Patrick "Statik Selektah" Baril released his first project in 2004, making a mixtape together with Nas. The tape consists of 28 tracks which also include AZ, Jay-Z, Biggie Smalls, Cormega, Styles P, Slick Rick, Doug E. Fresh, Ludacris, Mobb Deep, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Lowkey, Large Professor, Kool G Rap, Termanology and The Isley Brothers.
Intro on excerpts from songs from Nas' first album, skit, then the first cut comes with "Wiseguys": bouncy production, good samples, Nas' smooth calm flow, Styles' good confident and slow style in a thug mix. This is followed by another bouncy beat with snare in evidence, signed by D. Dot behind the keyboards, then Scram Jones still delivers a boom bap bouncy. "Serious" is a refreshing easy classic, East Coast production, jazz sample, perfect drum, spectacular flow by AZ, which is one with the beat, great Nas too, this is one of their best joints. A skit precedes "Eastside Story": boom bap, hard and dusty dry drum, dark elegant piano that supports Nas' confident rap. Hook rnb, Styles' raw and dirty delivery, then Statik adds a Notorious BIG verse from Ron G.'s "Stop the Breaks" to the song.
Skit with the beat of "The Essence", then "Dead Prezidence" comes along, perhaps the best track here. Statik Selektah keeps Jay-Z's "Dead Presidents" soundscape masterfully created by Ski Beatz, and combines it with Nas' iconic performance in "The World is Yours": the result is an indisputable masterpiece. Another skit, before the remix of "Virgo": boom bap, heavy and fat drum machine, good samples, simple hook, flow ok by Nas. I struggle to bear the original song, but this remix makes it acceptable, also combining a final excerpt by Slick Rick from what appears to be the only track he has ever made in his career, that of '85. Another skit, another masterpiece. Gorgeous sample, dirty and dusty dry midtempo drum, East Coast jazzy boom bap. The choice is carved from Large Pro's "Stay Chisel", the flow of Nas is a blessing on this production, then there's Havoc on the third stanza, before Nas again. Prodigy is credited here for something, I missed his contribution.
Track number fifteen remixes "Affirmative Action" keeping out Foxy Brown: simple jazzy rhythm, with dry and hard midtempo drum, Nas & AZ boast a velvety delivery, then comes Mega at his best; the chipmunk soul sample is a pearl around the hook. Two more Sosa feats follow, first on a good East Coast rhythm, then a remix of a well-known song from Escobar's debut, on an excellent chipmunk soul sample, ethereal-heavenly production. Last skit, then the final section isn't slowed down by interludes. "For the Love of You" features the Isley Brothers sample from the song of the same name, joined by a light drum and the quiet flow of Nas, the hook is left to the sample, this is a brilliant mix. The next one is good, not excellent. A similar argument could be made for "Faster Life", a remix of "Fast Life" with G Rap. I'm not sure if the rhythm chosen here is better than the original, with its dusty and dirty drum and two noteworthy beats, the thing that is certain and that it doesn't surpass Buckwild's perfect remix.
Some years ago, I noted "No Love Lost" as an unreleased cut from 1998, but I don't remember why. There's Jay-Z, he doesn't seem completely inspired here, he doesn't sound energetic. Actually, the beat is good, jazz, good samples, hard and dry midtempo drum, it's a good song with Nas. The following remix I believe is credited to DJ Premier: boom bap, fat drum midtempo, good samples, combines the fantastic delivery of Nas from one of the few good pieces of the meandering experimental double album "Street's Disciple", with the ODB excerpt from "Pop Shots". Unfortunately, I don't know who Lowkey is (British rapper) and I can't identify where his contribution came from. Without infamy without praise, for me. The track number 24 is quite interesting, it's the second produced by Statik Selektah in this tape, the other is "Wiseguy", and both are among the less successful rhythms of the edition, in my humble opinion.
I also placed "1 Plus 1" next to the phrase "unreleased track from 1998" but I don't remember why I did it and where I got that information: there's a nice dirty and dusty rhythm with elegant piano and the rap of Nas together with Large Professor. Statik manages to place his protected Termanology in "How We Live", on a glossy rhythm with the usual filthy drum, excellent flow by Nas. Closes, a remix of "Imagine": John Lennon hook assisting Nas, he's smoothness on the Beatles soundscape. Some of his bars remind me of that sacred headlock that must have been the original image of his debut cover. Returning to the song, Statik very intelligently excludes the stupid and useless contribution of a d-tier singer: the description of the site "genius" is iconic, "Pitbull is in their too I guess, but who cares about him". The outro is the last thing of the tape.
In conclusion, for many years it was the best work of Statik Selektah: I remembered it better than it actually is, few tracks are pure bangers, however, the tape deserves some spins.
Highlights: "Wiseguys", "Serious", "Eastside Story", "Dead Prezidence", "Stay Chizzled (QB Remix)", "Affirmative Action 2005", "Sosa vs the State", "Life's Still a Bitch", "For the Love of You", "Faster Life", "No Love Lost", "Thief's Theme (DJ Premier Popshots Remix", "1 Plus 1", "Imagine".
Rating: 7.7/10.
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