Kimetrius Christopher Foose (born August 4, 1998 ), better known by his stage name Lil Skies, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter from
Waynesboro,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
signed to All We Got Entertainment through
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
.
His three highest charting tracks on the
''Billboard'' Hot 100 are "
I" (number 39), "
Nowadays
"Nowadays" is a song by American rapper and singer Lil Skies featuring fellow American singer Landon Cube. It was released for digital download on December 17, 2017 as the second single from Skies' mixtape ''Life of a Dark Rose''. The song is o ...
" (number 55), and "
Red Roses
Red Roses ( cy, Rhos-goch, "red moor") is a village in Carmarthenshire, Wales.
Situated in south-west Carmarthenshire, the village forms part of the Eglwyscummin community, and with Ciffig and Marros, forms part of the Laugharne Township e ...
" (number 69). His major label debut mixtape, ''
Life of a Dark Rose
''Life of a Dark Rose'' is the fourth mixtape by Lil Skies, released on January 10, 2018, by All We Got Entertainment and Atlantic Records. The mixtape debuted at number 23 and peaked at number ten on the US ''Billboard'' 200 albums chart. The m ...
'', was released in 2018 and peaked at number 10 on the
''Billboard'' 200 chart. The mixtape was certified Platinum by the
RIAA
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
in 2020. He released his debut studio album,
''Shelby'', in 2019. He followed it up by releasing his second studio album, ''
Unbothered
''Unbothered'' is the second studio album by American rapper Lil Skies. It was released on January 22, 2021, by All We Got Entertainment and Atlantic Records. The album features guest appearances from Wiz Khalifa and Lil Durk. The deluxe versio ...
'', in 2021.
Early life
Kimetrius Christopher Foose was born August 4, 1998, in
Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
Chambersburg is a borough in and the county seat of Franklin County, in the South Central region of Pennsylvania, United States. It is in the Cumberland Valley, which is part of the Great Appalachian Valley, and north of Maryland and the ...
.
He began
freestyling
Freestyle is a style of improvisation, with or without instrumental beats (Mystrodamus), in which lyrics are recited with no particular subject or structure and with no prior memorization.Kevin Fitzgerald (director), '' Freestyle: The Art of Rhyme' ...
at age three. He was introduced to music by his father, Michael Burton Jr., a hip hop artist formerly known as Dark Skies, now as BurntMan, and his mother Shelby Foose. Foose's stage name is a play on his father's.
Foose and his family moved to
Waynesboro, Pennsylvania
Waynesboro is a borough in Franklin County, Pennsylvania, on the southern border of the state. Waynesboro is in the Cumberland Valley between Hagerstown, Maryland, and Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. It is part of Chambersburg, PA Micropolitan Stat ...
when he was in third grade.
When he was 11, his father was injured in a workplace chemical explosion at the Rust-Oleum plant near
Williamsport, Maryland
Williamsport is a town in Washington County, Maryland, United States. The population was 1,868 at the 2000 census and 2,137 as of 2010.
Geography
Williamsport is located at (39.598496, −77.818464).
According to the United States Census Bu ...
.
Career
2016–2018: Career beginnings and ''Life of a Dark Rose''
Skies claims he used to have to sell marijuana and work "little jobs" to pay for studio time and music videos.
He also worked at a McDonald's and a Japanese restaurant in his hometown.
In the meantime, he would spend the summer at a relative's house; it was at that point in time he worked in collaboration with his dad on his first project released on August 14, entitled, "Birth of Skies Vol. 1". Foose and his father would write an album the following year, ''Father-Son Talk'', discussing the recovery process.
Foose graduated from
Waynesboro Area Senior High School in 2016
and briefly attended
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania (Ship or SU) is a public university in Shippensburg, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education. Founded in 1871, it later became the first teachers college in Pennsylvania. ...
before dropping out to focus on his rap career.
His musical inspirations are
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...
,
Eminem
Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem (; often stylized as EMINƎM), is an American rapper and record producer. He is credited with popularizing hip hop in middle America and is critically acclai ...
,
Wiz Khalifa
Cameron Jibril Thomaz (born September 8, 1987), better known by his stage name Wiz Khalifa, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and actor. He released his debut album, ''Show and Prove'', in 2006 and signed to Warner Bros. Records in 200 ...
,
The Offspring
The Offspring is an American rock band from Garden Grove, California, formed in 1984. Originally formed under the name Manic Subsidal, the band's current lineup consists of lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Bryan "Dexter" Holland, lead guit ...
,
Punchline
A punch line (a. k. a. punch-line or punchline) concludes a joke; it is intended to make people laugh. It is the third and final part of the typical joke structure. It follows the introductory framing of the joke and the narrative which sets up ...
,
MxPx
MxPx () is an American pop punk band from Bremerton, Washington, founded in 1992 as Magnified Plaid. As of 2016, current members include Mike Herrera on lead vocals and bass guitar, Yuri Ruley on drums and percussion, Tom Wisniewski on lead gu ...
,
Audiovent
Audiovent is an American alternative rock band from Calabasas, California. Initially forming as "Vent" in the early 1990s, the band changed their name to Audiovent upon signing with Atlantic Records in 2001. The band released their one and only ...
and
50 Cent.
In October 2016, Foose opened for
Fetty Wap
Willie Junior Maxwell II (born June 7, 1991), better known by his stage names Fetty Wap or Harlem Fetty, is an American rapper, singer and songwriter. He rose to prominence after his debut single " Trap Queen" reached number two on the U.S. ''B ...
at Shippensburg University
and later released his first mixtape, ''Alone'', in January 2017.
