The young Detroit rapper grew up listening to jokes that Eminem was his father. Now, he pays him respect and still dreams about meeting him in person.
Looking for a connection
Gianni Paolo and Kris Lofton, actors from Fifty’s TV show Power, have a podcast together. On The Crew Has It, they talk about entertainment, music, ambition, and current affairs with fellow actors, artists, and celebrities. Their latest guest, Skilla Baby, brought his perspective to the conversation, discussing growing up in Detroit, finding his calling in music, spending time with 50 Cent, and paying his respects to Eminem.
Skilla Baby is going places now, getting more and more exposure and recognition. He meets hip hop legends who recognise him, then calls his mom to share the joy of the encounter. Usher, Chris Brown, Travis Scott, LL Cool J, and Snoop Dogg – he shook hands with all of them. But there is still an elusive rap star whom Skilla would really love to meet.
“I haven’t met Eminem. That’s on my bucket list. Come on, man. I’m from Detroit. See, this is the thing with Eminem. Everybody thinks, like, Detroit rappers are disrespecting Eminem, and we don’t fuck with Eminem. The problem is, we fuck with him so much!”, Skilla Baby says. It is a segue to the topic, about which Skilla has not changed his mind for years. It pains young rappers to be so close to the legend and never be able to get in touch with him.
Elusive star
“The fact that we can’t reach out to him and contact him, that shit, like, bro, it’s Eminem! The best rapper ever is from Detroit, and that’s the disconnect. The best rapper ever is from Detroit! I just want to be in the same room as him. And that’s the disconnect between us and what people are thinking about us and Eminem. We really fuck with him the long way. It’s Eminem, bro. He’s the most iconic rapper ever. When we’re really putting up numbers and statistics – it’s Eminem”.
There is a place where you can reliably expect to see Marshall, and it is Ford Field stadium, shares Skilla Baby. “The only time you’re going to see Eminem is when the Detroit Lions play, and then he’s going to be in the building”, the young rapper is smiling. “They’re going to show him on the big screen, and they’re going to play “Lose Yourself”, and the whole stadium’s going to go crazy, and then that’s it. Swear to God”.
When Skilla Baby made these comments for the first time, there was a wave of criticism directed at him and Icewear Vezzo, who shared this opinion. Many thought that young rappers sounded greedy and entitled. That’s not that, protests Skilla. “I don’t even want anything from Eminem. I just want to be like, ‘What’s up, Em?’”
Family relation
This longing gets a new colour when Skilla shares a family story that connects him strongly to Marshall. “My mama used to tell me Eminem was my daddy. She used to tell my sister Justin Timberlake was her daddy. I guess she just wanted us to have white imaginary dads. She was a single mom, though. She ain’t give a fuck about what our daddy was thinking. It was a running joke for her whole life”.
Not to say that young Trevon Gardner believed this story. Skilla knows perfectly well who his dad is, and he carries his values even after his death. But when framed as family lore, the story about Skilla Baby not being able to connect with his “father” sounds a little different.
Giving roses to talents
Inevitably, Skilla had to answer the question about ranking rappers. However, he had to split his answer into two to give more exposure to the rappers who do not get enough. So, he gave the Top 3 for underground and the Top 3 all-time success sets: “Underground. It’s not really underground, it’s just Detroit. The top three rappers in Detroit other than myself are probably Veeze, Babyface Ray, and both number three, Tee Grizzley and 42 Dugg”.
Then the time came for big dogs, and Skilla could not resist making a joke about his mythical connection to Em: “All the time: Eminem. My pops. Pops’ number one. Big Sean has to go in there. And I’m not saying who’s my favourite and who’s not. I’m talking about numbers and shit like this. Eminem, Big Sean, and then you got to go, Tee Grizzley or Dej Loaf”.
Skilla finished his ranking with a shout-out to Detroit legend, tragically killed in 2005: “But if Detroit is listening, Blade Icewood is the best rapper from Detroit, full stop”. That was a full bow of respect to the most influential figure in the Detroit underground rap, and it only shows that Skilla Baby knows his roots. Of course, he is, with a father like that!
