-face with the truth.
“It’s so unfortunate feeling stuck in the past.
When you win a pity party, no one’s rushing to dance.””
Wake-up Call takes an icy-cool route with rumbling drums and fluttery melodies. Orikal Uno hops on the track, providing a sharp quick-witted verse to accompany Skydro’s whimsical but confident vocal performance.
“Castle Above the Clouds” concludes with some funk in Wishing Well. With sparsely placed autotune backing vocals throughout a guitar twanging, rounded, and rumbling bass-heavy instrumental. Skydro tips his hat to the hard-working women who make their living off seducing lustful men of the world. This track ends the project on a well-rounded note while also taking a new route in the subject matter unseen in the rest of the joints.
Still hard at work, “The Castle Above the Clouds’ shows Skydro’s relentless momentum in stacking his vault as tight as he can by the time it’s all said and done. And hell, by this rate, we could see even more dope shit before the year ends.
Until then, spin “The Castle Above the Clouds” streaming on all platforms Saturday, September 24th. Additionally, come through to the release party on the same day at Caydence Records & Coffee.The lineup features a slew of B&E artists and other dope associates such as Spellbound, 4mative, Walrus the Human, Mookie the Magician, and Nacho Suave.
Show poster for “Castle Above the Clouds” release party.
