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Special teams
Statik Selektah puts Boston on smash
BY CHRIS RUCKER
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It’s rare to find a local hip-hop compilation that cherry-picks from both sides of the tracks — backpacker kids and straight-up ’hood heaters — and one of the things that’s so beautiful about Statik Selektah’s new mix tape The Champs Are Here, Volume 2: The Now Generation of Boston Hip Hop (Showoff Records) is hearing how versatile New England’s sound is. The disc covers everyone from Dorchester’s Dre Robinson to Haverhill’s Termanology, and crews from New Hampshire’s Granite State (the duo of Doug York and Bugout) to the debut-on-plastic by the supergroup Special Teamz (Edo G, Jaysaun, and Slaine). "It’s dope to hear a solid CD of Boston hip-hop," says Statik. "For years, there’s been so much talent in the Bean that got overlooked outside." Although he grew up in New Hampshire and has just moved to NYC, Statik maintains deep local roots: until recently, he could be heard spinning regularly on WBOT Hot 97.7, and he remains a member of the SmashSquad DJ collective (along with Clinton Sparks and Chubby Chub). He’s had some high-profile successes this year, releasing the quasi-official mix tapes Prophecy, hosted by Nas, and Get Lifted Soul, hosted by John Legend, with unreleased material by each. He’s also spun off his own Showoff Marketing company, promoting records from Universal, G-Unit, and Atlantic, among others. Like Sparks and Chub, Statik is breaking out in other cities: he’s on in Mobile five days a week and has a monthly gig at London’s Kiss 100. "My focus for this year is stepping up my beats and production," says the 23-year-old, who has done beats for Krumbsnatcha and Ballcklub and on the Boston-based Grit Records releases from OC and KRS-One. "And this is just the preview before the movie." He’s readying a solo album, Spell My Name Right, for later this year. For more on The Champs Are Here, visit www.statikselektah.com. Continuing its invasion of New England hardcore, Cleveland’s Thorp Records has added yet another veteran act to a roster that already includes Ducky Boys, Slapshot, Ramallah, and Crash and Burn (who celebrate the release of their Thorp debut this Friday at the Cambridge Elks Lodge). Thorp’s latest signing is Vermont’s Drowningman, the on-again, off-again group who’ve put out albums on Revelation and Hydrahead but haven’t released anything since 2001’s Still Loves You on Equal Vision. Ever-unpredictable frontman Simon Brody has cycled through a rotating cast of mates, but Drowningman remain one of the more creative bands to come out of the New England scene. Their Don’t Push Us When We’re Hot is due out August 23, and you can check out an MP3 for "Major Disappointment Reporting for Duty" at www.thorprecords.com Chris Rucker is the host of New England Product, which airs Sundays from 9 to 10 p.m. on WFNX 101.7 FM.
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