Mark Skillz - ProfilesArchive

About Me

So who's this guy Mark Skillz?It goes a little something like this: You know that flavor that you've been cravin' to savor neighbor, the one that takes you back to Mr. Magic and the Supreme Team on WHBI.And them jams that you remember back when cats with golden voices and hearts to steal kept the spot sparkin' hot while rhymin over 'Got to be Real'.Or that smoothed out flavor that guys like Vaughn Harper and Frankie Crocker used to hit you with on the late night tip?Ha! That's what i'm talkin' 'bout.Whether its writing ill-literature about the days when hip-hop was really "hip hop" for Wax Poetics. I've written articles about the legendary Bronx club 'The Disco Fever' and the 1977 battle between Pete DJ Jones and Kool DJ Herc. I am the first person to write in-depth articles about the careers of rap pioneers DJ Hollywood and Eddie Cheba. I've written hard hitting commentary online about the destruction and taking of hip hop culture. Now Can you dig it? (Like Cyrus said in "The Warriors", remember that?) "Caaaaaaan you dig ittttttttt!"And speakin' of Mr. Magic and Frankie Crocker...no one drops that kind of flavor on the radio anymore - but ya man Mark Skillz does!Ya probably heard his voice comin' through your radio or TV set and said "Damn, who in the f___ is that?"I've voiced commercials for FYE that have appeared on BET. There was the Mary J Blige joint, Busta Rhymes, Nee Yo, Black Buddafly, India Irie, Shawnna, Field Mob, Jagged Edge, Christina Milian, Ghostface Killah and many others. Go to the video section and check out a couple of commercials I've done.Not only that but check out 102.3 Radio Free KJLH in Los Angeles and my home boy Davey D's Breakdown FM. I started doing voice imaging for a little pirate station in Oakland called 104.1 for my man DJ Ibi Judah. Later that led to America Online's hip hop radio station....And it's just been bubblin' from there.

My Interests

Music, radio and writing

I'd like to meet:

Positive people man, got no time for negativity what's so ever.I'd like to meet anyone in radio, TV, mixtapes, magazines, porn whatever...

Music:

Fela Kuti, The Spinners, James Brown, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, Funky Four, Spoonie Gee, Eric B and Rakim, Jay Z, Yellow Man, Peter Metro, Bob Marley, Kurtis Blow, Shabba Ranks, Brigadier Jerry, The Rolling Stones

Movies:

16 Blocks - I just seen that joint: WOW; Carlito's Way: CERTIFIED HOT; Uptown Saturday Night: CLASSIC; Hustle and Flow; Fearless; Lady Sings the Blues; Casino Royale; Casino; Good Fellas; The Mack; Shaft; Baaaadaasss; Wedding Crashers; The Ringer; Rocky; And any Janet Jacme, Ms. Cleo and Cherokee D'Ass films in existence

Television:

The Wire; The Sopranos; Big Love; Lost; 24; Justice League

Books:

Mr. Untouchable; Seabiscuit; Airtight Willie and Me; Have Gun Will Travel; Portrait of a Killer; A Taste of Power; The Coldest Winter Ever; No Disrespect; The Autobiography of Malcolm X; Pick a Better Country; Naked Soul of Iceberg Slim

Heroes:

Both of my dads Thomas Zuniga and Harry McCord. My kids. My moms. My wife. My sisters. My brothers. Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Robert Beck and a guy who found his way kinda late in life but is doin' alright now: Me: Thomas John Mark Zuniga-McCord, Sr b/k/a Mark Skillz

My Blog

One Night At the Executive Playhouse: Pete DJ Jones vs Kool DJ Herc

Back in the good old days of 1977 when gas lines were long and unemployment was high, there were two schools of deejays competing for Black and Latino audiences in New York City: the Pete D.J. Jones c...
Posted by Mark Skillz on Thu, 12 Apr 2007 11:54:00 PST

Here Comes the Boogie Man...

Black on black crime, drug abuse, HIV, promiscuity, materialism, greed and ignorance, what do these things have in common: Hip-hop. Or so they say.It looks as if the boogieman for the first part of th...
Posted by Mark Skillz on Thu, 12 Apr 2007 11:42:00 PST

The Last of the Great Slow Songs

Time to talk about some grown folks music. If you're under 35: prepare for an education.Back in the days before booty-shakin', pole dancin' and Crunk. Hell, before hip-hop was a million dollar industr...
Posted by Mark Skillz on Thu, 12 Apr 2007 11:37:00 PST

The Sons of Sly

Anyone who came of age in the 80's will tell you that the music that pre-dominated Black radio back then was funk. Hearing a rap record on the radio at that time was a treat. And you best believe that...
Posted by Mark Skillz on Thu, 12 Apr 2007 11:31:00 PST

A Shot of Viagra For the Movement

Last weeks incident with Tony Yayo and Jimmy Rosemond's 14-year-old son has sparked outrage in New York. Which is a good thing. But when will we confront the real enemy? Who's the real enemy yo...
Posted by Mark Skillz on Mon, 02 Apr 2007 07:16:00 PST

Habitual Line Steppin' In the Age of Beef

Word on the street is Jimmy Rosemond is not a guy to be messed with. His nickname is "Henchmen". He earned that rep that hard way on the streets of New York in the 70's, '80's and 90's. Since I...
Posted by Mark Skillz on Wed, 28 Mar 2007 07:52:00 PST

A Good Man Ain't Too Hard to Find

With all of the talk about disintegrating Black families I figured that I'd drop my two cents in.Ok, it is apparent that Black men are missing in action, hell, Stevie Wonder can see that. There are so...
Posted by Mark Skillz on Mon, 26 Mar 2007 07:52:00 PST

An Important Life Lesson

Of all of the people I remember from third grade there will be one person that I will never forget. Her name was Miriam. We went to PS 24 in Flushing, Queens. Don't ask me what year it was cause I dam...
Posted by Mark Skillz on Mon, 26 Mar 2007 07:49:00 PST

Car Wash Cool Breeze Ed

For legal reasons I won't reveal Ed's full name nor will I reveal the name of the car wash or the city it's in. But it's safe to say that Cool Breeze Ed was a lovable guy.Back in the day when I was a ...
Posted by Mark Skillz on Mon, 26 Mar 2007 07:41:00 PST

Age Ain't Nuttin But a Number

Finding someone to hook up with at any age is hard to do, from my own experiences and others around me, the older you get the harder it gets.Believe it or not as an 18 year old my dating opportunities...
Posted by Mark Skillz on Mon, 26 Mar 2007 07:33:00 PST