Lil Skies

Lil Skies is a melodic emo rapper whose verses and hooks are filled with irreverent humor, casual boasts, and vulnerable confessions alike. He reached the mainstream in 2018 with a series of multi-platinum singles -- "Red Roses," "Lust," and "Nowadays" -- featured on Life of a Dark Rose, his major-label debut mixtape. The Pennsylvanian followed that Top Ten triumph with his first proper album, Shelby, a number five hit issued in 2019. He has since put together a second LP with relatively polished productions, Unbothered, released in 2021, and the brief 2024 tape Out Ur Body Music, along with an assortment of supplemental singles.

Born Kimetrius Foose in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania, in 1998, Lil Skies was interested in music from his early childhood. He was recording and writing lyrics by the time he was 12, and eventually took on the Lil Skies moniker when he began taking his music more seriously. When he was enrolled in Shippensburg University, he dropped out to focus on music as his fan base grew exponentially. By this time, he was performing regularly, even opening for rap sensations like <a href="spotify:artist:6PXS4YHDkKvl1wkIl4V8DL">Fetty Wap</a>, among others. He released several singles and videos, notably "Signs of Jealousy," which caught the attention of <a href="spotify:search:label%3A%22Atlantic+Records%22">Atlantic Records</a>. The major label offered Lil Skies a deal in 2017, and his debut mixtape, Life of a Dark Rose, appeared near the end of the year. The set peaked at number ten on the Billboard 200.

In 2018, he was joined by <a href="spotify:artist:61qMnYXa1GxSBoV3IiYKjZ">Yung Pinch</a> on the Top 100 hit "I Know You" and <a href="spotify:artist:1pPmIToKXyGdsCF6LmqLmI">Rich the Kid</a> on "Creeping." Additional non-album singles followed, leading to the release of his debut studio album, Shelby, which arrived in early 2019. The record featured appearances by <a href="spotify:artist:13y7CgLHjMVRMDqxdx0Xdo">Gucci Mane</a>, <a href="spotify:artist:04ei5kNgmDuNAydFhhIHnD">Landon Cube</a>, and <a href="spotify:artist:2hlmm7s2ICUX0LVIhVFlZQ">Gunna</a>, and peaked at number five on the Billboard 200. Another batch of singles appeared in 2020 including "Riot" and the <a href="spotify:artist:3hcs9uc56yIGFCSy9leWe7">Lil Durk</a> collaboration "Havin My Way." Both songs were included on Lil Skies' second full-length, Unbothered, which arrived in January 2021 and entered the Billboard 200 at number 50. Between projects, Skies released around a dozen singles from 2021 into early 2024. The brief mixtape Out Ur Body Music appeared in March 2024 and was led by the defiant "THOUSANDS." ~ Fred Thomas & Andy Kellman