Music

“I get love in Detroit like Skilla Baby.” Those eight words rapped by Jack Harlow on his chart-topping anthem “Lovin On Me” changed Skilla Baby’s life forever.

Millions of radio spins and six non-consecutive weeks atop the Hot 100 later, the rapper born Trevon Gardner admits he didn’t see the “biggest alley-oop” ever coming from Harlow last November, but now it’s his turn to make the extra exposure count with a momentous slam dunk.

“I don’t know what inspired that [shout-out], but I thanked him so many times. The momentum I got from that, you would have to be there in real time to feel it,” he tells Billboard. “Certain people see me and familiarize my name with that song.”

The Detroit native, who signed to Geffen in 2022, is slightly under the weather during his April visit to the Billboard office, after running around the Big Apple indulging in all that New York City has to offer.

Rocking a Gucci puffer jacket and sweatpants, he’s quick to champion NYC as his favorite place to visit. This busy trip was headlined by seeing Ryan Garcia’s boxing upset over Devin Haney, hitting up The Bronx for a Yankees game and throwing ones at the famed Starlets gentlemen’s club in Queens.

Even though he enjoyed his time, it was still a business trip with Skilla Baby delivering his 19-track The Coldest project via Geffen Records last week (April 26).

The 25-year-old invites a phalanx of collaborators to complete the effort, with appearances from upcoming tourmate Rob49, DaBaby, Moneybagg Yo, Flo Milli and Polo G among others. “I think this project is unboxing me. I’m separating myself,” he proclaims with his shiny grills peering through. “I think this project represents diversity. That’s why there’s so many different vibes.”

When it comes to his peers making records geared more toward women, Skilla Baby believes he changed the rap game in that regard, with uplifting tracks like “Bae” or his smooth assist on Yung Miami’s “CFWM.”

“I think I changed rap, for real, for the younger artists,” he contests. “I feel like more people catered toward girls this year. I feel like I’m one of the people that started that way. If I stopped doing music today, I’m satisfied with that. I feel like I cemented myself in the rap game.”

The burgeoning rapper is profound in conversation with Billboard while dishing on The Coldest, his appreciation for 50 Cent, growing up with New York Jets star Sauce Gardner (no relation) and more below.

What does this project represent for you? It feels like a pivotal time in your career to make that leap after putting in work the last few years. 

I just want people to [feel] multi-cultured when they listen to me. I think that’s what it represents. 

Is it tough to invite new fans in while catering to your old audience?

Definitely. Like I said, they’ll try to put you in a box. They’ll call you a girl rapper, or [say] “all he rap about is beefing.” I want people to see I’m witty and I try new things. I feel like I’m one of the most talented up-and-coming artists coming out. I think my pen crazy. I might have one of the best pens. 

How would you define success for The Coldest?

Stats for sure. I like to see my success in real-time. I like to see people in the club playing it. People outside in their cars playing it. That’s how I define success. We get caught up in streams, but people forge their streams. Me, I want to sell 10,000 copies first week. That would be good for me. That’s what I’m shooting for. I just want to see it being played in real-time. People f–king with me. A lot of people that sell the most, I don’t be seeing people play them.

You had a quote when you announced The Coldest: “The pressure of being a new artist, being successful, staying disciplined and still clocking in the studio is very strenuous.” Can you expand on that?

It’s just a lot of pressure. They try to put you in a box. Last year, I was known for being a girl-friendly artist. I’m glad I was – I love females. But people notice that most of the girl songs, they featuring me. These [are] not songs I put out, other than “Bae.” I love being that for the women.

But the strenuous part is staying focused. Staying away from distractions is the hardest part of being a new artist. All of these vices. I could be in the club, I could be with different females every day. Still having time to be around my family is strenuous, but it’s clocking into work is the hardest decision to make when you don’t have to. Still being creative. I think I’m one of the most creative people around. I want people to know that with this project – that’s why we didn’t rush to put this out.

How tough is it to stay disciplined? What are your vices?

My vices are spending money. I lose track of time. I don’t do drugs or drink. My vices be staying out late. I’m not good with time. My time management is off. I work too much. I never turn down work. I make myself too busy. I don’t have a personal life, for real. 

What’s been different about being on a major label?

I love being on a major label. You got that machine behind you, but I’m so used to being self-sufficient. Dropping when I want to drop. I’m used to doing things myself. Everybody in a label got an opinion. When you on a major, you got to sell what sells. It’s not what you personally want to do. It’s what works for the team. Business is business – I understand it. 

What did you think about Jack Harlow’s “Lovin on Me” shout-out to you?

