Ski Beatz releases a slew of music in a short time like many beat makers in this nonstop industry, but the difference is that he does it with quality. He is the in-house producer for DD172, an independent label founded by Dame Dash, and because of its many resources in art direction and studio musicians, Ski has nearly total creative control and is likely happy sitting exactly where he’s at. Even though folks know him from Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt, Ski Beatz has been quietly building his own brand, regardless of the number of people who know him by name. In the last two years alone, he has single-handedly produced albums for Curren$y, Murs, Locksmith, and Tabi Bonney along with some outside work and two 24-Hour Karate School collaborative albums. This is his third installment in the 24-Hour Karate School, and like the last two, the expectation for dope beats is high.
All tracks produced by Ski Beatz
1. Didit4thegreen
Featuring Da$h & Retch
The album kicks off with a few strong verses from DD172 artists Da$h and Retch, and a nice smooth beat courtesy of Ski. What’s dope about his production is that he has studio musicians at his disposal, so he usually features real instruments, the most apparent in this track being a mellow trumpet and acoustic guitar. Nice little Godfather reference in the hook: “Tryin’ to be Vito ended up being Santino/I’m sippin promethazine yo and smoking on sour diesel…”.
2. Fly By
Featuring Curren$y
Spitta jumps on the mic for this track, and it sounds like it could’ve been on Pilot Talk with the clean guitars and thick bass. The hook is sung by Tabi Bonney, and it works as it fits neatly into the beat itself. Curren$y waxes poetic about the good life, with lines like “Smash on it, show money, pounds of weed/Gallons of gas/Seven Chevys in the driveway” but doesn’t take himself too seriously, rapping in his second verse “Back to the subject which is nothin’/but whatever this G13 help me come up with”; This is a solid track, we off to a good start.
3. Heaven Is
Featuring C Plus
The saxophone in this track is real nice, and sets the tone for an easy-going boom bap production. Ski is going for a live sound, which works well, but it’s a damn shame cause this C Plus cat isn’t saying much beyond weed and J’s. I can’t be mad at it but it could’ve been a more pronounced rapper on such a smooth track.
4. Gentlemen’s Quarterly
Featuring Stalley
Since Stalley has been signed to Maybach, he seems to have gained a bit of a hard edge, on top of more stylish rhymes to add to his already solid lyrical foundation, with lines like “Keep my money sealed in envelopes/Away from secret societies, Interscope/Been a rich man invented broke/that’s why I still pistol-toke”. The track drags on a little longer than it should’ve, but the sound is something like a golden era beat, and this fits Stalley nicely. Another great track.
5. Livin’ It Up
Featuring Mikey Rocks & Trademark Da Skydiver
Trademark is gettin better with every release, able to hold his own next to Jet Life affiliate Young Roddy, and even Curren$y at times (Check out the Jet Life album to see the chemistry between these three). The song itself is what you’d expect from the title: Trade & Mikey Rocks trading bars about living the fast life. Mikey would stand out more if the track wasn’t so strong in itself.
6. Fly High
Featuring Smoke DZA & Terri Walker
DZA has a good presence on the song and has gained confidence coming off of his latest mixtape. The hook is alright, but generic in the refrain of “If you ain’t flyin high, you might as well hate/24-7 no breaks, fly high”. Terri Walker laces background vocals for a decent beat, although by no means a standout track.
7. Hip-Hop & Love
Featuring Murs & Tabi Bonney
This is from Murs’ collaboration album with Ski Beatz, Love & Rockets Vol. 1. It’s a track that has to grow on you, but by the time Murs starts rhyming, he kills it!
She the one to my two-step/Perfect sixteen that I ain’t get to do yet/New J’s, no hoodie just a crew neck/Then I got witchu and I knew that I was too fresh
Murs feels right at home on a Ski production, but there were better tracks on Love and Rockets Vol. 1…
8. City Lights
Featuring Najee
Ski, your jazz roots are showin! There’s a grand piano playing throughout “City Lights” along with a saxophone; the track could even stand on its own without drums. Najee flows well and has a voice like that of Black Thought; you can imagine how ill this turned out! The best non-major feature track.
9. On
Featuring Sam Adams & Olamide Faison
I believe Sam Adams is one of those rappers inspired by Asher Roth’s “I Love College” but he sounds nice over another one of Ski’s trademark buttery tracks. This is one of those party songs you can vibe to, but honestly the overtly soft tone is wearing a little thin this far into the project… It’s still great quality music though.
10. Time Goes
Featuring Mac Miller & Locksmith
Ski Beatz laces a banger for Pittsburgh’s own Mac Miller! He knows how to do his own thing over the track, and keeps it melodic with his emerging half-sung style. Mac knows his strengths and sticks with them on this song, crafting wordplay and many punch lines. Locksmith is after Mac’s verse and he has a good rugged style, givin a shoutout to Grand Puba between some braggadocio. This is another solid track that flirts with the line of hardcore and smooth.
11. Thank God
Featuring Rugz D. Bewler & Nicole Wray
It’s unclear who Rugz D. Bewler is, but a Do The Right Thing reference in the hook (“Ice/We look up and say this/Thank God for your nipples thank God for your lips”) keeps things fresh, along with his silky flow. Nicole Wray provides some crooning and this is a good R&B blend to close out the album.
Bottom Line:
Despite sharing a subtitle with some booty-ass romance novels (No, really y’all, my girl asked me to read the first Twilight, couldn’t get through the damn thing! Pause…), 24 Hour Karate School: Twilight is a nice listen. It can get a little tiring on the ears to carry all the way through, however. There are some great tracks in the major features, but a lot of the less well-known rappers could have come correct with a solid concept instead of the typical weed-rap fare and freeverse style. I do understand that it is Ski Beatz’s specialty to craft tracks like this, but with such great tools at his disposal, he is fully capable of creating more than one tone of musicality. Here’s to hoping the next one is a return to form as seen in the first 24-Hour Karate School album.
