ONE TO WATCH IN 2020: MEET SKINNYY HENDRIXX (THAT’S WITH 2YS & 2XS)

I first heard the name Skinnyy Hendrixx in late ’18 when his Lucid Reality album started to make a few waves in the Richmond hip-hop scene. At the time, a few artists in Richmond asked me had I heard of the project and the creative force behind it. I remember listening to a track or two but not really digging into the full project. Fast forward to last year, the name Skinnyy Hendrixx just kept coming up. A track he produced here, rumor that he was collaborating with one of my favorite artist there (which was true – he had Michael Millions and Illa Styles on his ’19 project), and then I heard “Vibe Relay Session” on Radio B’s Kill the Dreamer album, featuring Michael Millions and Nickelus F and I was hooked on Hendrixx’s production talent. I went back and listened to his entire catalog on Tidal. Around that time, while I was listening to all things Skinnyy Hendrixx, I got put on to his latest single “Case Closed” from a collaboration project he is working on with PT Vell. (A dope single you can check out on The Cheats Movement.) Everything about Hendrixx is unique by Richmond hip-hop standards. At first, his flow gives you an E-40 type, Bay area vibe but his dialect is all Richmond. He is just on a different wavelength than what has been traditionally produced out of Richmond. Skinnyy’s distinguishable rhyme style and his talent for production have placed him as one to watch in 2020.

Name?

My real name is Jarell Divers, and I always thought my first name was so cool because it’s the same as Superman’s father, Jor-El.

Rap Name?

My rap name is Skinnyy Hendrixx, that’s with 2 Ys and 2 Xs when you’re searching for me because there are some imposters out there but it’s only one REAL Skinnyy Hendrixx.

Hometown?

I’m right here from the Cap City!  Richmond has always been home for me, but for some reason when I was younger, I used to tell people I was from California like my older sister that was born in Oakland.  You could say I was “all cap” back then.

What are you known for?

I’ve been known for many things in my life but aside from being the same height as an NBA shooting guard (6 ft. 6. inches), music is the thing I’m MOST known for these days. 

What do you prefer: making beats or killing rhymes?

I prefer making beats right now, but it’s like a seesaw because when I’m not making my own beats, I’m killing rhymes on other people’s beats.  It’s pretty cool to be musically versatile because I never run out of creative fuel.

Describe the sound of the first beat that you created that you were truly proud of?

I’m not going to hold you, it sounds like a Childish Gambino x Jhene Aiko type beat and here and there I still play it because if I didn’t tell you it was the first beat I ever made, you wouldn’t believe me.

Tell me your favorite bar(s) from your first favorite song.

“I’m sorry Ms. Jackson (Ooooo)

I am foreeeeeeal

Neva meant to make ya daughta cry

I apologize a trillion times”

What does it mean to be a “well-rounded” artist in 2020? 

That’s kind of hard to say but I feel like it definitely takes the essentials of writing all of your material, handpicking or making your beats, controlling the creative direction for promo material and cover art, having a stage presence that stands out from the rest, and most importantly you must have dope music!! 

Your background has always been in music. When did you start playing the drums? Who influenced you?

I have to give the very first influence to Nick Cannon in Drumline back in the 7th grade because I remember being so nervous going into the room to try out, but I tapped into my inner Devon Miles and killed the audition! There was also my boy Aaron Todd who was on this Irish drumline type shit that I fooled around with a bit to get some real chops. Leading into high school though, my main influence was my big bro Justin Carter. He was the one who put me onto so much ill shit when I was just starting to get nice on the sticks so I credit those days to being the reason I was the #1 ranked concert percussionist in the entire Henrico County district and #2 in the region. I was a flat-out beast!

Does Richmond hip-hop have a sound? How is your sound different from the pack?

Man, Richmond is like THE sound of hip-hop right now. We have every vein of hip-hop there is on lock from Mutant Academy and Gritty City holding down the boom bap / lo-fi, AGM with the timeless vibes and a few other notable cliques out there with the trap vibes, but then there is me…my vibes are a bit different because, in a sense, every song I make is designed to sound different.  I want to be the one that people can’t throw in the box, like how Jimi Hendrix was back in the day.

Who’s your favorite artist?

That’s too hard to say right now, but the person who gets the most plays right now is this cat I met out at SXSW in 2018 named Rexx Life Raj. 

Cereal or hot breakfast?

The younger, less mature me was a cereal fanatic.  But now that I’m older and wiser it’s hot breakfast all day.  A nice hot breakfast will prove to you why it’s labeled the most important meal of the day.

Favorite book?

I seriously have too many in rotation to have a single favorite.  But I can give you my top 3:  The 4 Agreements, The Untethered Soul, and The Way of The Superior Man have been the big 3 on my journey of self.  These have made me a better person, thinker, and lover.

Name your all-time favorite hip-hop click (or label)?

Aww man – people are probably going to be at my neck for this one but I’m going to have to say it’s a tie between TDE and Dreamville.

Do you want to own a record label one day?

I have had thoughts of seeing the Smooth League Villains as a record label one day in the near future.  But only time will tell if it’ll manifest into a reality.

What are your 2020 goals?

My 2020 goals are to be able to live freely while I create the best music of my career so far, collab with the dopest in the city, produce an entire EP for one of Richmond’s dopest MCs, produce an EP for Curren$y or someone else in Jet Life, be a part of any and all dope performance/tour opportunities, and most importantly I’m going to make sure music pays my bills so I won’t have to depend on a 9-5 ever again.  Those are just a few.

First thing you do in the morning?

The first thing I try to do in the morning is relax, give thanks, have a little sativa wake & bake, and plan out my day so that I’m balanced and ready to step out into the world to shine my light.

Last thing you do before bed?

Typically, right before bed, I meditate for about 10 minutes or dive right into one of my new favorite books in my Audible library.

What projects can we expect from you in the immediate future?

PT Vell and I are working on a collab EP as we speak. Our lead single to the project is already out, called, “Case Closed. This year I may drop a project in the Fall or I may just drop all the songs from the projects as singles to make it interesting.  I can’t be too specific yet but best believe I’m going to have my hand in a lot this year.

ALL PHOTOS BY CANDID COMPOSITIONS – INTERVIEW BY CHEATS