Brooklyn-based producer and DJ Statik Selektah recently released his fifth album Extended Play, a lengthy collection of the Massachusetts native's latest instrumentals that showcases why he's one of the most sought after beatmakers in hip-hop right now. With verses provided by Raekwon, Prodigy, N.O.R.E, Styles P, Action Bronson, Flatbush Zombies, and Joey Badass, among others, there's seemingly not an MC on the East Coast that doesn't want to work with Statik, while appearances from Texas's Bun B and Indiana's Freddie Gibbs sprinkle on some flavor from different regions. According to Statik, though, geography doesn't play a part when selecting collaborators - just chemistry.
"Someone who is on the same page as me musically," says Statik when asked what he looks for in a rapper. "But also a lot about their personality - who they are. I don't really work with people I don't mess with personally."
Much of Extended Play exhibits Statik's significant strengths. Chocked full of quick scratches, soul samples and energetic drum loops, the album bottles the throwback renaissance currently being embraced by New York hip-hop - an explosion he's been a huge figure in helping to forge.
"I've been a big part of that," says Statik on the recent old school revival. "I reached out to Action before anyone, I reached out to Joey before anyone," he asserts. "I think a lot of people coming out considered the boom-bap style old school for a while, now it's at the forefront of hip-hop."
It's clear from his music that the 31-year-old has been educated about hip-hop in the right way, and Statik can remember key moments in his development.
"My earliest memories of hip-hop go back to when I was like five years old. My cousin had like LL Cool J 'Radio', shit like that. I remember when I seen the 'Scenario' video. I was like nine years old and that kind of hit me, like 'damn'. In 1995 I heard DJ Premier, Kid Capri, Funkmaster Flex on Hot 97. That was it. I decided that day I was going to be a DJ."
Before he scored his first set of turntables, Statik stole his dad's record player, which he describes as "a piece of shit, Wal-Mart turntable." Becoming a successful radio DJ in Massachusetts, California and Alabama, he still harbored ambitions to move into producing.
"I was working on beats before I even had the turntables, but I didn't take it serious until like 2005. But I knew how to do beats, I knew how for years and years and years. I wasn't ready for it until like 2005."
Two years after taking up producing seriously, Statik released his first album. Spell My Name Right: The Album. It laid down the formula for each record: Statik on the beats and a huge array of rappers on the mic. It's been an outline that has served him well over another four records since, as well as cropping up on a huge amount of projects as a beatmaker for hire.
"I'm pretty non-stop," says Statik on his prolific output. "I haven't really been making as many beats likely as I'd like to [recently]. I'd probably knock out four or five a week, but there was a time I was doing four or five a night."
By Dean Van Nguyen for RAPstation.com
Exclusive: Statik Selektah - The RAPstation Interview
Brooklyn-based producer and DJ Statik Selektah recently released his fifth album Extended Play, a lengthy collection of the Massachusetts native's latest instrumentals that showcases why he's one of the most sought after beatmakers in hip-hop right now. With verses provided by Raekwon, Prodigy, N.O.R.E, Styles P, Action Bronson, Flatbush Zombies, and Joey Badass, among others, there's seemingly not an MC on the East Coast that doesn't want to work with Statik, while appearances from Texas's Bun B and Indiana's Freddie Gibbs sprinkle on some flavor from different regions. According to Statik, though, geography doesn't play a part when selecting collaborators - just chemistry.
"Someone who is on the same page as me musically," says Statik when asked what he looks for in a rapper. "But also a lot about their personality - who they are. I don't really work with people I don't mess with personally."
Much of Extended Play exhibits Statik's significant strengths. Chocked full of quick scratches, soul samples and energetic drum loops, the album bottles the throwback renaissance currently being embraced by New York hip-hop - an explosion he's been a huge figure in helping to forge.
"I've been a big part of that," says Statik on the recent old school revival. "I reached out to Action before anyone, I reached out to Joey before anyone," he asserts. "I think a lot of people coming out considered the boom-bap style old school for a while, now it's at the forefront of hip-hop."
It's clear from his music that the 31-year-old has been educated about hip-hop in the right way, and Statik can remember key moments in his development.
"My earliest memories of hip-hop go back to when I was like five years old. My cousin had like LL Cool J 'Radio', shit like that. I remember when I seen the 'Scenario' video. I was like nine years old and that kind of hit me, like 'damn'. In 1995 I heard DJ Premier, Kid Capri, Funkmaster Flex on Hot 97. That was it. I decided that day I was going to be a DJ."
Before he scored his first set of turntables, Statik stole his dad's record player, which he describes as "a piece of shit, Wal-Mart turntable." Becoming a successful radio DJ in Massachusetts, California and Alabama, he still harbored ambitions to move into producing.
"I was working on beats before I even had the turntables, but I didn't take it serious until like 2005. But I knew how to do beats, I knew how for years and years and years. I wasn't ready for it until like 2005."
Two years after taking up producing seriously, Statik released his first album. Spell My Name Right: The Album. It laid down the formula for each record: Statik on the beats and a huge array of rappers on the mic. It's been an outline that has served him well over another four records since, as well as cropping up on a huge amount of projects as a beatmaker for hire.
"I'm pretty non-stop," says Statik on his prolific output. "I haven't really been making as many beats likely as I'd like to [recently]. I'd probably knock out four or five a week, but there was a time I was doing four or five a night."
By Dean Van Nguyen for RAPstation.com