I didn’t expect it. It was like the biggest alley-oop ever. People don’t even know it’s me [while they’re] singing it. Do y’all even wonder who Skilla Baby is? It’s crazy. That was a crazy gesture. I know him. He came to Detroit before he blew up. We’re downtown walking and talking. I knew he was a cool guy. For him to say that out of nowhere, I don’t know what inspired that, but I thanked him so many times.

Let’s talk about “Free Big Meech.” What does he represent in Detroit and his legacy?

I think Big Meech is one of the biggest hustlers and gangsters in the world. You gotta understand the impact he had on us. In Detroit, we got a thing — like, we ain’t telling or doing no flaw stuff. There ain’t too many Detroit guys you gon’ meet that got flaws on their record. Big Meech, he like the model gangster to us. A lot of people look up to him in Detroit. It’s so many Big Meechs in Detroit. There’s so many Big Meechs coming up. He just was his own guy.

I think everybody in Detroit like that. We don’t have one guy that runs Detroit. Nobody runs Detroit. Big Meech don’t, I don’t run Detroit. Everyone got their own section. Every neighborhood got a Big Meech. Everybody got that mentality. 

So more people relate to Big Meech’s story, rather than Eminem’s?

For sure. We didn’t look up to rappers. We looked up to street guys. Street guys were our role models. We ain’t want to be like no rapper. We just know how that feel. Until Tee Grizzley came out, we didn’t know how it would feel to be successful from a street point-of-view.

On “Trapped” you said, “Every time I leave the house, I feel like somebody’s trying to kill me.” Do you feel a sense of paranoia?

I don’t think it’s paranoia. I think it’s just growing with success. When you’re more successful, more eyes, more pressure, more envy, more jealousy. You could feel it. It’s not even a sense of paranoia, it’s just reality. I move better, but I still move like I think I’m regular. People around me just remind me.

That’s why you gotta have good people around. They’re reminding you that you’re coming up in the world and you’re successful and making more money. These are the things that come with success. I could be an Apple tech and move up. It’s just depends on what world you’re in that people know what you got going on.

There’s no way to prepare for that. Do you still live out in Detroit?

I’m based in Michigan, but I got vacation houses in different places. I got a house in Arizona. 

You getting a spot out here [in New York City]?

Probably not. I don’t want to move nowhere I have fun at. I just feel like home should be home. When I’m at home, I don’t want to go outside. I wanna be home. I wanna do homey things. I don’t want to go home and be able to leave the house to go to the club. That’s not really my thing anyway. When I’m home, I don’t want people to know where I’m at. 

“Project X” with DaBaby, is that inspired by the movie?

Yeah, I think that’s gonna be one of the biggest songs on the project. DaBaby taught me a lot when I did a record and video with him. He’s just so creative and hands-on. He’s so focused. He takes his craft very seriously. He taught me music etiquette. It’s a certain way you treat your creativity. It’s not a price you put on it. I feel like your creative is worth an unlimited amount of money. Whatever you feel it’s worth is what it’s worth. He treats the smallest things like they’re big. He’s such a genuine guy. He’s unapologetically himself. 

“As an artist, I’m known as the girl’s guy, but I never forget I come from the streets.” Is it tough to balance that in your artistry?

Definitely. At a label, until you drop a project, you can’t drop multiple songs. You get caught up doing what works. They put you in that direction. Then other people in the industry want you on their songs. Then these songs coming out on their songs. They just want you to go on that trajectory, and that’s how it works. Outsiders don’t really understand that’s how it works. It’s a process. That’s why I’m so glad to drop my project — so I can show people what direction I want to go in. 

Did you know “Bae” was gonna be a hit for you?

I thought it was gonna be a hit when I first made it. I sent it to my label president, “This is the one.” When it first came out, it wasn’t doing so well. It hit a TikTok wave. I gauged my songs off real-time reactions. I was playing it around girls and they kept telling me to send it to them. Without me asking them, I’m just playing it. I started posting the girls on my Story and they kept posting it.

Are you related to Sauce Gardner?

Nah, but we grew up around each other. We played for the same PAL team. If you ask Sauce, he’ll tell you I used to be real good at football. I played quarterback. Sauce was a corner. He played corner and [wide] receiver or running back on offense. He always been good. Sauce was always poppin. He always talked crazy, and that was naturally him, but that’s a Detroit thing. We talk. He like me, he’ll be in the club and just chill. His footwork crazy. He got the length. He like Darrelle Revis. 

It was a fun season for the Detroit Lions this year.

