Year after year, Boston-born producer Statik Selektah has put out quality albums comprised of today’s top up-and-coming emcees. From Joey Bada$$ and Rapsody to Action Bronson and Mick Jenkins, the talented beat maker utilized Hip Hop’s signature hard snare and a host of jazz-tinged samples to shine light on rising rappers, gaining clout and respect throughout the industry in doing so. As the genre changed around him, Selektah harkened back to Hip Hop’s Golden Age, a selling point for many of his fans.
After 2015’s Lucky 7, which featured a mix of artists both old (Smif-n-Wessun) and new (CJ Fly), Statik Selektah has returned for a collaborative project with Slaughterhouse member Crooked I – a.k.a. KXNG Crooked. By partnering with the freestyle aficionado, Selektah swapped a large feature list for the album’s lone guest: longtime Statik Selektah collaborator Termanology. Filled with gloomy tones and dark guitar riffs, Statik KXNG sees the two accomplished Hip Hop artists try–and largely fail–to fuse their respective sounds.
On 2014’s What Goes Around, Statik Selektah largely relied upon the use of traditional jazz instrumentation – much like his Golden Age counterparts– for his beats. From the title track to songs like “Thrill Is Gone,” the influence of jazz can be found, whether it’s in the saxophone notes of the former to the light piano of the latter. When listening to Selektah’s music, it’s apparent that the producer’s niche is a rare mix of hard-hitting drums and laid-back, jazzy instrumentation.
Two years later, remnants of this style can still be found on Statik KXNG, with piano keys rising and falling on the album’s first song, “Hear Voices.” Much like his previous work, there is no overreliance on 808 bass as the snare is used to keep the tempo steady. However, by the next track – “Magic & Bird” – the jazzy notes are gone, replaced with a rock-esque guitar riff. Selektah’s use of strings will have some reminiscing, as will lines like “I’d rather slide into place with a chick who got a murder case between her thighs and her waist,” from Crooked I, but the change in tone will feel decidedly different for fans of the gifted producer.
While unfamiliar, the beats found on Statik KXNG aren’t so far out of Selektah’s realm that fans will demand a refund. “Magic & Bird” carries the dark undertones of What Goes Around’s “Carry On,” and while “Lost a Fan” trudges along slowly, the underlying bass guitar is in keeping with Selektah’s use of instrumentation. As the album pushes on, it becomes apparent that the issue isn’t Statik’s beats or Crooked’s rhymes, but their inability to merge the two.
“Couple of hoes in my bathroom, they probably snorting coke/When they get out they’re gonna gobble dick until they’ve got a sore throat/I don’t judge a soul man, I was born poor and broke/Had to get the last laugh because niggas took me for a joke,” raps Crooked on “Bitch Got Me Fucked Up,” who spends the majority of the track reflecting on his past.
While the story is certainly interesting, Crooked’s tale of brutal hardship and struggle doesn’t match the beat laid down before him, which has a somber tone but isn’t dark enough to match the aforementioned line. Even worse, these mishaps prevent Crooked from delivering his menacing tone with conviction, as the threats and bold statements fall flat with each lackluster performance.
Yet for all of Statik KXNG’s faults as a unit, there are a number of bright spots, most of which can be found when the duo play to their strengths.
On “Everybody Know,” Crooked I doesn’t hold back. “If I told you my life story man your stomach would vomit / Now I’m big enough in the game to light a blunt on a comet,” he growls, taking a menacing approach to his rhymes overtop an ominous beat. This is where he excels, his lines exuberant, boisterous and boastful.
A track later on the standout ‘Dead Or In Jail” the duo seem in sync, with Selektah putting down a jazz club vibe and Crooked I fitting his braggadocio inside that space with lines like, “It’s funny how you niggas think you’re harder than the hardest. / Picture me debating, no time to argue with you artists. / If you do a song with me I’m probably just targeting your marketing, and then I take ‘em home with me and win that argument regardless.”
