Statlanta

One of the hip-hop industry’s most-delayed artists, Stat Quo was signed by Dr. Dre and Eminem in 2003. Stat toiled on the underground circuit for years before finally extricating himself from his deal to release the long-delayed Statlanta in 2010. In this incarnation the album features no contributions from Eminem or Dre, but it does reignite the fire that caused them to sign Stat all those years ago. Over a beat by Drake producer Boi-1da, Stat vents his passion on “Catch Me”: “I am my mommas only child / Granny’s favorite grandson / These streets I run like the Reverend / No DMC only red dirt brethren / No good times / Raised next door to the heavens.” Statlanta is qualified not by its thug credentials but by its conviction. You can’t go through as many industry obstacles as Stat without relying on your own determination. In these songs you hear someone who is no longer rapping to get rich, but rapping because he has no choice. And while he may have lost some of Dre’s stealthy beats, they are compensated for by the world-weary soul songs “Space Ship,” “Welcome Back” and “Penthouse Condo.”