That was tough because we been waiting on that my whole life. Think about this: The Pistons went like 0-24 to start the season. The Lions were 0-16 [in 2008]. That’s so disappointing. Real sports fans, that’s all we got. The Tigers and Red Wings were successful for a minute though. We had the Lions and the Pistons. If we had Sauce Gardner, we would’ve gone to the Super Bowl. Our corners were terrible. This was the first year we dominated our division. 

At least you got ‘04 with the Pistons.

I was only six years old. We took pride in that though. We were underdogs of the league. We wasn’t really talented. I think Larry Brown locked us in for real. He did that with Iverson and them [on the Sixers] too. [Iverson] is undersized and so good. That was my original favorite player until Kobe [Bryant]. 

What do you think about the rap civil war breaking out?

I think it’s good for iron sharpening iron. I don’t know them, so I don’t have no opinion on why they beefing or care about them beefing. I think it’s good for rap. On the 50th anniversary of hip-hop, our numbers were so low as far as selling music that I know we needed this. I do appreciate on the 50th anniversary that it was girls that was really taking over. 

I loved seeing your appreciation for pop music too. I saw you jamming to Miley Cyrus, Ed Sheeran, Maroon 5 and some T-Pain.

Oh yeah, I be on that. I think people think I just listen to rap all day and I really don’t. I be listening to Halsey and Chainsmokers. One of my favorite songs by them is “Closer.” That’s a banger. I listen to Ed Sheeran, Maroon 5, T-Pain. I be on some s–t. 

I was really into pop before 50 Cent came in and took it over for me. 

I was hanging with 50 Cent this weekend. I was in Shreveport. I had a show in Grambling State University, but I stayed in Shreveport. 50’s security had noticed me and they called me. “You here? I’m downstairs come with me.” We all just hanging out and he’s showing me his new property.

He’s a really smart guy. If I was gonna look up to anyone [it’s him]. 50 might be 50 years old but he just did 103 dates. I don’t know nobody else that’s doing that. Sold most of them out across the globe. It’s different. He told me, “You just gotta keep hustling.” That’s one of my favorite people. He’s so genuine. He saw all my friends and don’t know them from a can of paint and he was giving them money in the strip club for them to throw ones. He treats the janitor like the CEO. I like his mentality. 

I always see you eating green Skittles before shows.

It’s just good luck to me. I can’t explain it. I collect them. It’s just something I wanted to be superstitious. When I see the green Skittles, it gets me going.

What are your other goals for this year outside music?

I been buying property. I’m probably 10 properties in in Detroit. I’m fixing them up and renting them out. I’m not really selling them. I don’t have a need for money. I’m also trying to buy this hotel, God willingly, in Detroit. I’m with some investors about this hotel downtown off the river.

What do you think about the Detroit rap scene bubbling up these last few years?

It’s refreshing. For the longest time, they put everybody in a box, saying, “This is Detroit rap.” But there are so many sounds coming out of Detroit right now. From Babytron to Veeze to Babyface Ray to me to [42] Dugg to Sada Baby to Tee Grizzley. You got Eminem, you got Big Sean. Everything coming out is dope. 

I got put on to a lot of those guys through Lil Yachty’s Michigan Boy Boat tape in 2021.

Yachty got backlash for working with Detroit artists so much, but I think it was really cool for him to shine a light on urban underground guys that might have never got that. I’ve been taking a page out of his book and writing for people. His pen is so underrated. 

Who do you want to work with?

I want to work with Ye. I want to work with Lil Wayne. I want to work with Fabolous. My dream collab that will never happen is Anita Baker. 

How did she become your favorite artist? Did your parents put you on?

Yeah, I just grew up in the house listening to that kinda stuff. It’s hard to clear samples. To me, Anita’s the biggest in the world. I don’t even like to touch their music. I’ll never do Anita, Michael [Jackson]. It ain’t even a hassle I’ma go through to get this cleared. It’s me paying respect to them. I don’t feel like I’d take music to the next level. It might be a little bop — but unless you make it better, I don’t think you should touch it. You can’t really make Michael Jackson’s music better.

You hosted a gun buyback in Detroit? How did that go?

It was successful. We got 300 guns off the street. I think the underrated part of the gun buyback was that it was a job fair and we expunged a lot of people’s records. That was important to me, because I’m a felon, and to help people change their life and the trajectory of their future — people judge you, and it’s hard to be successful when you’re a felon. 

I like this quote you had: “Fame is a drug and I’ve seen people overdose on it.” How do you keep it in moderation?

I try to be as normal as possible. Do normal stuff and normal things I want to do, whether it’s going to the gym to work out and hooping, going to Dave & Buster’s, hanging with friends. I try to do normal things so I won’t be caught up in fame and music.