VIDEO: Rhythm Roulette (Mass Appeal) - Statik Selektah

As promised, I've been combing through Mass Appeal's Rhythm Roulette series to select the best ones to share with uall (of course that's "the best" in my opinion, but if you're reading this I shouldn't need to tell you that). I went digging back almost 3 years to the day (this episode dropped July 24th, 2013) to dust off the Statik Selektah joint. Let's get into a quick bio.

The Boston native has been contributing to the culture for quite a while, going all the way back to the mid '90s. But his debut album, Spell My Name Right in '07, cemented his place in hip hop history. The record is filled with an overwhelming lyrical roster that would rival any compilation album, with the likes of: Termanology, Styles P, Q-Tip, Talib Kweli, Joell Ortiz, Kool G Rap, Sheek Louch, Freeway, Cassidy, Jadakiss, Royce da 5'9", Cormega, AZ, Slum Village, KRS-ONE and Skyzoo (there are more, amazingly, but you get the idea). In '10 Statik linked up with fellow Bostonian Termanology to form the emcee/producer duo 1982 (the year they were born). Statik also has the ShowOff record label, marketing company and radio show (on Eminem's Shade45) under his belt.

Statik is known for (but def not limited to) a soulful/'90s hybrid sound that mixes classic era drums, smooth samples and vocal cuts. For his Rhythm Roulette episode, Statik hit up Academy Records Annex in Brooklyn, New York to select his three records. The three records he picked were: The Times - Diggin' Their Roots, The Sylvers - Something Special, and The Mystic Moods Orchestra - Emotions. Statik ended up making one beat using all three records. It is amazing to me to watch the sampling process from pros in the game. To get a glimpse into how to go about building a brand new sound from multiple sources is art. Statik even shares that he searches for rap lyrics that match the scratch of the song he is sampling. In this case, That's '"What Love Is Made Of" from The Sylvers' record provided the scratch for the lyrics "[Patience, understanding,] loyalty". He then cut a Jay Z verse from "Justify My Thug" from the The Black Album, "Honesty, loyalty, [friends and then wealth]". He says the scratch says "honesty, loyalty", but I do not hear the honesty part (in The Sylvers song). Nor did I find "honesty" in the lyrics when I looked that up. Doesn't really matter though, the song is still fuego. So if you want to peak into the sampling process from one of the best, check this one out and keep coming back for more episodes.

Peep the episode below. Also throwing up The Sylvers' joint Statik samples.

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