Sky Bento - T E R M I N A (Album/Interview)
New Bedford, MS artist Sky Bento has just released his latest album, TERMINA. It's new to us, but Bento has been waiting for this moment for a very long time.
He's never been the type of artist to put himself in a box, and this project is a clear example of that. Bento is able to take the pain-filled lyrics and deliver them in a captivating way, easily combining the skills of rapping bars and singing with a catchy melody.
I talked to him and we discussed several things, including his new album and how it was created, his inspirations in the game, and his life outside his music and how it brought him to the place he is today.
Elijah Wheeler: First, I want to say that the project is fire. You have a distinct sound and it seems very personal. What inspired “TERMINA”?
Sky Bento: Much love, my man. That means the world to me because it's really just life-inspired. I didn’t choose the circumstances my life has put me through, but I chose to make music with it. First, I wanted to be a singer but I ain’t like my voice so I rapped for a while, but then I started to love what I could do with my voice so I sang. Singing was what made me comfortable talking about the real life shit I go through. And I felt like bringing it back to more rap-focused music. It felt like cycles in life were starting to keep looping like in Termina from Zelda: Majora’s Mask, so that was the world I wanted to create, musically. And I mean I wanted to be a full-on, boy band-leading popstar when I say singer.
EW: I was gonna ask where the name came from. That’s a dope concept. Was it tough for you to be so vulnerable in the music?
SB: It’s actually easiest to put it in the music for me. It’s therapy really. I thank Juice WRLD for that cuz there’s been plenty of vulnerable artists before. But he was the first one that I felt spoke to exactly how I feel. And I realized that we all just holding hands of different combinations of the same trash cards. So if somebody out there that been through anything I have, they might feel alone like I did. But it’s important to know that you’re not alone in what you go through, someone has been through it AND GREW FROM IT.
EW: You mention JuiceWrld (RIP). Is he one of your biggest influences? Who are some artists that made you want to start making music?
SB: N-SYNC made me wanna start making music. I wanted to be Justin Timberlake as a jit, no cap. But overall, it was really like Kanye, Wayne,TIP & Jeezy that made me wanna really rap. But with my music becoming as therapeutic as it is for me, yeah Juice is a huge influence, probably my biggest. Uzi & A-Boogie too. Fuck, can’t forget X either because he really inspired me to just make whatever I felt, no matter the genre.
EW: If you could make your own sub genre, what would it be? What's the best way to describe your music for someone who hasn’t heard it?
SB: Art. I make so many different kinds of music it really be hard, it depends where i'm at mentally especially since i produce myself. Overall I guess i'm mostly like emo rap. This new album is very G-Funk influenced. Last project was Drill . Did New Jack Swing (old thing back), Afrobeats (henny in a bottle), rock (december). I just try to make whatever I’m feeling.
It’s just Big Bento Energy in total effect whenever you hear me.
EW: What was it like growing up in New Bedford? You usually don’t hear about rappers coming out of there.
SB: That’s a bit of a loaded question. Me, I grew up in my own lil world. Like, I would go to school and talk to my friends about what happened on Dragonball Z the night before, but then I’d walk home and just be in the crib. On that walk home you prob see some wild shit if you pay close enough attention. Lot of addicts doing the things addicts do and there’s always a siren going off in the distance. It’s such a small town though it has a lot of strong communities that hold each other down. But I was always out the mix, I ain’t play sports or nothing. So I would just be playing video games with my neighbors if I'm lucky, but more often by myself. I was always inside drawing or watching cartoons or playing with Legos as a kid, just because it wasn't much to do
EW: Was there any sort of music scene out there that you gravitated to?
SB: Well, I gotta add that I moved outta New Bedford and got raised out in East Providence which is when I really started taking music seriously and rapping. But when I moved back to New Bedford at 16 I really got to see the music scene. We had this organization called 3rd eye that even brought out some legends like Slick Rick every Summer for a festival we could all perform at. 3rd Eye even had a hip-hop club at my high school where we got studio access and did shows. It really built me & I fell in love with freestyling in cyphers & even more than that I fell in love with dropping mixtapes to try and stand out from cats who could just rap.
EW: What’s one thing you want fans to take away from TERMINA?
SB: What don’t kill you shows you how strong you really are honestly, that's what I learned from myself while making it. When it feels like you starting over you never really are, cuz u learn from what u go through. Nothing lasts forever. All cycles eventually break. Just don’t let the cycle break you.
Listen to the album and let us know what you think. Follow our socials below:
Twitter: @plzsaythebento / @elijahlaflair / @TDNForever
IG: @plzsaythebento / @elijahlaflair / @tdnforever