FLINT, MI — Growing up, Jeff Skigh listened to a lot of smooth tunes with his mother, Rita Williams.

She didn’t let him bring rap albums into the house.

Her limit was letting him listen to “The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill,” which Skigh said became a huge inspiration throughout his childhood.

Add in some of his mom’s favorites, such as Dru Hill, 112 and Anita Baker, and Skigh’s smooth style was born (and don’t tell mom, but some other influences from his youth included 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, Outkast and Lupe Fiasco).

“Musically, a lot of my inspiration really just comes from my family and my mom. That’s why I feel like the music I make is so smooth because when I was a kid, she didn’t really listen to rap a lot,” he said. “She listened to a lot of R&B, jazz and stuff like that. ... It kind

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