Second studio album released by Boston-based producer Statik Selektah, who has also started to make a name for himself in the mainstream following the extensive success of his debut. This record, however, has the contours of the sophomore jinx and doesn't replicate the glories of the previous one.
Intro by Statik, then "To the Top" which features Cassidy, Saigon and the beatmaker's fetish rapper, Termanology, on a jazzy rhythm: Cassidy does his homework, the others are better even if no one excels. The third cut sees MOP and Jadakiss in the same track, on a jazzy and little hardcore boom bap, but with MOP that "little" is canceled: Lil Fame opens, then Billy Danze, at the end Jada arrives to close the cut with one of his legendary verses. The next song is an oriental-style RZA rhythm, Bun B approaches it cheekily, while Cory Mo isn't up to it.
The fifth one features a kind of reunion of the protected group of Roc-A-Fella, the infamous one and only (thankfully) State Property, on this heavy hardcore boom bap realized by Statik: Young Chris with no desire, flow loose but listless, Peedi Crakk I don't understand why he didn't break through the game, but it was better this way for everyone, Free heavily lifts the track from the mug. Semi-jazzy interlude with Q-Tip, then Termano's solo, his light-hearted delivery is dominated by jazzy-hardcore boom bap production. The eighth piece features Skyzoo, Joell Ortiz and Talib Kweli: boom bap soulful, great sample looped in the background and for the hook, Skyzoo delivers first, then Joell Ortiz slams the door in and pulls out a flow-hardcore to rival the most fearsome MCs, closes Talib Kweli devastating everyone with a calm delivery.
"On the Marquee" features Justus League with Little Brother, Joe Scudda, and Chaundon on a beat that's not provided by 9th Wonder: sublime light jazzy boom bap, perfect for Big Pooh, Chaundon's honeyed rnb hook, Joe Scudda and Phonte close, but their attempt appears subdued, uninspired. Consequence solo on tune number ten, annoying, gothic hardcore boom bap, rare bad beat by Statik, Consequence somehow fit on this very bleak production. Mad Rapper's annoying interlude, then hardcore jazzy boom bap for the posse with D-Dot, Redman and Black Rob, the track doesn't stand out despite the heavyweight present.
Statik provides a great jazzy boom bap in "So Good", choice with Naledge, Reks and CL Smooth, the latter still in shape; the cut suffers from a mediocre hook, but is among the best ones. Reks stays for the following super-posse celebrating Massachusetts: Statik pulls out a timeless sample from the classic song "MacArthur Park" covered by the Four Tops in one of its saddest versions ever, puts a simple drum under it, creating a dark, raw, bleak, rough and dirty musical carpet, unfortunately the song is mediocre and suffers from an unguessed rnb hook; Reks and Slaine are the best performers, the other underground rappers do little to stand out and enhance the track.
JFK, another protégé rapper of Statik, is featured in the next interlude over a bouncy beat backdrop of a police siren mixed with suburban traffic of the best times. Anticipate the latest posse songs. "Destined to Shine" features Torae, Sha Stimuli and Jon Hope, three underdogs in a cut that from the title to the intro to the rhythm is a perennial tribute to Nas: mid-nineties NY underground hardcore bap boom, Illmaticly, Statik proves he can staying at the level of those same legendary producers and putting three unknowns on this timeless track, I didn't understand if it is to try to give value to the MCs or if it is to enhance his effort in production, which remains excellent in any case.
"Cali Nights" follows, an experimental rhythm that winks at g-funk and the West Coast, Eazy-E in particular (I don't remember the reason for this annotation): it's not a completely successful beat, Statik tries to keep it East Side, but the beat is correctly oriented towards the other Coast, the rappers called don't do much to bring the sound back to NY, rather, they push it towards the sunny Californian shores with a slow, confident, sunny delivery, accompanied by a hook pure West Coast. "Take It All Back" is the last track on the LP: boasts a sublime jazzy-soulful boom bap, with Paul Campbell doing a nice job on the hook keeping the rnb track, Reks delivers well, Easy Money tries to tuck in after the hook, Royce closes the work by finishing a decent song.
The album is sufficient, despite everything, it keeps just above the threshold of sufficiency, without banger or classics and with some suffering weak points. Among the best performers, MOP, Jadakiss, Redman and CL Smooth stand out. Statik production is honest, but there are too many newcomers / amateurs here who can't or don't know how to ride the rhythms well. 18 tracks, 53 minutes, recommended for East Coast fans.
Highlights: "For the City", "So Good (Live from the Bar)".
Rating: 6.5/10.
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