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Skillz Explains His "Rap Up" Series

9:27 a.m. · January 6, 2011 · by Andrew Martin

As fellow Prefix writer Dan Nishimoto pointed out when he postedSkillz "Rap Up 2010," hip-hop heads have been waiting to hear his year-end songs since they began in 2002. And in the above video, you can learn just how it all started back then, why he kept doing it, and why this year's version almost didn't happen. It's pretty crazy to know that Skillz was just doing a mixtape of rhymes over Neptunes beats in '02 when someone suggested he spit over Common's "Come Close." That friend then recommended that Skillz recap the events of the year, which all apparently came together in like five or six minutes. From there, the "Rap Up" series has clearly become a staple for some hip-hop fans, even though some of us just wish we could get a proper album from the dude instead.