Sheffield rap don Skinz is back to share his latest mixtape, I’m What They Pretend To Be—his most personal offering yet. We recently heard from Skinz when he joined a squad of Steel City artists on Toddla T’s “All Stars Riddim” to celebrate the MOBOs hitting the Yorkshire city in February, which showed showed that the right people were indeed paying attention.
Since then, Skinz has been laying the groundwork for this project with some pre-release drops like the video for the latest single, “100 In Da T”, a team-up with West London rapper Marlow P, that was followed by the full project the following day.
Also featured on the mammoth, 19-track set are MIST, S’Vello, Marnz Malone, Louis Rei and Rimzee. I’m What They Pretend To Be is a crowning achievement that speaks to the work he’s put in to make his voice heard and break through the barriers faced by artists from up North.
It’s also the culmination of several years’ worth of work, packing in singles from as far back as 2021, including “Real Hair”, “Out The Mud”, “Transition”, “Never Again”, “In My Bag”, “Ace & Mitch” with Mowgs, and “New Season” with Kirky.
“A lot of people like to put on an image in this rap thing, tryna be something they’re not, but I feel like I’m the truth,” Skinz tells us. “You’ve got rappers out there who don’t live the life I live; I see a lot of things every day that I’m not necessarily proud of, but the end goal isn’t diamonds and the big whips—it’s about investing in properties and getting to that next level. I want everyone to hear my mixtape and see the journey I’m on to get to where I know I can get to, in life and in music.”
Stream I’m What They Pretend To Be in full below.
