Sony/ATV has inked Pennsylvania-bred rapper/songwriter Lil Skies, whose debut album, Life of a Dark Rose (Atlantic), recently bowed in the Top 20 on our chart.

Skies, born Kimetrius Foose, first gained renown when two of his mixtapes, Good Grades, Bad Habits and Alone, blew up on SoundCloud.

"Skies is special," declared pubco VP Creative Ian Holder. "As much as we love what he’s doing right now, I believe he’s only scratching the surface."

The artist has recently earned raves on his first-ever headlining tour. He is said to be learning to appreciate a Montecristo.

In a related story, if nobody is going by "Kimetrius Foose" now, is it cool if we use it as the name of our ska band?