Skee-Lo facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Skee-Lo
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Skee-Lo performing at the 2010 Seattle Hempfest
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Antoine Roundtree |
| Also known as | Tha Skee-lo |
| Born | March 27, 1975 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Origin | Riverside, California, U.S. |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupation(s) |
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| Years active | 1994–2013, 2024 |
| Labels | Skeelo Musik LLC, Scotti Brothers |
Antoine Roundtree (born March 27, 1975), known as Skee-Lo, is an American rapper. He is most famous for his 1995 song "I Wish". This song became a big hit in many countries. It reached number 13 on the Billboard Hot 100 music chart.
"I Wish" was special because it did not use any bad words. This was at a time when many rap songs did. His first album, also called I Wish, came out soon after. Both the song and the album were nominated for Grammy Awards. After this, Skee-Lo stopped rapping for a while. He later released new albums in 2000 and 2012.
Contents
Early life and education
Antoine Roundtree was born in Chicago, Illinois. His family later moved to Poughkeepsie, New York. When he was nine, they moved again to Riverside, California. He started rapping in 1983, when he was very young.
He finished high school at Canyon Springs High School. This school is in Moreno Valley. In 1993, he moved back to Los Angeles. He also went to El Camino College. Around this time, he became a Muslim and joined the Nation of Islam.
Career
Skee-Lo first performed in the early 1990s at the Good Life Cafe. His first album, I Wish, came out in 1995. He had started working on it in 1993. The album was a huge success.
One of the songs from the album was "Top of the Stairs". This song was played in the movie Money Train (1995). It was also on the movie's soundtrack. Skee-Lo stopped rapping just five months after his album came out. This was because of a problem with his record label, Sunshine Records.
Skee-Lo said that Sunshine Records took all the money from his album's success. He claimed he did not earn anything from it. He said, "I refused to shoot any more videos, promote or record music. I'm not their slave. I wasn't working for free." After many years, he won his case against the label in court.
In 1996, Skee-Lo recorded a new version of a Schoolhouse Rock! song. It was called "The Tale of Mr. Morton". This song taught about how sentences are built. It explained subjects, verbs, and predicates. The song was on a 1996 album called Schoolhouse Rock! Rocks.
Also in 1996, Skee-Lo became a VJ for MTV. He hosted shows like The Beach House and The Grind. A VJ is like a DJ, but for music videos.
He helped write a song called "I'll Be Your Everything". The boy band Youngstown sang this song. It was on the soundtrack for the 1999 Inspector Gadget movie.
Skee-Lo returned to music in 2000 with a new song, "I Can't Stop". This song was also the title track for his second album, released in 2001.
In 2011, he wrote "Burnin' Up" for the movie Killer Holiday. This was a horror movie from 2013. MTV made a music video for the song. Marty Thomas directed the video. It was filmed at actor Howie Mandel's house. Skee-Lo released this song on his own music company, Skeelo Musik.
In 2012, Skee-Lo was a guest on a song called "Now You See My Life". This song was with rapper Deuce. It was on Deuce's album Nine Lives.
Skee-Lo released his third album, Fresh Ideas, on November 13, 2012. He released it through his own company, Skeelo Musik. It became available in stores on July 9, 2013.
In 2024, after an 11-year break, he released a new song. It is called "Slow Down". He released it on his own through Bandcamp.
Personal life
Skee-Lo lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Stacy Ambrose. They have five children.
Discography
Skee-Lo has released several albums and singles.
Studio albums
- I Wish (1995)
- I Can't Stop (2001)
- Fresh Ideas (2012)
Singles
- "I Wish" (1995)
- "Top of the Stairs" (1995)
- "Holdin' On" (1996)
- "Superman" (1996)
- "I Can't Stop" (2000)
- "At the Mall" (2001)
- "Bounce Back" (2001)
- "I Love LA" (2012)
- "Vibe Is Right" (2013)
- "Slow Down" (2024)
Music videos
- "I Wish" (1995)
- "Top of the Stairs" (1995)
- "Holdin' On" (1996)
- "At The Mall" (2001)
- "Burnin' Up" (2011)
- "Vibe Is Right" (2013)
- "Raw" (2015)
Images for kids
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Skee-Lo performing at the 2010 Seattle Hempfest
See also
In Spanish: Skee-Lo para niños
