RESPECT THE PEN: SKYY HOOK

SKYY HOOK

INTERVIEW REALIFE

If you’re a devoted consumer of organic hip-hop journalism chances are you’ve either read, listened to or watched an interview SkyyHook contributed to. From web to radio to print, whether in front of the microphone or behind the scenes, she’s built her reputation on preparation and execution. Known for her extraordinary ability to investigate, she asks questions and listens from a place of authenticity with respect for the culture. In her own words, “I wear and have worn many hats throughout my career.” SkyyHook has edited for numerous media outlets including AllHipHop.com, TheUrbanDaily.com, SwaysUniverse.Com, The World Famous Wake Up Show”, Sway in The Morning and Skyyhook Radio. Validated recently spoke with SkyyHook to discuss her early hip-hop culture memories, how she got her start in journalism and more.

“IT'S BEEN AN HONOR TO WORK ALONGSIDE SOME OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE MENTORS AND TEACHERS THAT THIS GAME HAS TO OFFER. AND I RECOGNIZE THAT MY PLACE WITHIN THIS REALM IS GREATLY INFLUENCED BY WHAT I'VE LEARNED FROM THEM. KING TECH, SWAY, DJ REVOLUTION, JERRY BARROW, DAVEY D...THIS LIST GOES ON AND ON. THEY TOOK ME UNDER THEIR RESPECTIVE WINGS AND HELPED ME DEVELOP BOTH MY EAR AND MY WRITING. I'M ETERNALLY GRATEFUL TO THEM FOR THAT.” - SKYY HOOK

VALIDATED: WHERE ARE YOU FROM?

SKYY HOOK: I'M ORIGINALLY FROM A SMALL CITY OUTSIDE OF DAYTON, OH. BUT I'VE LIVED IN 9 CITIES ALTOGETHER.

VALIDATED: WHAT’S YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY OF HIP-HOP CULTURE?

SKYY HOOK: I BECAME INFATUATED WITH HIP HOP ONCE I HEARD GIRLS DOING IT. I WAS ABOUT 9 OR 10 I GUESS. I HAD OLDER COUSINS WHO LISTENED TO HIP HOP AND I LIKED IT. BUT IT WAS HEARING THE GIRLS THAT CHANGED IT FOR ME. I WAS REALLY GOOD AT PLAYING THE DOZENS AS A KID, SO WHEN I HEARD GIRLS SNAPPIN BACK IT KIND OF GRABBED ME. IT FELT LIKE SOMETHING I WANTED TO BE A PART OF AT THAT POINT. I WAS HOOKED. NO PUN INTENDED.

VALIDATED: WHO WAS YOUR FAVORITE FEMALE EMCEE BACK THEN?

SKYY HOOK: I HAVE NEVER HAD A FAVORITE ANYTHING. I LIKE SO MANY ARTISTS FOR A PLETHORA OF REASONS. PEOPLE GET MAD AT ME WHEN THEY WANT TO KNOW WHO IS ON MY G.O.A.T. LIST AND I CAN'T ANSWER THEM. BUT I GENUINELY DON'T HAVE LIKE A TOP 10. I APPRECIATE SO MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE FOR THEIR VARIOUS CONTRIBUTIONS THAT IT TRULY MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION.

HOWEVER, I WILL SAY THAT THERE ARE CERTAIN BOXES THAT THE ARTISTS I DIG CHECK OFF EASILY. THEY ARE CLEVER STORYTELLERS WHO KNOW THEIR WAY AROUND SIMILES AND METAPHORS. I DON'T DO MUMBLERS AND WEIRD NOISES TO FILL SPACE. (LAUGHTER)

VALIDATED: SO JOURNALISM, WHAT DREW YOU TO IT INITIALLY?

