Crystal Killingsworth
Blue & White Flash / Staff Writer
“Get Em’ Skrilla!” is all that Jackson State student, Daryl “Skrilla” Williams II hears when he sets out to captivate his fellow peers with his unique approach to modern day rap.
Williams, a 21 year old junior English education major at Jackson State University, combines his love of hip-hop with his passion for promoting positive messages to his student body.
Skrilla’s infatuation with hip-hop was originally influenced by the East St. Louis community where he grew up as a young boy.
“I remember hearing people on the street listening to artists like Master P, and I remember liking what I heard,” said Skrilla.
Skrilla’s fascination with hip-hop continued to evolve when he began to listen to other genres of music and eventually began to experiment with his own technique of rapping music.
While Skrilla loved the idea of hip-hop and the representation that precedes it, he felt the words that he said during his rap should convey a deeper meaning rather than stereotypical luxuries such as money, cars, and clothes that lace most rappers songs in this day and age.
“I wanted to make music everyone liked to listen to, but with something with a more meaningful message,” said Skrilla.
Skrilla is currently at a point in his music career where he is simply advertising his music to his fellow students and the surrounding Jackson area utilizing social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook to promote his music.
“I test the impact of my brand by releasing my songs on Twitter to see how my fan base responds to the music as well as to generate more fans,” said Skrilla. “I want my fans to feel me before they invest in me.”
T’Erica Hudson, a junior criminal justice major from Chicago, Ill., who considers Williams family said, “Skrilla is an inspiration to all. His music is relatable and inspirational to college students. He’s necessary for our generation,” said Hudson.
Skrilla has recently been working on a new project dedicated to his father has always been one of his big supporters. According to him, his father who coined the trademark “Get Em’ Skrilla,” has always encouraged the young rapper to pursue his dreams. The song is called “Senior”.
“It’s my way of showing appreciation to my biggest fan,” said Skilla.
Skrilla’s passion for motivating others not only stops at college students, but high school students as well. He is currently the founder of an outreach program called “Better Off in College”. The project was initiated in 2011 when Skrilla got tired of hearing complaining and excuses in regards to education. He sought out to teach the younger generation that hard work and dedication pays off in the future.
“I decided to give something back to the younger generation and give high school students the courage to succeed past high school graduation,” said Skrilla.
His newly dropped single with local artist, Rich Kidd, entitled “2 cups & we Gone” is scheduled to play soon on the radio. Skrilla said that he plans to on traveling the world sharing his music with others.
“I hope to bless more people with my gift,” he said.
