In between tracks on some music albums are what are known as skits. These are spoken-word bits included in between music tracks. They are particularly common in Hip-Hop, originating in the late 1980’s with albums such as 3 Feet High and Rising by De La Soul, but they are also present in non-Hip-Hop albums as well.
Album Interlude Skits are frequently humorous, acting as amusing breaks in between album tracks. They can also be serious, sometimes doubling as exposition on Concept Albums. Some skits include samples from other songs or media. Skits can include characters, plot, or even just jokes or routines. Skits usually fit with the general theme of an album—on a more lighthearted or comedic album, humorous skits will be present. On a more serious album, the skits are usually the more serious variety. This isn’t always the case though—a serious album can include humorous skits (particularly as a means of providing humor to an otherwise dark album), and vice versa. On an album, skits are usually interspersed with tracks, but some skits are included within the start or end of a song. They can often function as filler, particularly on longer albums.
In Hip-Hop (and other genres), skits were very common from the late 80’s to the mid 2000’s. In recent years, they have become significantly less common. One reason is the rise of digital distribution, which significantly hurt the album as an art form and made skits less relevant, since listeners could just listen to songs without listening to the skits. Skits also are controversial, with some music fans criticizing them for breaking up the flow of albums and being unfunny or otherwise unpleasant to listen to, particularly when the musician making them isn’t very good at comedy or plot.
Often a form of Sketch Comedy. Can sometimes feature in a Concept Album. See also Mid-Vid Skit.
Examples
- Eminem frequently used skits on his albums:
- The Marshall Mathers LP:
- The very first track, "Public Service Announcement 2000" (a successor to the opening track on The Slim Shady LP), is a skit claiming to be a "public service announcement" where a vulgar announcer states (on orders from Eminem) that the rapper "does not give a fuck",
- The Marshall Mathers LP:
