- He sounds a little bitter. - "Now, she wanna suck
and put my Johnny in her throat." (laughs)
♪ (ragtime intro) ♪
- ♪ And I got all the drugs in the world that you need ♪
♪ We get high to pass time ♪ ♪ But bitch, I ain't no fiend ♪
- I like him. He's cute.
- ♪ ...on my mind ♪ - Looks awful young.
- Well, I can understand him at least.
- ♪ I don't like to be teased ♪ - I don't like this at all.
I don't like the lyric.
- ♪ I roll up the Mary Jane ♪ ♪ No, they can't feel my pain ♪
♪ I'm still trapping every day ♪ ♪ I think I'm stuck in my ways ♪
- If you're doing drugs, maybe you're stuck in your ways.
- ♪ I don't care about no friends ♪ ♪ Because they all were just fake ♪
- He sounds a little bitter. - ♪ She gon' [bleep] me
like a porn star, a rock star ♪ - I don't like derogatory verbiage.
- I feel sorry for the young generation right now.
- ♪ If I would give it to you, would you tear that [bleep] apart? ♪
♪ Red roses on my grave, bury me with art ♪
- Oh, that's so negative.
- What happened? Oh, it's his friend, okay.
Is this his fake friend?
- ♪ ...all these [bleep] turn... ♪ - Why do they allow words like that?
- ♪ I work hard ♪ '♪ 'Cause you could be someone today
and just be nobody tomorrow ♪ ♪ She said I'll never be... ♪
- Yeah. Money, sex... nasty words.
- ♪ Yeah, she off a bar, and she can't feel her face no more ♪
- I don't know who that is. It sounds like some
of the other rappers. Getting laid, smoking, snortin'.
- The view of (laughs) humans is pretty negative.
They're all after him. They're only friends because of money.
- ♪ Ay, ay, ay ♪ ♪ Nowadays, I'm too cool... ♪
- He's got a lot of tattoos. - ♪ Nowadays, I don't know
when the world spins ♪ - Okay. A little softer,
can understand it.
- ♪ ...we [bleep] break a sin ♪ ♪ Nowadays, [bleep]'s not the same ♪
♪ Life switched lanes, now these hoes act strange ♪
♪ And I lost my grip on the world in bliss ♪
- He's very unhappy maybe.
- ♪ And I don't trust nobody, people talking and be telling lies ♪
- Ooh, that was scary.
- ♪ ...shock them all and catch 'em by surprise ♪
♪ I was saucin' down until we up and then we all rise, yeah ♪
♪ But [bleep] don't stick to the G-code ♪
- But he's good, because he's not just rapping.
He's actually sing the rap,
and he's got a good voice. - ♪ ...and make the free throw ♪
♪ I think that I'm D. Rose ♪ ♪ Do 'em like I'm Deebo ♪
- I don't even know what that means.
- ♪ I got these diamonds on me ♪ ♪ And these bitches all in my face ♪
- Too many syllables for one line. - ♪ Nowadays, I'm too cool
for a girlfriend ♪ Nowadays... ♪
- You don't want him, girl. He's weird.
- ♪ Live your life like we die when the world ends ♪
♪ It's all right every time we [bleep] break a sin ♪
- Wow, what words. - Too cool for girlfriends.
Maybe the girls don't like him, because you look like that!
- Maybe I'm old school, but I think if you got tattoos
all over your face, you got a screw loose.
- ♪ Ay, get in my way and try to block me,
I'ma show aggression ♪ ♪ Slide on your block
like Danny Glover with a... - "Lethal weapon." (chuckles)
- ♪ I [bleep] your thot, she gave me top,
I guess that's my confession ♪ ♪ Got not regrets,
I made mistakes, but I learned from my lessons ♪
♪ Trappin' by the stu, villains... ♪ - O-kay.
- ♪ ...car ain't got no roof, thought this [bleep]
was bulletproof ♪ - (laughs)
- ♪ I can't feel my face, smokin' on Gorilla Glue ♪
- Oh, got animated. That's cool.
