Ski Mask The Slump God

A close friend and collaborator of XXXTENTACION, Ski Mask the Slump God is a rapper from Broward County, Florida. Inspired by MCs such as Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes, Ski Mask has a fast, playful flow, and his cartoonish persona edges slightly toward the morbid. In 2015, he began garnering a following on SoundCloud with tracks like “I Like Bricks” and “Kate Moss” before signing a deal with Republic Records and releasing 2017′s “BabyWipe.” He gained even wider exposure when his 2018 mixtape Beware the Book of Eli hit number 50 on the Billboard 200. All of that paved the way for his official debut LP, 2018′s Stokeley, which easily reached the Top Ten. Sin City the Mixtape arrived in 2021.
Born Stokeley Goulbourne, he was raised on hip-hop and Jamaican music (his father was also a rapper). In 2013, he met XXXTENTACION at a juvenile detention center, and upon release, they started a group called Very Rare, followed by another one called Members Only. Beginning in 2015, Ski Mask began uploading music to SoundCloud and issued several mixtapes. Tracks such as “I Like Bricks” and “Kate Moss” began racking up millions of plays, and he toured with XXXTENTACION and Desiigner. 2016 brought “Take a Step Back” and his self-released debut mixtape, Drown in Designer. The following year, Ski Mask celebrated his 21st birthday with the single “BabyWipe.” The song appeared as part of his deal with Republic Records, which also issued his second mixtape, YouWillRegret. The set featured appearances by XXXTENTACION, MadeinTYO, and DirtyFaceSmook. He followed with the singles “WHOHASIT” and “DoIHaveTheSause?”
In 2018, Ski Mask achieved his highest chart placement to date with his third mixtape, Beware the Book of Eli, which landed at number 50 on the Billboard 200. His official debut LP, the fully realized Stokeley, was released later that year, easily reaching the Top Ten. Recruiting guest artists Lil Baby, Lil Yachty, Austin Lam, and Juice WRLD, Stokeley also included production by Murda Beatz and WondaGurl. Ski Mask’s lone release of 2019 was the solo single “Carbonated Water.” The provocative “Burn the Hoods” appeared in mid-2020, addressing issues of racial injustice and social change. In June 2021, Ski Mask’s first collection of new music in several years arrived in the form of Sin City the Mixtape, a short project with nine tracks and a running time just under 20 minutes. The release rose to number 39 on the Billboard charts. His single “Ooga Booga!” appeared in 2022. ~ Paul Simpson