In July 2017, he released two songs, "Red Roses" featuring Landon Cube
and "Off The Goop" featuring Sprite Lee.
He would later release other songs that year, including "Rude" and "Signs of Jealousy."
Foose's repertoire of singles caught the attention of
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...
who partnered with his own label, All We Got.
He released his first major label mixtape, ''Life of a Dark Rose'', on January 10, 2018.
The mixtape debuted at #23
on the ''
Billboard'' 200 chart and went on to peak at #10.
The songs "Nowadays" and "Red Roses" (both featuring Landon Cube) debuted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 list at #85 and #98 respectively
and have since peaked at #55 and #69 (also respectively).
He also toured nationally with
Lil Uzi Vert
Symere Bysil Woods ( ; born July 31, 1995), known professionally as Lil Uzi Vert, is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. They are characterized by their face tattoo, facial tattoos, facial piercings, eccentric hairstyles and androgynous ...
in 2017 and began his "Life of a Dark Rose" tour in 2018, but had to end the tour short due to pneumonia.
On May 4, 2018, the music video for "
Lust
Lust is a psychological force producing intense desire for something, or circumstance while already having a significant amount of the desired object. Lust can take any form such as the lust for sexuality (see libido), money, or power. It c ...
" was released, peaking at number 87 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and being certified platinum by the RIAA. On May 31, he released "
I Know You", featuring Yung Pinch, which peaked at 79 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and is now certified gold by RIAA.
2019: ''Shelby''
On March 1, 2019, Lil Skies released his album ''Shelby'', named after his mother, while simultaneously debuting the music video for lead single "
I". He made a short documentary for the album on his YouTube channel by interviewing her and surprising her during it by telling her he was going to name it after her.
On May 21, 2019, Lil Skies released a video for "Breathe", a song from his album, ''Shelby''.
On July 14, 2019, Lil Skies collaborated with rapper
Machine Gun Kelly
George Kelly Barnes (July 18, 1895 – July 18, 1954), better known by his pseudonym "Machine Gun Kelly", was an American gangster from Memphis, Tennessee, active during the Prohibition era. His nickname came from his favorite weapon, a Thom ...
on the song "Burning Memories".
2020–present: ''Unbothered''
On March 4, 2020, Skies released the song "
Havin My Way
''Unbothered'' is the second studio album by American rapper Lil Skies. It was released on January 22, 2021, by All We Got Entertainment and Atlantic Records. The album features guest appearances from Wiz Khalifa and Lil Durk. The deluxe versio ...
", which features close friend
Lil Durk and serves as the lead single from his second studio album, ''
Unbothered
''Unbothered'' is the second studio album by American rapper Lil Skies. It was released on January 22, 2021, by All We Got Entertainment and Atlantic Records. The album features guest appearances from Wiz Khalifa and Lil Durk. The deluxe versio ...
'' (2021). It was followed by the second single, "Riot", which was released on May 14, 2020. "On Sight", the third single, was released on November 6, 2020. On July 10, 2020, he released the track "Red & Yellow" from the ''
Road to Fast 9
''Road to Fast 9'' is a commercial mixtape released on July 31, 2020. The mixtape featured 13 tracks performed by various rap and hip-hop artists to promote the 2021 action film '' F9'', the ninth instalment in the ''Fast & Furious'' franchise ...
'' mixtape. On December 16, 2020, Foose announced ''Unbothered'' and its complete details along with the single "Ok". The album was released on January 22, 2021.
Personal life
Foose resides in Waynesboro, Pennsylvania. In July 2019, Foose and his longtime girlfriend, Jacey Fugate, had a son.
Foose cites his own song "
Red Roses
Red Roses ( cy, Rhos-goch, "red moor") is a village in Carmarthenshire, Wales.
Situated in south-west Carmarthenshire, the village forms part of the Eglwyscummin community, and with Ciffig and Marros, forms part of the Laugharne Township e ...
" as his personal favorite song, referring to the musical combination with him and Landon Cube as "epic". He cites
Lil Wayne
Dwayne Michael Carter Jr. (born September 27, 1982), known professionally as Lil Wayne, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record executive. His career began in 1995, at the age of 12, when he was signed by rapper Birdman (rapper), ...
as his biggest music inspiration.
Foose tries to avoid drugs as much as possible after seeing it negatively impact the lives of his old friends.
In an interview, Skies claims if he was not rapping, he would like to do some "
Bear Grylls type, outdoor stuff" and that his favorite hobby is fishing.
Discography
* ''
Shelby'' (2019)
* ''
Unbothered
''Unbothered'' is the second studio album by American rapper Lil Skies. It was released on January 22, 2021, by All We Got Entertainment and Atlantic Records. The album features guest appearances from Wiz Khalifa and Lil Durk. The deluxe versio ...
'' (2021)
Music videos
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Skies, Lil
1998 births
Rappers from Pennsylvania
People from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
African-American male rappers
Atlantic Records artists
Living people
American hip hop singers
East Coast hip hop musicians
21st-century American rappers
Emo rap musicians
Pop rappers
Trap musicians
21st-century American male musicians
21st-century African-American musicians
African-American songwriters
21st-century African-American male singers