The Million Dollar Backpack


The Million Dollar Backpack is the fourth solo studio album by American rapper and record producer Skillz. It was released on July 22, 2008, via Big Kidz Music and Koch Records. Recording sessions took place at Homecookin Studios, Larry Gold's The Studio and The Boom Room in Philadelphia, at Portside Sound, at Donland Studios, at Chung King Studios in New York, at K1 Laboratories, at The House That Quest Built. Production was handled by Bink!, Fusion Unlimited, Khari Ferrari, Carvin & Ivan, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Jake One, James Poyser, Jimmy "Slim" Rose, Kwamé, ?uestlove, Usef Dinero, and Skillz himself. It features guest appearances from Black Thought, Common and Freeway.
The first single off the album was "So Far So Good" featuring Common on the album version and Talib Kweli on the video version. It is the follow-up to Skillz 2005 album Confessions of a Ghostwriter.

Personnel

  • Donnie "Mad Skillz" Lewis – vocals, producer & recording, co-producer, executive producer
  • Duane Fowlkes – additional vocals
  • Leslie "Freeway" Pridgen – rap vocals
  • Lonnie "Common" Lynn – rap vocals
  • Kwamé "K1 Mil" Holland – additional vocals & producer
  • Jamal "Truck North" Miller – additional vocals
  • Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter – rap vocals
  • Maimouna Youssef – additional vocals
  • Durrell "Bishop" Scott – vocals
  • Kenny Wray – vocals
  • Aaries – vocals
  • Cornbread – vocals
  • Maurice "DJ Aktive" Deloach – scratches
  • Leonard "E-Flat" Stephens – guitar, co-producer
  • James Poyser – keyboards, producer
  • Jeffrey "DJ Jazzy Jeff" Townes – producer & recording
  • Jacob "Jake One" Dutton – producer
  • Carvin "Ransum" Haggins – producer, recording, co-executive producer
  • Ivan "Orthodox" Barias – producer, mixing, recording, co-executive producer
  • Joseph "Usef Dinero"/"Joe Money" Pritchard – producer
  • Roosevelt "Bink!" Harrell III – producer
  • Tyrone D. Tellington – producer
  • Khari Abdul Mateen – producer & recording
  • Ahmir "?uestlove" Thompson – producer
  • Jimmy "Slim" Rose – producer & recording
  • Johnnie "Smurf" Smith – co-producer
  • Karl "Dice Raw" Jenkins – vocal producer, co-executive producer
  • Andre Dandridge – recording
  • Gary Herd – recording
  • Chris "Tek" O'Ryan – mixing, recording
  • A Kid Called Cus – recording & mixing
  • Kristal Oliver – recording
  • Jon Smeltz – mixing
  • Steven Mandel – recording
  • Montez Roberts – recording
  • Jerome Hipps – executive producer
  • Michael McArthur – executive producer
  • Mahfuzur "Shomi" Patwary – design, layout
  • Paul Grosso – design
  • Laurel Dann – A&R