Pennsylvania native Kimetrius Christopher Foose picked up his stage name as an homage to his father, hip hop artist Dark Skies. Learning to freestyle at the age of 3, Skies knew from the get-go that he wanted a life in the music scene. His humble upbringing starkly contrasts the high speed and luxurious life he leads now and raps about in his songs. This is a testament to the quickness in which one’s life can change as well as Skies’ insatiable thirst for his dream.
Lil Skies’ breakout project was titled Life of a Dark Rose, and released on January 10, 2018. Although he dropped three mixtapes before this release, it was this project that catapulted him from an underground Soundcloud rapper to a modern household name. The album deals heavily with his rise to fame. On tracks such as “Welcome to the Rodeo”, Skies discusses the struggle of making it in the music industry and the extent to which he had to go to earn this fame, saying “Long nights I sold drugs just to hit the studio
Now I’m eatin’ steak and shrimp, I ain’t eatin’ sloppy Joe.” On this track, Skies also nods his head to those who came before him, repurposing a line from Tupac’s 1997 track “Hail Mary”. The album is dominated by hazy and chill beats, often containing a distorted guitar pattern or quick and punchy hi-hats. Skies delivers bars without using auto-tune and covers several topics, from his closest crew of friends to his irreverent attitude toward haters. Nearly ten months after its release, Life of a Dark Rose was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. This was the project with which Lil Skies made a name for himself in the music industry.
After his breakout project, Lil Skies released a few singles here and there, such as “Creeping (feat. Rich the Kid)”, “I Know You (feat. Yung Pinch)”, and “World Rage”. On March 1, 2019, Skies returned with another full length project titled Shelby, after his mother, who is pictured on the album cover. On this album, some familiar names are seen, such as longtime collaborator Landon Cube. However, this album does little for fans expecting a competent follow up to Life of a Dark Rose.
Fast forward to January 22, 2021, just over three years of the release of Life of a Dark Rose, and you will see Lil Skies featuring stars on his album, Unbothered, such as Wiz Khalifa (a fellow Pennsylvanian) and Lil Durk, two big names in the rap game. Skies journey from a featureless album in 2018 to featuring someone as big as Wiz Khalifa in 2021 demonstrates his talent in making a brand for himself as well as his true love for what he does.