A seesaw of sound from start to finish, Statik KXNG finds itself in position to fall through the cracks–a mediocre album with a few highlights created by two esteemed Hip Hop veterans. While each is known for their own respective skill set, their struggle to consistently find a balance between their differing sounds leads to a project that lacks consistency, and will ultimately make fans crave their solo work, and not a future collaboration.
Gave it a listen and it’s so boring, might give it another spin later before bed.
Terrible review. I give up as to what people think is good hip hop. My only complaint is I wish there were a few more tracks.
i’m going to sound old as fuck but i dont give a fuck. this type of music is what made me fall in love with hip-hop. this reminds me of 90’s hip-hop rather than the current era. i guess i can’t relate to this new generation who grow up listening to young thug and migos.
i just wished it was longer and had more features. crooked shines when he’s on tracks with other rappers.
after a few listens, i give it a 4/5.
HORRIBLE REVIEW!!!
HAVE U LOST ALL TOUCH WITH HIP-HOP??
GO GIVE TLOP 5/5 NOW
SMFH!!
LOL these DX reviews are hilarious!! I needed a good laugh.
HIPHOPDX is supposed to be about HIP HOP, why are you knocking an album when this is HIP HOP! smh any other mainstream rapper gets a pass.. HIPHOPDX knows jack about hip hop.
Righttt…the same pass Future a.k.a. the hottest mainstream rapper in the game just got for his new album? Statik KXNG is in stores now. Don’t forget to support.
Crooked one the best mc’s on the west coast he mad slept on this album is dope dunno what dx been sniffing but they no clue as usual. Gonna laugh at kanye review guaranteed 4 stars and up I heard 6 the new tracks and it was a mess of auto-tuned singing with hardly any rapping. Salute to crooked he been spitting fire since his hip hop weekly series freestyles brought him back into the game absolute classic series right there check it out then you have heard a real mc
I gave 5/5 and it wont even go towards the rating? says 0 gave 5/5? bull shit. u dont want real shit to live. FUCK HHDX
Goddamn this deserves more than a 3…
I also wish it was true, but it doesn’t. Not until being reproduced!
You gave it a 1, you’re obviously well-versed in rap music and Hip-Hop culture. You should apply at HHDX, perfect candidate.
I gave 1/5 to make the overall score look more realistic – it’s nowhere near the quality needed for the current 4.43 rating! If it has Statik and Crooked, it’s not automatically 5/5 album – even legends can fail when making a joint album. You need to get your ears and taste in music checked. You’re much more appropriative candidate for HHDX reviews, as paid high ratings are obviously your thing.
5 out of 5
ps. hiphopdx your review is wack. you guys do not know real hip hop. peace
Y’all crazy…this album is a West Coast BANGER laced and blessed by both Statik Selekt and Kxng Crooked.
“Blessed” by Statik Selektah! LOL!!!! Wow, you truly are a the big dummie! Idiot.
No mention of Stop Playing one of the hardest tracks on the album this deserves at least a 3.5..4 liked your review of the new boosie tho
Wack review. Dude must have a personal issue.
Still on repeat!
i gave it another listen and its just so boring and dusty
Yea man I was skeptical coming in but the album is just too dope. Don’t agree with the review but I don’t think it’s hate. Hip hop dx has shown crook a lot of love over the years.
Right….it’s not hate. It’s Statik Selektah’s TRASH beats.
Good shit straight thru–1-5 on top right now tho
Dope shit. Real hiphop, dope bars and lyrics, no soft shit, no autotune but real fucking hip-hop! Salute to Shadyrecords and Slaughterhouse.
“Glocks and them revolvers man, I done tucked them all, I know the cops probably killed me with shots ’cause I can’t duck ’em all,
I just pray to God my dying words is FUCK ‘EM ALL!
LET’S GO!
This album is flames.. Get the fuck outta here with that 3/5 rating.
You have the taste of a tongue with no taste buds. Horrible. Your sexual preference is flames..
