Skillions have issues like any other talented rap group or Hip- hop band. Save for ‘Jinx Therapy’ who is solely an emcee, the rest of the crew produce some of the hottest Hip-hop cuts in the urban underground.

Holding all that creativity together can be a little tricky so every once in while the ego tripping gets in the way. But there hasn’t been a period when their issues have festered beyond the usual and so they can comfortably claim the top spot for Ghana Hip-hop.

We are driving around the capital in Ball-J’s car trying to cash a check before the banks shut down operations for the day and for one, Ball doesn’t know his way around the city so Jayso is giving him pointers.

Lil Money is reclining in the backseat-- with eyes all puffy looking like he just woke up from a 'day mare'. The rest of the crew EL, J-Town, Midnight and Jinx Therapy couldn’t make it for the interview, but there’s still enough to talk about without cutting them off.

The core group apart from Money and 3-town hooked up In PRESEC during their high school days. It’s been a little over a year since Skillions released their first mixtape, which set the tone for a chain reaction that opened the way for the steady rise of mixtape culture currently budding in the Hip-hop underground.

After countless appearances at open mic sessions across the capital, Skillions got to open for Sean Paul at his recent concert. “People have this impression that Hip-hop is for a certain kind of people so most of the time they are made to feel alienated, when the music is actually for them,” Jayso says. “There is this impression that Hip-hop is for young people who are into drugs and stuff.”

Regardless of all that sets them back, ‘Skillions’ have managed to maintain a tenacious grip on their art and how their music is expressed. The 21-track mixtape is skillfully put together with fused layers of syncopation, the guest list is short and someone is yet to point out any uninspiring bars on ‘The Demo Tapes’.

Skillions got some real help when they met their current manager, Melissa Mensah and she’s toured neighbouring Nigeria with them for record deals and landed a production deal with Storm Records. The group is looking at doing crossover music and getting some of that OSIBISA magic on their side. The group will be working on a new project featuring Hiplife artistes on Hip-Hop cuts this year and 2007 looks like the year of the Skillions.