Sk8star: Designer Junkie

"The culture moves forward when artists build on each other's ideas: New flows, slang, and sonic blueprints pioneered by one rapper are treated as open-source code for any newcomer to explore, deconstruct, and shape in their own image. In the mid-2010s, Young Thug borrowed from Future's melodic blueprint, only for Future to co-opt Thug's avant-garde vocal tics to get even weirder in his own right."

"On his debut album, Designer Junkie, he tightens his erratic experiments into a focused suite. He takes the familiar Atlanta tropes (manic yelps and strained, melodic wails) and pairs them with Richie Souf's atmospheric production, lending a level of polish lacking in his earlier work. Under the executive guidance of the ATL stalwart, Sk8star leans into the city's shared DNA and proves there's still plenty of room for innovation."

"Sk8star has a knack for blending the vocal quirks of the YSL and Freebandz extended universe. He'll shift inflection line by line, sometimes syllable by syllable, until all the influences converge and crystallize into a new voice entirely. In 'Brazy Brazy Ho,' Sk8 cycles through a rolodex of flows with a voice indebted to -era Future, but he accentuates his syllables with a parched, rasping urgency."

Atlanta rap functions as an open-source ecosystem where artists build upon each other's innovations in flows, slang, and production. Young Thug and Future exemplified this collaborative spirit by exchanging melodic and vocal techniques, establishing tonal experimentation and emotional authenticity as standards for subsequent generations. Sk8star emerged from Atlanta's underground in 2020, initially appearing as another imitator. His debut album Designer Junkie, guided by executive producer Richie Souf, transforms his earlier erratic experiments into a refined artistic statement. He masterfully blends vocal quirks from the YSL and Freebandz universes, shifting inflection across syllables to create a unified voice that honors Atlanta's shared DNA while carving innovative space within the tradition.

Read at Pitchfork