Christopher “Sky Bad” Wright wants you to know nobody actually hates him. The Jamaican producer named his new 13 track album Everybody Hates Chris, but the title is really about the noise that follows anyone trying to build something from scratch.
“Everybody Hates Chris is not about literally believing everybody hates me. It represents the obstacles, doubters, criticism, and negativity that can come with trying to build something for yourself,” he explained.
“I want the project to tell the story of turning pressure into progress and proving that you can come from wherever you come from and still make it to where you want to be.”
That story gets told through a stacked guest list. Malie Donn, Valiant, Demarco, Mortimer, Beenie Man and Tommy Lee Sparta all show up, a lineup stretching from dancehall royalty to the genre’s younger stars.
Sky Bad says the roster wasn’t built for clout. “I wasn’t just looking for big names. I was looking for voices, personalities, styles, and energy that matched the records,” he said, explaining that he wanted a project that could move between sounds and still feel connected.
Getting everyone on board took different routes. Some features came through relationships he already had, while others landed through introductions or simply reaching out directly.
He also refused to rush it, taking his time to find the right artistes, production and sound. “I didn’t want to rush it just to put out a body of work. I wanted every song to have its own identity and make sense as part of the bigger picture,” he said.
There’s a real tension to watch here. Producer albums with this many guests can easily turn into a playlist with a name on top, and Sky Bad seems aware of that risk.
His answer is the way he works with people, staying involved in the studio while leaving room for artistes to bring their own ideas. “I’m not trying to make every artiste sound the same. I listen to what makes each person unique and try to build around that,” he said. I believe a producer has to understand the music, but also understand the people making it.
That instinct goes back a long way. Born and raised in Devon, Manchester, he started out playing drums in church, moved to turntables by 10th grade and eventually worked as a party and radio DJ.
His production résumé picked up speed between 2018 and 2020 with Squash’s Ohh Lala La, Teejay’s Badmind & Jealousy and Tommy Lee Sparta’s Godfather. He also produced six tracks on Khago’s 2018 album Walk A Mile, which climbed to No. 2 on the Billboard Reggae Albums chart.
Then there are the rhythm compilations Black Henny, Dream House, Mega Moves and Lost Soul, the usual currency of a dancehall producer’s catalogue. Everybody Hates Chris is a different kind of move, with his own name and story out front.
Tommy Lee Sparta linking with him again after Godfather shows some of those earlier connections are still paying off. Now the dances and the radio selectors get their say on all 13 tracks.
