By Odeisel
Duckdown emcee Skyzoo is known for dense song construction, intricate rhyme schemes and high concepts. His last mixtape, the brilliant The Great Debator was rich in allegory. The latest, Theo Vs JJ (Dreams Vs. Reality) furthers the concept as Skyzoo compares the lives of two iconinc Black mythical figures, one who seems to have it all (Theo Huxtable) and one who has nothing (James Evans Jr.). You wish you had the life of the former, but your reality is probably much closer to the latter when you are growing up in the hood.
Throughout Theo Vs JJ, Skyzoo employs clips from both sitcoms (The Cosby Show and Good Times, respectively) to properly frame the juxtaposition for those who are too young to remember the context. You can hear Skyzoo weave references of Justine and Maxine Kirkwood and other elements of Theo Huxtable’s life and applying those elements to his life experiences. Skyzoo also applies the grim reality of the have-nots to the equation, pitting their scratching and surviving for a dream that may forever be deferred against the status of the haves, who despite their blessings, still have their own troubles to deal with.
It’s dope. But don’t take my word for it. Here it is in all it’s glory.
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