Lord Sko Has “Lessons Learned”
A torch bearer for the NYC rap scene, 20-year-old Lord Sko has the kind of songwriting chops and raw rhyme skills that would play in any era. Teaming with Statik Selektah for his latest lyrical showcase, the Washington Heights native shares “Lesson Learned,” his new single and music video. “Lesson Learned” is the first glimpse of PIFF, Lord Sko’s third album, coming October 23rd.
Applying his gruff rasp atop liquid keys, jazzy vibraphone and Statik Selektah’s scratches, Lord Sko delivers a string of assonant flexes on “Lesson Learned,” proving that even though his style is timeless, he still acts his age: “Bless the broken language, I’m smokin’ in Copenhagen/I could either be dead or in jail, or old and famous/Doin’ shows in Vegas, closin’ caskets, dodgin’ open cases/Kids is coppin’ Tims and askin’ me how they supposed to lace ’em,” he smirks. In the video, Sko shows the world around his hometown, bouncing from an Uptown pool hall to the cobblestone streets of DUMBO, as the visual effects mirror his intricate lyrics.
“Lesson Learned” is Lord Sko’s first new solo song of 2024, presaging his next album, PIFF, coming soon. The anticipated follow-up to his acclaimed 2023 album United Palace is an expansion of the young rapper’s sound, wiht a sonic palette crafted by luminaries like Harry Fraud, Statik Selektah, A-Lau, and Arlo Walker, the 18-year-old production prodigy who has been Sko’s right-hand man since his 2022 debut, MUSEUM. The 14-track project signals Sko’s growing respect in the rap game, with a cross-generational selection of features including Conway The Machine, Curren$y, Polo Perk$, and the legendary Grand Puba of the seminal rap group Brand Nubian.