SKYY HOOK: OH MY GOSH. I KNEW I WANTED TO WRITE IN THE 5TH GRADE. I WAS THE KID WHO ALWAYS FORGOT TO BRING A BOOK TO BE APPROVED FOR BOOK REPORTS. WELL, ONE DAY I WAS WALKING INTO READING CLASS AND REALIZED WE HAD AN ORAL BOOK REPORT DUE THAT DAY! I HADN'T READ ANYTHING! SO, I SAT IN THE BACK OF THE CLASS AND MADE UP AN AUTHOR AND BOOK. I WROTE MY REPORT WHILE EVERYONE ELSE WAS IN FRONT OF THE CLASS, THEN GOT UP AND DID MY REVIEW. I GOT A 100% ON IT. NEEDLESS TO SAY, I FIGURED OUT I WAS ON TO SOMETHING! (LAUGHTER) THE ENTERTAINMENT COMPONENT WAS NOT A STRETCH EITHER AS I STAYED GLUED TO BET AND MTV ALL DAY AS A KID. I FELT LIKE I COULD DO WHAT I SAW THOSE PERSONALITIES DOING IF I WORKED HARD ENOUGH. SO, THOSE TWO WORLDS EASILY COLLIDED FOR ME.

DON'T TRY THAT TRICK NOW KIDDIES! YOU HAVE GOOGLE TODAY! WE DIDN'T HAVE SUCH THINGS THEN! (LAUGHTER)

VALIDATED: SO IT SOUNDS LIKE YOU’VE ALWAYS HAD THIS CREATIVENESS AND WITTINESS ABOUT YOU.

SKYY HOOK: WHEN YOU'RE AN ONLY CHILD CREATING IS JUST SOMETHING YOU DO. YOU LEARN HOW TO ENTERTAIN YOURSELF. I WAS IN MY ROOM A LOT AS A KID. IT WAS MY OWN LITTLE WORLD AND IN IT I COULD DO OR BE ANYTHING. I HAD THE BENEFIT OF BEING RAISED BY PEOPLE WHO ALWAYS TOLD ME IF I APPLIED MYSELF AND WORKED HARD I COULD ACHIEVE ANYTHING I WANTED TO. I BELIEVED THEM. IT'S AMAZING WHAT EVEN THE TINIEST BIT OF ENCOURAGEMENT CAN FOSTER WITHIN A CREATIVE KID. SO, THEY SAT THROUGH ENDLESS SHORT STORIES, POEMS, RHYMES ETC THROUGHOUT MY FORMATIVE YEARS. I EVEN WROTE A SOAP OPERA EVERY DAY OF MY JUNIOR YEAR OF HIGH SCHOOL JUST TO GET IN TO AN AP COMPOSITION CLASS FOR THE FOLLOWING YEAR. IT WAS A BIT EXTREME BUT THAT'S ME. IT'S ALL OR NOTHING A LOT OF THE TIME.

VALIDATED: NOW I SEE WHERE THE COMEDIC SIDE OF YOU COMES FROM. LOL SO HOW DID YOU ACTUALLY GET YOUR START IN JOURNALISM PROFESSIONALLY?

SKYY HOOK: MY FIRST PUBLISHED PIECE WAS IN A PUBLICATION THAT A FRIEND OF MINE AMY ANDRIEUX STARTED CALLED THE STARK LIFE. SHE ASKED IF I WAS INTERESTED IN WRITING ABOUT OSCAR GRANT AND I JUMPED AT IT. FROM THERE I GOT PICKED UP AT ALLHIPHOP WHERE I WENT FROM A CONTRIBUTOR TO A STAFF WRITER, SENIOR WRITER, SECTION EDITOR AND FINALLY MANAGING EDITOR BEFORE I LEFT. AT THE SAME TIME THAT I WAS AN EDITOR THERE, I GOT PICKED UP BY JERRY BARROW  FOR AN EDITING GIG AT THE URBAN DAILY AT RADIO ONE. I WAS THE CONTRIBUTING EDITOR THERE AND THAT'S WHERE I REALLY CUT MY TEETH. I WAS ABLE TO FIND MY OWN VOICE WITHIN MY WRITING AT THAT JOB. IT WAS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS THAT EVER HAPPENED TO ME PROFESSIONALLY HONESTLY. FROM THERE KING TECH AND SWAY STARTED WATCHING WHAT I WAS DOING AND I ADDED SIRIUSXM TO THE MIX.

VALIDATED: WHO ARE SOME OF THE RECOGNIZABLE NAMES THAT YOU’VE INTERVIEWED OVER THE YEARS?

SKYY HOOK: I'VE BEEN BLESSED TO INTERVIEW MANY OF MY HIP HOP HEROES OVER THE YEARS. BUT THE 5 THAT STAND OUT THE MOST FOR VARIOUS REASONS WOULD HAVE TO BE; RAKIM, CHUCK D, BLACK THOUGHT, JUST BLAZE AND ALI SHAHEED MUHAMMAD. I CHOOSE THESE BECAUSE THEY WERE OUT OF THE ORDINARY CIRCUMSTANCES TO SAY THE LEAST.

