After some deliberation, I decided I would try something new and feature local SoCal artists and tie in their sports fanhood, athelete role models and amongst other things, their music. So with my first effort I decided to write about an artist that i’ve known personally for over a decade, Vikk Fury a.k.a Skyline Vikk. Vikk and I actually met in middle school playing a pickup game of basketball against each other and as time went by I learned that he was a big sports fan as well. Vikk has been rapping for roughly 4 years and comes from Riverside, CA and is sponsored by Phlesh Klothing.
The style of Vikk’s music has changed drastically over the last 18 months. Once just a “punchline rapper,” Vikk has broadened his horizons and has come to the point where he can make songs with a high replay value. With him being a Laker fan, Vikk’s “change in his game” is similar to that of one of his favorite players in Kobe Bryant. Kobe was once known as a “slasher” in which he always took the ball to the rim and looked for the dunk. After studying the game Bryant learned he needed to expand his game in order to last and be relevant and developed a jump shot that is one of the most lethal in the NBA today. For Vikk, instead of rap battles and crowd pleasing punchlines, he developed his jump shot which was his creativity on a beat. Nowadays people want punchlines and good songs and Vikk delivers in both of those categories.
As a lifelong Eagles fan, Vikk has some similarities in his life as his team does. Being tough, gritty, hungry for victory and having a no nonsense style. This all plays out well for Vikk as in the music industry you need to have the drive to be a winner, otherwise you will find yourself getting nowhere like a person in quicksand. Being tough and thickskinned is huge to artists, especially unsigned ones like Vikk. For every supporter you will have 3 non-supporters. People dissect your music and try lowering your self esteem and you have to be tough to get through it much like Vikk does everyday.
In comparison to artists today, I would compare Vikk Fury to Young Money’s Jae Millz. Millz started his career off as a battle rapper who could kill a beat but didn’t make many songs that people enjoyed more than once or twice. Now Millz is signed to a big label and his career is taking off. Vikk is following the same path and has listed Millz as an influence on him. “Millz is someone that I look up to in the game. He’s paving the way for artists like myself and I would love to work with him sometime in my career. He’s real and doesn’t pull no punches and I live the same way and I wish more people not just artists should do the same.”
In conclusion, I believe Vikk has the potential of a lottery draft pick in the NBA. Talented with alot of hype but the need to continue to improve. Vikk knows where he wants to go with his music and will look to achieve his goals as his career progresses. Sports and music have many similarities and mix together very well. In a song called “I gets doe,” (Phenom Beezy ft/ Vikk Fury), Vikk uses sports by starting his verse with the lines, ” Wallet diabetes, pockets high cholesterol, I should bounce with Spalding for the way I ball, money on creatine, dollars on BALCO by the ballpark, steroids Barry Bonds flow..” People should keep their eyes on Vikk Fury because he’s talented, creative and has the heart of a champion.
Listen to Vikk Fury’s music at www.myspace.com/vikkfury and follow him on twitter at www.twitter.com/vikkfury
Darren
Posted by DABsportstalk 
