Entertainment
Skyface Reveals Why He Stopped Wearing His Signature Mask
Speaking in an interview with Delay, the rapper explained that the mask was not originally intended to serve as a branding strategy but was a way of hiding his identity from his family while pursuing his music career.
According to him, he began wearing the mask when he started trap music because he lacked the confidence to openly identify himself as an aspiring musician.
“The mask was from way back, when I started to trap. I wasn’t shy; I was hiding. I didn’t have the confidence, and when school came in, I needed to hide more because my big brothers are difficult,” he said.
Skyface revealed that his older brothers did not know he was the person behind the mask, with only his mother and younger brother aware of his music career.
Although the mask eventually became closely associated with his identity as a performer, he said the situation changed when some individuals began exploiting his image for fraudulent activities.
He explained that the impersonators approached event promoters and organisers, collected money and claimed they could secure his services for performances, leaving him and his team to deal with the resulting complaints.
“People were impersonating me and taking money from promoters and organisers with promises of performing at their events. They’d call us to demand their money. The police were calling us about arresting people who were also impersonating me,” he stated.
The rapper said he initially had no plans to remove the mask because it had become part of his brand, which he wanted to preserve. However, the growing cases of impersonation made it increasingly difficult for him to maintain the disguise.
Skyface also disclosed that the mask created challenges during visa applications, as embassy officials repeatedly questioned his identity and sought to establish whether he was the same person shown in his official documents.
“Even at embassies I faced the same problems. Everyone gets their approvals fast, but when it’s my turn, they ask questions after questions: ‘Are you sure that is you?’ Then they look at their machine and look at my face to confirm,” he said.