You're probably as new to Skribbal as I am, so I think it's only fair to
introduce you to him from the details I learned doing research for this review,
with a shoutout to FaygoLuvers for their extraordinarily helpful interview. Skribbal is an
Oregon born rapper who wound up living with his grandparents in California after
a stint in foster care. He describes himself as "rapping almost the moment I got
to (Cali)" and seemingly has an incredible musical network from with which to
build up that career, including an uncle named Katfish who is a drum tech for Korn. Putting all of these
elements together results in his professional debut "Skinwalker," produced by
James Broadway (King T, Tha Alkaholiks, et cetera) and Apakalips (Nipsey Hussle),
distributed by Force 5
Records. There are apparently some independent underground records he did
before "Skinwalker" but I don't have access to those and they're not the focus
of this review anyway -- it's just so you know this isn't the first s--t he's
ever put down musically before now.
You may have already surmised from the reference to FaygoLuvers that there's at
least a slight connection to ICP, and
he does indeed shout out juggalos for showing him love in the interview above.
On the album the connection is slightly more tenuous. Saint Dog appears on "Hang
'Em High," he's a former member of the Kottonmouth Kings, and the Kings have done
tours and songs with ICP over the years ("Think 4 Yourself" from the album
"Cloud Nine" being one such example).
To bridge those ties you're essentially playing "six degrees of separation" without
Kevin Bacon. In the same way you could link Skribbal to ICP through Chucky Chuck
of DGAF on "Knock Ya Teeth In" or Jaysin the Sin God on "Glock Talk Back." None
of these people would be out of place performing at a Gathering of the Juggalos
and Skribbal definitely falls into that category too. In fact if he had been
signed to Suburban Noize or Psychopathic Records I wouldn't have been surprised.
Much like many albums released these days "Skinwalker" is a little bit on the
short side, clocking in at only 35 minutes long, though from the album's title and
content it seems appropriate for October as Halloween draws in. For those who don't
know the lingo a "Skin-walker" is a witch who can pass itself off in disguise as
an animal to infiltrate human settlements and are considered a bad omen and/or
capable of causing direct harm. A more in-depth explanation is sadly not possible
because I'm (1.) Not an expert in Navajo lore and (2.) Even those who are may not
fully understand it because Navajo people are reluctant to discuss the ramifications
of the lore with outsiders. Nevertheless pop culture has spread the idea of
skinwalkers through horror and science-fiction, and the name itself has a fearsome
ominous tone even without the cultural understanding of its origin. It probably
won't surprise you then that there's a song called "Bruce Campbell" (featuring Mars)
on the album, as he's the actor who portrayed Ash in the "Evil Dead" trilogy.
If I were to categorize this album, I'd personally associate it less with ICP and
more with the horrorcore genre. Skribbal himself is our protagonist, haunted by his
demons and knowledge of the fragility of human life, fighting "a life that's hell
in my own head" on songs like "In the Dark." Given he spent a couple of years in
foster care before he was even a teenager, I don't have any trouble understanding
where he's coming from rapping lines like "I just want you to feel the love
that I never did/smother you with kisses and hugs cause you was heavensent" to
his own child. Skribbal undoubtedly hopes that he won't pass down whatever trauma
disrupted his own youth to the next generation in his family line.
Even when he tries to find the light in his own darkness, horror movie samples,
thunderstorms and horrified screams permeate bass heavy songs like "All Hail" and
"Don't Doubt Me." The latter is one of my favorite vibes on Skribbal's entire CD
as it sounds interchangeable for a Madchild
rap song, right down to Skribbal's vocal tone and delivery. It's not a coincidence
that Madchild has himself battled some pretty serious demons, so I wouldn't be
surprised if Skribbal said he found him an artistic inspiration. The content of
"Skinwalker" is dark and often borders on macabre, but if you like horrorcore rap
and/or enjoy a good scare even if it's not the Halloween season, this one's for you.
Music Vibes: 7 of 10
Lyric Vibes: 6.5 of 10TOTAL Vibes: 7 of 10
![[Skinwalker]](../coverart/skribbal-Skinwalker.jpg)
You're probably as new to Skribbal as I am, so I think it's only fair to
introduce you to him from the details I learned doing research for this review,
with a shoutout to FaygoLuvers for their extraordinarily helpful interview. Skribbal is an
Oregon born rapper who wound up living with his grandparents in California after
a stint in foster care. He describes himself as "rapping almost the moment I got
to (Cali)" and seemingly has an incredible musical network from with which to
build up that career, including an uncle named Katfish who is a drum tech for Korn. Putting all of these
elements together results in his professional debut "Skinwalker," produced by
James Broadway (King T, Tha Alkaholiks, et cetera) and Apakalips (Nipsey Hussle),
distributed by Force 5
Records. There are apparently some independent underground records he did
before "Skinwalker" but I don't have access to those and they're not the focus
of this review anyway -- it's just so you know this isn't the first s--t he's
ever put down musically before now.