Another year is in the books and you know what that means. Rapper/DJ Skillz is back to bring us yet another recap of the year's biggest events with "2021 Rap Up (The End Of An Era)." However, this one is special as it marks both 20 years of the rap vet doing the annual rewind and the final entry in the long-running series. Yes, you read that right. Skillz has left the Rap Up building. Before we pour a little liquor out for the end of this particular era, though, let's get into what he has to say.
As with 2020, 2021 felt like several years in one. Skillz makes sure to note it all over the beat for Jay-Z's "Encore," starting off with the January 6th insurrection and the Gorilla Glue girl before getting into all things COVID-19, the vaccine and masking. But he didn't forget about the many pop culture moments that blew our minds — including Lil Nas X's troll game, DaBaby's faux pas with the LGBTQ+ community, the deaths of many of our rap legends and Omarion (who created a viral Tik Tok dance and is often mistaken for the new COVID variant). But Skillz doesn't just leave us with the year's highlights and lowlights. He also gives an encore verse where he takes a victory lap while recounting past Rap Up entries, acknowledging the many who have tried to duplicate his style and letting us know where he's going from here.
Salute to Mad Skillz for holding us down for 20 years, and we wish him well in his future endeavors. Clap for him as you check out the final "Rap Up" below.