This shit is too sick, KXNG Crook gotta be the best out. Selektah shit straight too, probably some of his better work in recent times in my opinion. 4/5
WACK SELEKTAH just needs to quit. By far the most average producer ever. Extremely overrated fuck. Fuck, so you make 1 good beat out of every 100 and you’re a great producer? Right. Dude blows. Crooked I should work with someone much better.
Statik Selektah is the illest producer in the game right now!
-SAID NOBODY EVER
the review is about what I thought about the album after one listen. Was expecting better with Crooked finally hooking up with a dope producer, but only a couple of the songs really hit the sweet spot for me. Still looking forward to Glass House with Just Blaze doing the exec, they’ve had three years to put that together. in contrast, I’m pretty sure this Static Kxng shit was put together in three months or less. I really wanted to like it as much as MadGibbs or Rare Chandeliers as a emcee/producer collaboration, but so far I don’t. Maybe it will grow on me though. *shrugs*
Only 3 out of 5?whoever rated this is clearly not a hip hop fan.They clearly don’t know hip hop smh
@HipHopDZNutz Alright, so Selektah is not the best producer around, but to call him average?! And what producers would you want Crooked to work with then? Preemo, Alchemist or Metro Boomin?
@Gnuccaplease Which couple of songs did you like, and was it Crookeds lyrics, Statiks beats or a bit of both that made you not like the other songs? I’d say PRhymes album was better then this, maybe cause the production was a bit rawer and better. Cause there’s no doubt about Crooked being up there with the bests when it comes to lyrics, bars and maybe even his flow which I think he switches up nicely on this album.
HAHA you give this a 3 and Boosie a 4 you must be out yo dam mind…. keep giving trash reviews you ain’t hip hop
The problem isn’t Crooked’s lyricism or delivery or Statik’s forgettable but decent beats, or HHDX’s review, the main problem is the 5 point rating system, it fuckin sucks, if u guys switch to 0-10 ratings, things like Boosie gettin a 4 and this gettin a 3 or Khalifa gettin 3.3 wouldn’t happen.
I might need to start going somewhere else for album reviews. Not only is a 3/5 absolutely absurd and ridiculous its troubling as well. How many dope albums have I disregarded because it got tagged with a 3? Maybe its my fault for holding your opinions in such high regard but this rating has ruined whatever credibility I had left for you guys. We want nice, cohesive and creative projects but above any thing else we want bars!! And crooked delivers them in abundance. And he gets a 3/5? You guys just proved him right. You are killing hip hop by pushing that r&b crap down our throats.
WHY THIS GOT 3/5 RATING IS ABSURD FANNY WEST GOT 5 AND ITS SHIT HIP HOP DX IS BECOMING A JOKE
This is the best collab album in a min. Props to Statik n Crooked for giving us that good good !
Album of the year so far
HHDX better check your reviewers they don’t know jack!! This album is fire!!!
HHDX better check your reviewers they don’t know jack!! This album is fire!!!
HipHopDx sucks when it comes to reviews, this site has become joke smh. This album is a solid body of work.
Don’t know what hip-hop dx is talking about, I know they couldn’t have listened to the whole album because “Stop Playing” has so many fire bars it’s crazy.
It ain’t that serious, selling your soul/ That paint a brick yellow and tell’em it’s gold/ Tell’em it’s the Yellow brick road/ Fooled by the Wizard of Oz/ Now you’ll never be an Em or a Nas, a Kim or a Fox/ I’m a rap villian, a rebel/ Got a bad feelin’, that they want me to slit my throat when I crash through the glass ceiling/ F*ck the mainstream, I’m in the underground/ Counting cash chillin, I’m an outsider like Matt Dillon/ -Kxng Crooked (Crooked I) “Stop Playin” #Fire #YourReviewSucks
What a terrible and incompetent review of a fantastic new album. This is at least a 4/5.
Multiply by 2 then… That doesnt change the percentage/ratio
all the beats sound the same
WORD!!!!