Statik Selektah Presents: Action Bronson, Royce Da 5'9" & Black Thought - "The Imperial" (Duck Down)
Aside from his pseudo-brother-in-law Kanye West, I've never really heard tell of a rapper readily associating himself with Kardashian-bred entrepreneur Scott Disick; until the red bearded charmer himself, Action Bronson effortlessly proclaimed, "Yo, it's the rap Scott Disick / Come through the f*ckin' block with some hot lizards." Bronson's long-time friend and Well Done collaborator Statik Selektah recruited him for the introductory verse on his latest single, "The Imperial." While it's only been out for a few days, AllHipHop has already dubbed Selektah's recent efforts "the unofficial Make-a-Wish foundation for dream rap collaborations," presumably for pairing Bronson up with Slaughterhouse member Royce Da 5'9" and veteran Roots emcee Black Thought. Now, try to stay with me here, but Action Bronson really seems to be the missing link between everyone involved here: he previously worked with Statik Selektah on their Jaylib-style rapper-producer album Well Done (2011), Bronson supposedly recorded a verse for inclusion of Royce Da 5'9"'s upcoming Slaughterhouse group album, and Action Bronson recently headlined The 7th Annual Roots Picnic along with Snoop Dogg, Janelle Monaé, and The War On Drugs. It's no secret that I'm a die-hard Roots fan and that Action Bronson is probably my favourite rising emcee, but damn, Black Thought consumes nearly three minutes-worth of Statik Selektah's jazzy horn-assisted beat; "This is the big payoff, soliloquy of Chaos / Another rapper gon' get rocked like Amadeus / Defeat'll make a n**ga get ghost like a seance / It's triple entendre [André 3000], three stacks of, hey ya." Whether you're a new-comer or long-time Hip-Hop fan, this track is NOT to be slept on... Statik Selektah has managed to assemble one of the strongest posse cuts I've heard in recent years! Selektah's sixth studio album, his third in three years, What Goes Around... is slated for a world-wide release on Showoff Records/Duck Down Music next month, August 19th. Don't forget to pick up The Roots' latest Hip-Hop concept album, ...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin. While both Action Bronson's long-rumored VICE Records debut, tentatively titled Mr. Wonderful, and Slaughterhouse's third album, Glass House are slated for releases sometime this calendar year. No word on what ever happened to Action Bronson & Statik Selektah's second joint album, supposedly titled "New Jack City: Chopped & Screwed," which was only preceded by lone single "Strictly Business (Parts 1 & 2)" way back when in January 2012.