Skeptik Using "The Combine" As Personal Hip-Hop Breeding Ground

It's a place where names become known and millions of dollars made.
Now the combine is being used as a launching point for an Ohio hip-hop artist to present himself and his brand of music to a mass audience.
Skeptik's "The Combine" was released for the world's listening pleasure April 22. A 14-track mixtape mixed and mastered by Philadelphia's DJ GetEmKid, the talent believes the production is more of a showcase of his skills, letting listeners know what to expect from him when the lights shine brightest — or when it comes time to produce an album.
"'The Combine' is an idea I came up with a couple of months ago when I decided to do a mixtape," Skeptik said. "For those who don't know what the NFL Combine is, it is an event where the premier draft prospects run drills and skill tests for scouts to see if they want to draft them. These kinds of drills show skills but don't always accurately predict game-time performance.
"I view mixtapes in the same light; they may show off your skills but don't always project album quality. My free-verses are the same, showing I can rap my ass off but still are not an accurate indicator of what my album will sound like."
According to Skeptik, listeners will notice few changes from him, receiving the same sharp, direct flow and style that has become a staple in his music. "Not many surprises other than the fact that I've gotten A LOT better since my last mixtape (NoId3ntity). More of the same in the sense that its mixtape material and im just spittin, but my flow is tighter and my bars are tougher."
For the Columbus, Ohio, - based emcee, such toughness was wrought from hip-hop beginning as a release rather than a hobby as he struggled with behavioral issues in middle school.
"When I first started writing, it was poetry as a release," Skeptik said. "Throughout middle school I struggled with behavior issues and what not and I was always in trouble or on punishment. As a result I spent a lot of time in the house, I used that time to write and get shit off my chest."
Using every bar as a means to vent his emotions, the artist takes his turn rapping over hits like Drake's "Over" and Clipse's "Champion," adding a twist Skeptik said often is missing in today's music.
"Today there isn't much as far as hip-hop is concerned that inspires me; I draw inspiration from my life and my own beliefs and feelings and I channel them through my words," Skeptik said. "It's mainly because I'm in a place in life where the current "rap" music just doesnt cut it.
"I listen to music as a way to regulate my mood and to relax. None of this bullshit ass, popular ass rap music can do that for me. Dont get me wrong — I still bump some classics and a lot of Joe Budden — but as a whole, I listen to FAR more rock and alternative music on a daily basis."
With "The Combine" now released for everyone's entertainment, Skeptik is already looking ahead to his next project which he has entitled "Loose Leaf." The mixtape is expected to drop later this Spring.
"It's going to be like 'The Combine' but it will be more concept based 32's to help bridge the gap toward the album, which I'm looking to finish and release by late summer," the hip-hop talent said. "The album will be a crystal clear window into me and who I am, which is what I think music should be.
"Fuck a gimmick to sell records. Either you love me or you hate me... but it will be ME that you are judging."
To download "The Combine," visit: http://areyouaskeptik.com

To get in contact with Skeptik visit his Twitter page at @DontBeASkeptik