- Very creative. - ♪ Shinin' like I'm Pikachu ♪
- Pikachu. (laughs)
- Okay, that's kind of cute.
- ♪ Take this Backwood to the face, then grab my cup ♪
- Nice, clever video. - ♪ She on the way to [bleep] ♪
♪ It's a lot of lust... ♪ - Whoa, okay.
- ♪ Ay, I stack it up, can't get enough ♪
- Oh no. - ♪ She look at me and she blush ♪
- Okay, well, I'm blushing. - ♪ I don't take her out for lunch ♪
♪ It's a lot of lust ♪ - All right, I'm tapping my foot.
You can't tell. - ♪ ...in the coupe when she was
rolling out the drugs ♪ ♪ Lookin' for the one... ♪
- He's lalala-ing now. He was out to kill this person
who turned out to be a woman who kissed him on the cheek.
- ♪ Don't be actin' starstruck... ♪
- All this twerking. (chuckles) I was enjoying the video
until all of that booty (laughs) in my face.
- He's telling a story about his life,
his deep thoughts and feelings. He's doing what he sees is happening.
- ♪ I've been up five days ♪ - Oh my god. More?
- ♪ Stay inside my house... ♪ - He does have a lot of--
even on his-- all over his body.
- ♪ What did you expect? ♪ ♪ Everybody love you
when they know that you got next ♪ - See? He's not a happy person.
- ♪ She didn't like me then ♪ ♪ Now she wanna suck it ♪
♪ I don't go no time... ♪ - See, there we go with the money.
That's what I'm talking about. Once they get famous... (chuckles)
Didn't wanna talk to you when you were looking,
you know, poor. (chuckles)
- ♪ Go crazy for them... ♪ ♪ Ay, ay, I don't got no time
for these lames in my face ♪ - Well, that's a little
too fast for me. I don't get it.
- ♪ You were talkin' down, but you just... ♪
- He's got a nice voice. - ♪ I'ma grab the chopper,
get the bullets out the vase ♪ - That's hard to watch with double.
- ♪ I've been up five days, I can't get no rest ♪
- Too much partying. (chuckles)
- ♪ She gon' fall in love, my [bleep] ♪
♪ What did you expect? ♪ ♪ Everybody love you when they know
that you got next ♪ - Yup. So, he reaches the fame,
and it just doesn't bring him any happiness.
- I didn't like it at all. I'm not gonna let my grandkids
listen to this. (chuckles)
- (FBE) So, those were all songs from 20-year-old rapper Lil Skies.
- There's been a few Lils, haven't there?
- (FBE) Before we go into talking more about him,
we have some lyrics for you to read and dissect
coming from the videos you just watched.
- Okay, I would like that, because they were too fast for me.
- (FBE) So, the first lyric is from one of his newest singles,
"No Rest." - Okay. "When I used to come around,
they'd play me for a joke. Now she wanna suck
and put my Johnny in her throat." (laughs)
- I guess it's not as graphic as it could be.
I mean, it's kind of innuendo kind of.
- "I go barely in and shawty calling me the GOAT,"
G-O-A-T. Greatest of all time.
- I hope he gets rid of that chip that he can't trust the world
and everybody's just after him when really he's got talent.
- (FBE) The next lyrics are from the song, "Red Roses."
- "I roll up the Mary Jane. No, they can't feel my pain.
I'm still trapping every day."
- "I think I'm stuck in my ways." Well, yes. We all are.
How can he be 20 and stuck in his ways?
- "If you're looking for a handout, get the [bleep]"--
yeah, get out of here. You looking for a handout.
Yeah, I don't care about no friends,
but they're all just fake. Yeah, this goes--
once again, this man is very unhappy.
- That's part of the creativity of what he writes,
whatever pain he's had from his life.
