NGC
Lansing, Michigan, United States | INDIE
Music
Press
Nitty Gritty Committee “20/20 The Perfect Vision (PreTape To Two Views One Vision)” - Michigan Hip-Hop
NGC “Rackin’” - Michigan Hip-Hop
On any given day you can see the members of this group on the CATA buses on their way to class or even sitting next to you in lecture, but what you may not know is the talent that each member of Skigh High Entertainment holds. Tyrell Slappey, a Michigan State Senior, and Marcus Edwards, a Sophomore, were the original members of the group but recruited Darryl Rice Jr. and the duo quickly became a trio. Skool Boi Chroniklez Volume One, being the first mixtape all three members are featured on, holds D. Rice’s very first verse on a track entitled, “Stoopid.”
“I was so nervous the whole night. I wrote for like two hours. I didn’t get no sleep,” Rice recalls.
Drawing inspiration from artist such as Eminem and Jay-Z, the groups lyrical content and stage presence is not only centered around the hip-hop arena but they appreciate many types of musical genres and artist.
“I’ve grew up on music like old school, rock, pop. I listen to everything,” Slappey says.
Skigh High was the opening act for rapper Wiz Khalifa in 2009 on Michigan State’s campus at a concert hosted in the Wharton Center, which the group names as one of their most memorable moments.
“We got the crowd way hyper than he did. On Twitter that night people were like ‘bring Skigh High back!’” the group says.
With a busy schedule of school, extracurricular activities as well as their personal lives, Skigh High has to find time to get everything accomplished in a day’s time. Slappey, also a member of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Incorporated, notes school as being a number one priority and compares his group to others who are not in school saying, “I’ll say that we would be further than we are if we weren’t in school.”
Although the group believes the MSU community in general does not support them as much as they could, they do name a specific set of people who support their music as well as their performances. Among those few are Dasia Fletcher, Jasmine Christopher, Erika Talbert and Onetress Robinson. Edwards expands on the list by naming his girlfriend and other members of Skigh High. What makes these men continue to write, produce and perform their music? Some say it would be the aspect of fame and fortune but for these guys that is not the primary factor.
“It’s been my passion. I’ve been making music since the 9th grade. I’ve wrote poetry since I was little so I turned poetry more rhythmic and it turned into raps,” Edwards says. Rice’s reasoning for performing differs from that of Edwards.
“I really enjoy performances, I enjoy writing music and I enjoy recording. I’m doing this for all the good times.”
Although the group is currently unsigned, Skigh High has aspirations of being signed to either Def Jam or Interscope Records.
If you’ve never heard Skigh High’s music, a new song entitled “Eight 12's” has been released and the song features other MSU and Skigh High artists such as Asia Brown (Asia Bee) , Sylvester James (Johnny Cage), Derron Davis (Indefinite) and Saffal Tall (FowL) - Voice Magazine
On any given day you can see the members of this group on the CATA buses on their way to class or even sitting next to you in lecture, but what you may not know is the talent that each member of Skigh High Entertainment holds. Tyrell Slappey, a Michigan State Senior, and Marcus Edwards, a Sophomore, were the original members of the group but recruited Darryl Rice Jr. and the duo quickly became a trio. Skool Boi Chroniklez Volume One, being the first mixtape all three members are featured on, holds D. Rice’s very first verse on a track entitled, “Stoopid.”
“I was so nervous the whole night. I wrote for like two hours. I didn’t get no sleep,” Rice recalls.
Drawing inspiration from artist such as Eminem and Jay-Z, the groups lyrical content and stage presence is not only centered around the hip-hop arena but they appreciate many types of musical genres and artist.
“I’ve grew up on music like old school, rock, pop. I listen to everything,” Slappey says.
Skigh High was the opening act for rapper Wiz Khalifa in 2009 on Michigan State’s campus at a concert hosted in the Wharton Center, which the group names as one of their most memorable moments.
“We got the crowd way hyper than he did. On Twitter that night people were like ‘bring Skigh High back!’” the group says.
With a busy schedule of school, extracurricular activities as well as their personal lives, Skigh High has to find time to get everything accomplished in a day’s time. Slappey, also a member of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Incorporated, notes school as being a number one priority and compares his group to others who are not in school saying, “I’ll say that we would be further than we are if we weren’t in school.”
Although the group believes the MSU community in general does not support them as much as they could, they do name a specific set of people who support their music as well as their performances. Among those few are Dasia Fletcher, Jasmine Christopher, Erika Talbert and Onetress Robinson. Edwards expands on the list by naming his girlfriend and other members of Skigh High. What makes these men continue to write, produce and perform their music? Some say it would be the aspect of fame and fortune but for these guys that is not the primary factor.
“It’s been my passion. I’ve been making music since the 9th grade. I’ve wrote poetry since I was little so I turned poetry more rhythmic and it turned into raps,” Edwards says. Rice’s reasoning for performing differs from that of Edwards.
“I really enjoy performances, I enjoy writing music and I enjoy recording. I’m doing this for all the good times.”
Although the group is currently unsigned, Skigh High has aspirations of being signed to either Def Jam or Interscope Records.
