http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/scpcs to listen to and buy the "Appetizers.. Been There, Done That" album!!
Chris Skills started writing and rhyming as a young teen in the mid nineties, growing up with his mother and kid sister in the low budget projects south of Stockholm, in the commune of Botkyrka.
After gaining inspiration from acts such as Cypress Hill, Redman, Wu-Tang, Das EFX, Heltah Skeltah and so on (mainly the East Coast scene), he teamed up with "Joe Toro" in school, to build up his writing and performance teqhnique around the projects for a few years. At this time the two bought vinyl and cd singles and spat over the instrumentals. The duo got good response, winning local competitions, but got screwed on the prices.
After finishing "high school" (not exactly the same definition in Sweden) in 2000, Skills faced the reality of pay or stray, having to find ways to come up with rent money. "Joe Toro" went on to pursue higher learning, and they parted ways.
Around this time Skills had cultivated a growing habit for drugs an alcohol leaving little time to stick to his creative intentions. This went on for a few years, escalating into a sense of injustice done by society, as he took less and less responsibility for his actions. Skills always thought himself to be destined for a different life, and these contradictions swung him between hope and despair.
The climax of Skills' wild rampage towards his own personal hell came in 2004, when he spent the first half of the year in a manic god state with a f**k all attitude rushing towards a mental collapse that shook him to the core. He fought off the worst psychosis, consisting of suicidal depression, "brainzaps", schitzophrenia and total confusion about everything he ever knew, over the second part of the year by writing down all his thoughts and nightmares. After noticing the therapeutic effect this (along with getting a job as a printer to fight off the huge pile of debt he had accumulated) had on his mind, he took up writing rhymes again.
Soon he was writing more and sharper rhymes than ever before, defining his own unique style, with this load of experiences collaborating with his pencil.
Skills became and surpassed his old self over the next couple of years. He broke up with his girl, and, 2006, moved in with his friend Joni Boi whom he convinced that they should build up a home studio and start making music. Skills had by then a growing bundle of lyrics, with his mind set on rhyme at all time, putting down verses on whatever paper he could find, after walks to wherever.
Joni Boi became the main beatmaker, although they both had a long learning curve since none of them had any real music making experience.
Little by little they advanced and managed to compose and record more and more tracks inbetween getting drunk, high and rowdy. They also did some traveling, which Skills always had a strong affection for.
In 2007 Mic Bizzi joined forces after making a few tracks together with Skills. He had history of making beats and recordings on his own, while living up north for some years struggling with his own demons (he grew up in the same town as the others, Tumba).
The three came to be known as the Sound Chefs.
After a lot of trial and error the trio have now brought up their whole game to the level where others start raising their eyebrows.. in the same manner that someone walking on the tracks raises his eyebrows when he hears that ominous rumble of a speeding freight train closing in.
They are now dragging their sound system around Stockholm, while getting ready to take on the road to bring their words to the world.
In late 2009, Skills decided to go all out on his dream, and started the Audacious Productions label.
The tri-lingual rapper felt he needed full control of his vision for him to fulfill it. And so he builds his company up around his dreams taking on all aspects of music creation. Writing, rhyming, composing, producing, mixing, mastering, managing, music video planning/shooting/editing, photography, whatever... it's all within his range of interest,
and the result of over ten years of blood, sweat and turmoil is now delivered, for all to partake in.
"APPETIZERS.. BEEN THERE, DONE THAT"
...is a different breed of rap music. It's hard to put a tag on it, since it touches many different subgenres of the art that the three members have over two decades of intimate relations with.
Skills' sense of rhyme has been startling those who have heard it, for he doesn't have the obvious appearence of a labeld up rapper, making shiny objects prove his point. No.. Skills lets the words speak for themselves.
One can look long and hard to find wordplay of this caliber, handling any topic with the finesse and honesty that only a passionate protector of the art of Hip Hop can bring about.
No two tracks are the same, and there are 27 of them packed to the brim to get the crucial parts of the story in there.
The album takes you on a journey through the mind of a bi-polar lyricist, transported with beats to fall back and beat off to (metaphorically speaking). And the instrumental skits are there to let it all sink in while moving on to the next section.
The range of topics is wide, going from personal experiences of different kinds, to political extremes, to deeper philosophical questions.. And of course, no self respecting rapper drops an album without a couple of tracks showing off his/hers potential as a wordsmith.
In short, "Appetizers.. Been There, Done That" is more than the title indicates... It will leave the listener full... Full of anticipation for the next drop.