When Statik Selektah's eighth album-producer came out in late 2017, it was ignored by the public, and critics didn't do much to promote it. The guests of the edition are, among others, 2 Chainz, Wiz Khalifa, Run the Jewels, Action Bronson, G-Eazy, Joey Badass, The LOX, Westside Gunn & Conway, Termanology, Crimeapple, Chris Rivers, Joyner Lucas, Sean Price, Tek, Currensy, Lil' Fame, Raekwon, Royce da 5'9", B-Real, Everlast, No Malice, Prodigy and Juelz Santana.
Statik opens his new album from where he left off the previous effort, two years earlier (what was supposed to be the last...) the daughter's ultrasound, on a soulful rhythm. Track number two is one of the worst in the Boston beatmaker's career: his beat is good, soul-jazzy, but 2 Chainz's delivery is weak between verse and hook and Wiz gets dragged down by delivering listless. The next choice is produced with a Jamesbondian boom bap to welcome Run the Jewels: El-P and Killer Mike deliver beautifully on this thriller rhythm, the cut is solid, but not excelled as expected. Statik Selektah doesn't raise the quality of his production even when his friend Action Bronson arrives in "Watching Myself": his boom bap is dark, it snakes in the shadows, with fifties noir movie vibes, Bronson drops bars with a good flow. The next two performers go unnoticed on a quick soulful-jazzy beat. Track number six boasts a level jazzy-soulful production, Enisa delivers a good hook, then Badass obscures G-Eazy, with one of the best flows in the project.
In the following cut, on a great jazzy-soulful bap boom, you simply expect LOX to rip the cut, and they do it. "No. 8" is supposed to be the album's title track, Statik Selektah cleverly places two of the best artists of the period: on a jazzy boom bap, while not dropping their best lyricism, Conway and Westside Gunn kill the piece with a smooth execution, while Termanology lowers the level. Although the track is among the best of the edition, it doesn't completely live up to expectations. Crimeapple just made his debut in the rap game, and this is his last appearance in his rookie year, while Chris Rivers needs no introduction. The others I don't know who they're, I have no idea, never heard of: Lawrence's producer places a simplistic rhythm for this huge mediocre posse track, where no one stands out, not even Rivers. The first three go, three more arrive while Statik switches the beat, but the story doesn't change, they're all indistinguishable.
Joyner Lucas delivers quick on a good soulful boom bap with trap elements and he rips the track. it follows "Go Gettas", Tek and Wais P (colorless) with the late Sean Price, on a good jazzy-soul boom bap by Statik. Currensy flows confidently over a jazzy rhythm with perfect soul samples as a background, while Cousin Stizz struggles to adapt to the rhythm. PnB Rock doesn't have a simple task, he starts strong on a heavier jazzy boom than usual, but he can't do otherwise, Lil' Fame could kill him in the second verse: as expected, the MOP bomber destroys everything he finds with his typical hardcore delivery. "Nobody Move" should be directly among the best cuts: glossy jazzy rhythm, Raekwon delivers with raw and dirty style, however, Royce isn't completely fit with the beat and fails to take the track high with the other ones.
Statik provides a bouncy boom bap that sounds bad, before fixing it: the sample looped in the background isn't irresistible and it's evident that it was created to adapt as much as possible to the West Coast style of the two performers, B-Real & Everlast, both of which easily fit this rhythm. No Malice is a blessing in "Pull the Curtain Back": Statik is back with a timeless, anthological production, jazzy-gospel boom bap, the former Clipse rapper kills this track with a solo, the cut is too short to be true, great banger. "Disrespekt" boasts the late Prodigy on a dark and at times sociopathic boom bap rhythm, Don P isn't at his best in career, but his songs are always must-listen. Plays and Juelz Santana close the album with Statik, on a jazzy-gospel-soul rhythm based on bright and glossy piano loops, among his best musical carpets on this record, I don't know how, but Santana manages not to ruin the track, and Statik closes with a verse in rapping.
Distributed by ShowOff, Duck Down and Roc Nation, the album is greeted by mixed reviews from the few insiders who have decided, probably reluctantly, to listen to it. The public has snubbed it, the record is also distributed by Roc Nation, yet he struggles to climb the charts. The tape consists of 18 tracks for a total of 61 minutes, it's quite irregular and cumbersome: thanks to some artist in excellent shape, listening manages to get to the end, albeit staggering a little in the center and towards the end. Definitely not one of his top records, East Coast fans might find something interesting, some of the best groups and artists of the period are here.
Highlights: "Watching Myself", "You Don't Hear Me Tho", "No. 8", "Go Gettas", "Slept to Death", "Pull the Curtain Back", "Disrespekt".
Rating: 6.7/10.
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