Skilla Baby is an American rapper who has been rising in the music industry. He caught the public’s attention through his amazing music. His songs have gained millions of views on YouTube.
Since he started his career, he has performed on different stages, including the 2023 Super Bowl, after being brought out by Lil Baby.
Thanks to his massive popularity, people have been wondering what Skilla Baby’s real name might be.
Skilla Baby’s Real Name & Inspiration behind His Stage Name
The American rapper’s real name is Trevon Gardner. He started his career at the age of 18 and has released multiple songs till now. He has been using his stage name from the start, including on social media.
The rapper got his nickname “Skillz” in his schooling days. While playing basketball, he told his coach, “Let me play, I got skills,” when their opponent was a 5th-grade team.
He adopted it and used it as a stage name later on. However, he never revealed how he got his last name. Nevertheless, Skilla’s work ethic and music dedication caught Sada Baby’s attention at the end of 2017.
He took him under his wing for an informal mentorship. After that, he started to drop his music and gradually began gaining popularity all over the nation.
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Skilla Baby’s Musical Journey Fueled by His Father’s Influence
Skilla Baby’s motivation to begin writing came when he was young. A spark was lit inside him when in the fifth grade, he was instructed to memorize Langston Hughes’ poetry “Mother to Son.”
They had to study in school and recite it in school. He was able to study it with the help of his mother. Well, when he read the poem, it reminded him of him.
But around the same time, his mom moved to Toledo. Skilla disliked the Mud Hens’ home and chose to stay with his father in Detroit instead.
In an interview with Metro Times, he admitted that he was a troubled kid but not a troublemaker, the type of kid who was intrinsically brilliant but attracted mischief.
Moving in with his father was a bit of a cultural shift as he was a disciplinarian and much older. The rapper’s father was 52 years old when he was born.
However, growing up with his old man expanded his musical taste. Skilla knows as many Anita Baker and Luther Vandross songs as he does of Meek Mill and Lil Wayne’s.
Skilla said, “I’m influenced by a lot.” His father grew up in the Motown era; he would tell him stuff about Graystone Ballroom, where all Motown singers and stuff went. The rapper said, “he (his father) was a big influence on my music.”
The music was just always in Skilla, as his father would often watch TV and play the radio. Sadly, his dad passed when he was only 15.
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Worked a Full-Time Job and Dabbled in a Few Side Hustles in the Early Stage
Skilla Baby was born on October 2, 1998, in Detroit, MI, United States. The 24-year-old rapper is best known for his breakout song ‘Trevon’ in 2019.
Aforementioned, his dad died when he was just 15, which forced him to be mature and to fend for himself. Then he moved back to his mother, but the arrangement was short-lived.
Skilla found himself in a difficult situation in 2016. He really needed money while living from place to place. He was nearly homeless as he got kicked out of the house by his stepfather since they didn’t like one another.
Skilla was still in the early stage of his career during that time
He didn’t want to go to college. The rapper was good at basketball but didn’t get any offers as he would often get in trouble.
Nonetheless, at that time, he knew he wanted to get some money.
So, he focused on his musical career. Therefore, he worked a full-time job and dabbled in a few street hustles. The rapper worked at different companies, including Bucharest Grill, McDonald’s, Walmart, and Red Lobster.
Later in 2017, he caught the attention of Sada Baby. And then his musical career skyrocketed.