I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF INTERVIEWING THE LOST BOYZ UP AT SIRIUS LAST YEAR WHEN I STARTED GETTING A STRANGE PAIN. I FOUND A LUMP LATER THAT EVENING. SO, I GUESS I WOULD ADD THAT TO THE MIX AS WELL.

I WAS ALSO BLESSED WITH AN ONCOLOGY SURGEON WHO PINKY SWORE SHE WOULD KEEP ME ALIVE! (LAUGHTER) YES, I REALLY PUT MY PINKY UP AND MADE HER PINKY SWEAR TO KEEP ME HERE! SHE KEPT HER WORD! DR. LEWIS WAS A BEAST. SHE GOT IT ALL ON THE FIRST TRY!

VALIDATED: YOU ARE THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF OF THEHOLLYWOODSHUFFLE.COM, WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE PLATFORM?

SKYY HOOK: WE HAD JUST RELAUNCHED THE HOLLYWOOD SHUFFLE THE WEEK BEFORE I WAS DIAGNOSED. SO, I'M VERY EXCITED TO GET BACK TO WORK ON THAT. IT'S A PASSION PROJECT FOR SURE. IT'S AN HOMAGE TO THE CLASSIC ROBERT TOWNSEND FLICK. THINK JET MAGAZINE IN ITS HEYDAY. WE WANTED TO CREATE A WRITER'S UTOPIA. THERE IS NO GAS LIGHTING, NO BABY MAMA DRAMA, NO PEOPLE FIGHTING AND THROWING LIQUOR ON ONE ANOTHER IN THE CLUB. IT'S ENTERTAINMENT STORYTELLING AND THAT'S IT. WE'RE COVERING EVERYTHING WITHIN THE REALM OF ENTERTAINMENT WITH A MELANATED PERSPECTIVE. THERE WILL BE A LOT MORE ADDED VERY SOON AND I CAN'T WAIT!

VALIDATED: YOU’VE ALSO GOT SHYYHOOKRADIO.COM, WHAT MOVED YOU TO START IT?

SKYY HOOK: I WANTED A PLACE WHERE I COULD CREATE AND PRODUCE THE KIND OF PROGRAMMING THAT I WANTED TO HEAR. I HAD BEEN ON TERRESTRIAL RADIO AND I FELT IT WOULD SUIT ME BETTER TO MOVE TO INTERNET RADIO. THANKS TO MY COUSIN DANNY I WAS ABLE TO MAKE THE SWITCH PRETTY EASILY. MY CREW CAME ALONG WITH ME FOR THE RIDE AND WE NEVER LOOKED BACK. MY ACE RSJ HELPS ME RUN IT AND WE'RE STILL OUT HERE DOING OUR THING. IT'S A STATION THAT PLAYS THE MUSIC THAT MAKES YOU FEEL GOOD. MUSIC IS POWERFUL THAT WAY. SO, WE'RE VERY SPECIFIC IN OUR CURATION OF THE STATION.

VALIDATED: WHAT’S NEXT FOR SKYY HOOK? 

SKYY HOOK: MAN… LIFE! LIVING! I'M GOING TO CHECK OFF ANOTHER BOX ON MY GOALS LIST NEXT YEAR AND I'M GEEKING. I WAS ASKED TO CREATE AND TEACH A NEW HIP HOP CURRICULUM AT CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY NORTHRIDGE OUT IN LA! I CAN'T WAIT FOR THAT! I'M WORKING ON A FEW DOCUMENTARIES RIGHT NOW AND I WILL BE DROPPING SOME NEW MINI DOCS IN THE VERY NEAR FUTURE AS WELL. OTHER THAN THAT I'M JUST APPRECIATING STILL BEING HERE AND TAKING EACH DAY FOR THE GIFT IT IS!

VALIDATED: WHAT’S YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA CONTACTS AND WEBSITES?

SKYY HOOK: @SKYYHOOK ON INSTAGRAM, @SKYYHOOKRADIO ON TWITTER, THEHOLLYWOODSHUFFLE.COM AND SKYYHOOKRADIO.COM.