Skillz

About

Also known as: D. Lewis, Donnie Ray Lewis, Donnie Shaquan Lewis, Mad Skills, Mad Skillz, Shaquan Harrison Lewis, Skills

Mad Skillz, born Donnie Shaquan Lewis, built a reputation as one of hip hop's sharpest wordsmiths partly because he spent years writing hits for other artists without getting credit, something he addressed directly on his 2000 single "Ghostwriter". His debut album From Where??? came out on Atlantic Records in 1996, and the title was a pointed nod to the fact that he was repping Virginia at a time when the state barely had a hip hop scene. He ran with Timbaland, Magoo and a deep Virginia collective called Supafriendz, and even appeared on a remix of Aaliyah's "Are You That Somebody". Every year since 2002, Skillz has delivered his "Rap Up", a sharp recap of the year in hip hop that became a tradition fans actually look forward to. He also created the web series Hip Hop Confessions, featuring guests like Q Tip and DJ Jazzy Jeff. More recently he wrote the spoken word piece for Jay Z's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction video, which featured an extraordinary list of voices from Beyoncé to LeBron James. His album Words For Days Vol. 1 earned him a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Poetry Album.