You use what you have to make something
that people can relate to. - (FBE) So, after watching
some videos and breaking down some lyrics, how does Lil Skies
compare to other rappers we've listened to
on the show before? - How does Lil Skies compare?
Okay, well, there's some similarities. He's another Lil.
It just seems to be the same over and over again
with different lyrics. It's all almost all the same
about him, people just wanting his-- I mean, girls just wanting him
because of his fame and his money.
- Lil Pump, Migos, him, they're all the same,
'cause they don't care what they say.
They don't care about the consequences of young people.
- I can see why he'd be a big star. He's a clever lyricist.
He really is. - He's a good writer.
I've seen some others where the writing
was just more empty. He adds some substance to it,
really telling a story. - (FBE) Lil Skies credits his father,
a rapper known as Dark Skies... - Oh, there you go.
- (FBE) ...as a huge influence in his music.
After his father was injured in a chemical explosion at work,
the two collaborated on an album called "Father-Son Talk,"
focusing on his dad's recovery. As an elder, what are your thoughts
on a father and song being involved in the industry together like this?
- I think usually it's bad, doesn't work.
There's a guy by the name of Bing Crosby,
and he had several sons, and they collaborated a little bit,
but they ended up hating their father.
- That seems like a good idea, because he can warn him
about the pitfalls and things that he's seen,
because he's had the experience. - It's always good to share something
with your dad. It's a mutual respect.
It's somebody who's been there and done that.
I don't know if his dad had any of the kind of success
that he's having at a young age.
- Parents usually want better for their kids.
You know, you want them to avoid all the turmoils
and the troubles you went through. I would kind of caution them
and say, "Look, you know, this is fine for now,
but do not make it your life." You've already said in your lyrics
you're not happy. You've realized what little return
you've gotten on this.
- (FBE) So, at this point, we've covered several rappers
on the show now. This generation of rappers
like Lil Skies that face criticism with many thinking
that these new rappers all lyrically sound the same,
share the same look, often having colored hair,
face tattoos, and even sharing similar names
by adopting the term Lil to their stage name.
- Yeah, they're followers. Why not be a leader?
Do your own thing.
- (FBE) Do all these rappers seem similar to you,
or are you able to see the differences between their style of music?
- They all seem similar to me. - What's interesting about, you know,
coloring your hair or doing facial tattoos
is you do those kinds of things to stand out.
But once everybody starts doing it, now we're all the same.
- There are similarities in every area of music.
You emulate what is successful. You emulate what you respect
and look up to. - I remember with Motown,
you know, I mean, that was just a factory
of amazing music. And you know, we had The Temptations,
you know, the Four Tops, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.
You know what I'm saying? So, they were all very similar.
- You listen to classic rock, you can understand
why your parents said, "Oh, it all sounds alike."
You know, it kind of sort of does, but that's the genre of it.
If you like that genre, then you can tell the differences.
- (FBE) So finally, after hearing a little more about Lil Skies,
do you think his career is going to stay
or really just kind of blend in with all the other rap artists
in today's music? - More than likely he's gonna blend in,
because the beat is the same.
I don't see anything extraordinary about this guy.
- If he just keeps on growing and changing and improving,
I think he'll be fine. - It might just blend in.
But because of his good looks, could stay in.
- He's gonna blend in, 'cause he's doing the same thing.
If he's able to reinvent himself and change with what
is gonna be selling in the future, he'll be around.
If not, he will die out like all the rest of 'em.
- I'm guessing that if he's really committed to the music
and the art of it, that he'll continue
and probably evolve his style too as he gets older,
because he's gonna have different things happening in his life
that he's gonna wanna write about. He's not always gonna be writing
about the unfaithful hoes.
- Thanks for watching this episode of Elders React.
Shoutout to Cristofer Romero. - What other artist
should we check out? Let us know in the comments.
And a shoutout to Alex Ramirez. - Thanks for watching. Bye!
- Hi, guys. JC here, producer at FBE.
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