LORD SKO INTERVIEW: VIPER PRESENTS:[FEATURE]
LORD SKO INTERVIEW: In this exclusive Viper Magazine feature, we catch up with New York rapper Lord Sko. Hailing from Washington Heights, New York City, Sko is known for his authentic storytelling and flow and for reviving the classic Hip Hop sound. Get familiar…
What five words define your sound?
Groovy, raw, cinematic, druggy, nostalgic.
Tell me something unique about your creative process
I don’t know if it’s necessarily unique, but I might write a song or even a verse over the course of a day or two. Not even because it would take me that long, I just find myself doing 100 things at once when I write sometimes, so it could take me in and out of that mode. I might put down four bars, get a phone call, then put down another 10, roll a blunt, then smoke the blunt and get distracted and end up finishing the last two, or even penning a whole other verse when I’m on my way home later that night. I used to not like working off the cuff in studios as much, but I’ve learned to appreciate it more because you have a more contained focus in there. Because in the back of your mind, you know that you got to get it in before the time is up.
Which song of yours would you like people to hear first?
‘Pimp Socks’ is a good one for sure. It’s cool when personal favourites end up being a song that everybody likes too. That song is always good to perform at my concerts.
What inspired you to make that song?
I wanted to make something that was quintessential. I feel like I was really defining my artistic identity at the time of making that song. This was a statement of that. I had a demo of it that my manager told me to put a hook on and I definitely said he was right. Shout out to my man Andre Lawrence for pulling out that loop, and my man Arlo Walker for putting the sauce on it. Somehow it ended up in my hands and I did what I did on the swing on that joint. There were a lot of different pockets within the beat and it took me a take or two to really find the best groove, but once I found it, we knew it was right. Sounded like a walk in the park.
What’s the most vulnerable you’ve allowed yourself to be when writing/making music?
When I first started making music, I feel like I was more vulnerable, but I also feel like I was trying to make sad music. I kind of pivoted from that a little bit. And with that being said, I still feel like I’m very vulnerable in my lyrics. Most of it is just me saying what’s on my mind in an unfiltered way. I’m not necessarily covering super deep mental health related themes all the time, but I definitely graze over them with my own charm. Some of the stuff I’ve been writing more recently has been a little less optimistic, but I like making people laugh more than cry. And if you think about it, it’s just as much of a powerful emotion – it’s just on opposite ends of the spectrum.
What’s the best/worst experience you’ve had on stage?
I’ve forgotten lyrics once or twice before and that’s pretty embarrassing, but I played it off all right both times. Honestly, it’s really about how you recover from that. Half the time the crowd be too drunk or high to remember anyway. In terms of the best experiences, I’ve had a lot of good ones. I love that walk out on stage for the first song. That always just gets me feeling good. Especially doing that at a bigger venue like Brooklyn Paramount or Terminal 5. Getting props from B-Real after I opened for Cypress Hill was another good moment. The summer ‘24 headline show I did in New York City at Knitting Factory was dope too. It was a lot of energy that night. When I walked out, I had to come out through the crowd, which was just ill because I had them play my music before I was even on stage. And then I just walked through the crowd with mad people up to the stage.
What is your favourite song to perform?
Probably ‘Pimp Socks’, but I got this joint on my new album called ‘Robin Hood’ and that’s one of my favourites to do as well.
Which artist/song/album made you want to make music?
Very hard to say to be honest. Different years of my life, it’s become different people. Joey Bada$$, Capital Steez, Pro Era, Mac Miller, Roc Marciano, A$AP Mob, MF Doom, Childish Gambino, Wu-Tang, Earl Sweatshirt, Sean Price, Wiki, Jadakiss, Dipset, Big Pun, Big L, Biggie, J, Nas, Ye, Kid Cudi. It’s a lot to name.
What’s the meaning behind your name?
So my last name is Fersko, and that’s where the Sko comes from. A good friend of mine had started calling me that when we were younger and I thought it was fly, so I ran with it. As for the Lord part, I soon learned that there were a lot of lords in Rap. I kind of learned that after entering the scene, that Lord is almost the New York underground Rap version of what Lil is to Southern rap. It’s all good, though. I like the double O alliteration of Lord Sko too. The other reason for Lord was I’d always be wearing a lot of rings and there was this old guy from my hood who used to call me Lord of the Rings when he’d ask for a dollar. I like the name because, I carry on a legacy, you know, when the Lord meets another Lord, it’s a good moment.
If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing instead?
I’d like to think I’d be a wrestler. I loved wrestling as a kid and I’ve been getting back into it more recently. I feel like there’s a lot of parallels from Hip Hop and wrestling and I think it explains why there’s a lot of overlap in the fanbase. If I couldn’t do that though, I’d probably be some sort of like underworld crime junkie, you know what I’m saying? I think I could be like Jesse Pinkman from New York.
What’s success to you?
Stability and happiness, putting my mom in a nice crib, having a roof over my head (ideally on both coasts), doing sold-out shows and visiting friends around the world, respect and admiration in both my city and worldwide, songs with my idols and favourite artists and inspiring a future generation.
What moment in your life/career forced you to change direction?
My first visit to LA changed a lot of things. I went out there, and I did a show in a warehouse. Not even that many people came but my now manager, Dante was there. I had just come out with my record that summer, it was December, so it was a good time to get away from New York, get some nice heat. I went out there and we did a show in this warehouse on Pico Boulevard. I think that trip was definitely a foundation. I also got to shout out my man/photographer Josh X. When I went out to LA, I still only had like 3,000 followers and he just kind of showed me around a little bit. It was the first time someone really was like, let’s make some content. And every time I’m in LA, he always holds me down.
Where can people keep in touch with you?
@lordsko on IG is where I’m most active.
Photo by Ian Vasquez.
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