Skyzoo Spike Lee Was My Hero (Ft. Talib Kweli)

If a song is essentially an audible story, then "Spike Lee Was My Hero" is a story within a story within a story. Clearly, I'm not doing a great job of explaining of this; Skyzoo does it better when he claims, "I'm making black films with my rap skills."

It's not only what he says, or how he says it (his talent is explicit), but it's what you take away when the track is over -- at the very least, a sense that you want this artist to succeed. According to his SoundCloud, the lyricist grew up down the street from The Notorious B.I.G. and watched him form his legacy. It's obvious then, that "the greats" kept (and keep) the rapper motivated.

In "Spike Lee Was My Hero," Skyzoo pays references to a host of the director's films and scenes from his Brooklyn youth. Aside from his own skill, which trumps any negative past circumstance, and a verse from Talib Kweli, the track is held up by its powerful cinematic backdrop. The delivered emotion is reminiscent of Menahan Street Band's soulful sound. Production credit goes to Tall Black Guy, whose edit of Darondo's "I Don't Want To Leave" we posted earlier this month.

As if the track itself weren't enough to spend time with, check out the video, dropped earlier this week with a cameo from Spike Lee. And hear the whole album, A Dream Deferred, released October 2012 on iTunes.