If you’ve never heard Skigh High’s music, a new song entitled “Eight 12's” has been released and the song features other MSU and Skigh High artists such as Asia Brown (Asia Bee) , Sylvester James (Johnny Cage), Derron Davis (Indefinite) and Saffal Tall (FowL) - Voice Magazine
Discography
The Cleanse (Leaks & Freestyles From NGC Newest to Oldest)12/31/2011
Rackin (prod. by Dizzle Beatz)05/31/2011
20/20 Vol.2: The Perfect Vision (Pretape To Two Views, One Vision)03/01/2011
M.Dizz and Lyricz Presents: Bon Appetite08/19/2010
20/20 The Perfect Vision: (PreTape To Two Views One Vision)07/06/2010
Young Slapz LEAKS, Freestyles & Remixes06/30/2010
M.Dizz LEAKS, Freestyles & Remixes06/27/2010
#AnotherRandomMixtapeForTwitter04/01/2010
High Off Oxygen & Wasted Off Simply Lemonade04/01/2010
Is My Swag Offending You?!?11/06/2009
Skool Boi Chroniklez Vol. 1: Class Is In Session09/18/2009
Photos
Bio
Tyrell Slappey and Marcus Edwards are just two of the masterminds behind the hip-hop team Skigh High Entertainment.
Slappey, going by rap alias Young Slapz, was born August 7, 1988. Growing up he spent the majority of his time with his grandmother or members of his father’s side of the family due to his mother’s work schedule, which allowed him to form a closer bond with that side of his family. When he was nine years old, he suffered one of the most memorable heartbreaks of his young life. He witnessed his brothers’ murder at a local liquor store. This experience changed his life. After the loss of his brother, he became a product of his environment and began to engage in activity that could have led him down the wrong path. At that time his mother, working two jobs, decided to quit one in order to devote more time to him and his older sister.
Throughout middle school, he engaged in learning about illegal activities that he decided would be best if his hard-working mother never knew about, and once it became time attend high school, those activities worsened. However, while attending Cass Technical High School in Detroit, Michigan he began to take life and the choices he made more seriously. Music became an outlet for him. A way to express his emotions and get out the things he couldn’t necessarily say out loud to others. Little did he know, someone who was equally as interested in music would become his lifetime friend and future business partner.
Born March 28, 1990, Marcus Kai Edwards, also known as M Dizz, although not walking the same path as Slappey, also had music in his heart and used it as a release. Growing up on Detroit’s west side he came from a two-parent household where a father figure was prevalent in his home. Described as being a quiet soul and not too social with the other kids in his school, he was very close with a child whose mother used crack cocaine. After an incident at a birthday party, he was no longer allowed to visit that friend.
Although he did not jump head first into music, he still found himself on a creative path where poetry was in the forefront of his life. He initially began to do poetry just for fun but quickly found out it was something that he enjoyed. It wasn’t until the 7th grade that he wrote his first rap. Geared towards his education, he took the instrumentals to the popular hip-hop song, “Bia Bia” by Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz and created a song about the states of matter for his Science class.
It may seem like these two men would never cross paths, but when M Dizz began high school, also at Cass Tech, this unlikely duo linked up and history was made. They were introduced to each other by Slappey’s cousin Steve Harvin in Slappey’s senior year. While in high school Slappey did not take rapping seriously and did not find out M Dizz rapped nor made beats until the second semester of high school. It wasn’t until they both attended Michigan State University that they began to bond. While Young Slapz wanted to rap on a Dizz beat just for fun, passion is what Dizz had for his music. After several meetings Slappey saw Dizz’s potential as well as his own in music.
The dorm room began to be a studio, what was meant to be fun developed into something that both men wanted to make a career. They both discovered they had potential rap genius on their hands and began to take their talents much more seriously. They began to market themselves which included releasing mix tapes and doing live performances. Once others began to see their drive and ambition for their craft, two friends Richard Williams and Roland Coit, owners of Burn Rubber gave them the opportunity to visit a studio in Pontiac, Michigan to showcase their skills. Williams and Coit loved what they heard and gave M Dizz and Young Slapz the chance to record in the studio.
Once they had their musical flare perfected, they began to receive pointers on the business aspect of rapping from fellow artist Jeremy Williams, better known as Phat Boy Chef, who was the actual owner of the Pontiac studio. Once they began to receive pointers, they began to become more involved in the business matters of their craft. They quickly learned how to market themselves as well as their craft so that it would be appealing to others and in one short year have made many advances toward their professional career in the music industry.
Later on they began Skigh High Entertainment. An Entertainment group that consisted of them as a duo as well as other solo artist who were all striving for the same goal. They are not a band, they are a movement. It begin with NGC alongside Glen Woodward (G.Wood), DeMonte Francis (Lyricz), and Raphael Worthy (Rique) who worked to get the group out the masses as a whole ad build a name for them. He now runs a clothing company called Smoker’s Yacht Club based out of Chicago, IL. The music group quickly gained speed and added the likes on Darryl Rice (D.Rice), Charles Wilson (C.Wil), Derron Davis (In
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