These days, trap beats are as predictable as the adjectives used to describe them. Most producers make the same two-bar loop with the same 130-170 BPM tempo, the same clap-snare on the 2 and 4, the same perc on 7/8 and 9/16, the same 808 on the 1, the same eighth note hi-hats with the same stutter step on 7/32, and the same mixing techniques as everyone else in the business.
Producers may change an ingredient or two to set themselves apart from the pack, but the trap-rap recipe will always yield the same dish. Instead of getting wrapped up in technicalities, ChipSkylark uses the monotony of trap to his advantage. His new single titled “20S DRIZZLIN” is a sedating lounge cut so textbook that it’s original.
ChipSkylark is proof that no one can do you better than you can. His identity is his greatest weapon, and his keen observations lace each bar with his unmistakable character. Skylark spearheads the New York rap regime ECW a.k.a. East Coast Warriors a.k.a. DUBWORLD a.k.a Y2K. The group pushes the legacy of day-in-the-life New York hip hop into the modern age, and then into the future. Their sound is blunt but visionary, mundane but insightful.
On “20S DRIZZLIN,” Skylark spits casual cypher-like flows over a velvety instrumental from Intrevort. In contrast to the house-inspired open hi-hats and spacious synths that propel the beat, Skylark remains grounded and thoroughly deadass, in typical New York fashion.
On January 1, 2018, Skylark dropped his debut album, Beautiful Dog. The project is executively produced by Tobias, a fellow New Yorker who specializes in snappy tread beats as well as ambient soundscapes. Tobias’ duality fits snugly with Skylark’s, as they both document today through the lens of tomorrow. Skylark often says he’s living in the year 3018, which means “20S DRIZZLIN” is the first song to leak a millennium early. Lucky us. Take a glimpse into the future of the homogenized present through the eyes of New York’s most deadass underdog, ChipSkylark.