On today’s (Aug. 10) episode of “Big Facts,” the crew caught up with Atlanta rapper and songwriter Skooly. Born Kazarion Fowler of Bankhead, Skooly was an integral part of the rap group Rich Kidz. The ensemble was created by RKaelub; he was a high school student when he met Skooly, who was only in middle school at the time. Going on to become a duo, their group was originally comprised of several artists, but the additional members went their separate ways after they were not able to unite on the decision to sign to a major label. Skooly revealed that he was the only minor at the time and had his father look over the paperwork. “It wasn’t right,” he insisted.

After a majority of the group embarked on their own solo careers, RKaelub and Skooly decided to maintain the Rich Kidz name and revamp their sound. The latter’s father wanted him to finish school before pursuing other endeavors. However, the budding artists stayed persistent and committed, sneaking out to shows, and Skooly even reminisced on the times Baby Jade would help get him to and from his performances.

Moreover, DJ Scream, Big Bank, and Baby Jade made sure to give the skilled songwriter his flowers, as the now-solo artist was always talented and sought after by record labels and executives. Skooly played a major part in the shift and tone of music today.

The foundation of the “Big Facts” discussion was not only catching up with him but also finding out why his fans haven’t heard many new tunes over the years. “I know you got some heat in the vault!” Big Bank exclaimed. Unfortunately, the multihyphenate has had difficulties with his label regarding how often they release his music. “It’s the label. They take their time putting stuff out, and it’s got to go through a process,” the Atlanta legend explained. He shared with DJ Scream that if there was anything he could do differently in his career, in hindsight, he would never have locked in with a major label. “It feels like somebody got them strings on you, like a puppet. It don’t feel like you in control no more,” the star revealed.

Furthermore, over the years, Skooly has struggled with the feeling of isolation. He claimed there has been a lack of support from colleagues and other artists who are in supreme positions and could have helped him up the ladder. Although not looking for any handouts, there were people he expected support from, and he stated that never happened. The “I Been Missing” rapper also discussed artists requesting payment of $75,000 for one verse, which wasn’t considered an acceptable transaction. Big Bank took some time on today’s episode to share some encouraging words for Skooly. “You got to look at everything as a form of a blessing. You may be meant to be right here by yourself dropping [music],” he said. Although feeling left out by his peers, Skooly did show love to artists like 21 Savage and Sada Baby for always checking on him and keeping him motivated.

Skooly’s focus now is the rollout of everything that’s to come and staying on task. His two most recent drops are “I Been Missing” with an official music video attached and Sleeping Giant.

If you enjoyed today’s recap, be sure to tune into “Big Facts” every Thursday for new episodes. If you missed the team’s conversation with Skooly, click here to watch.