[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q33TKqjf3fM]
Last Friday, I caught up with engineer extraordinaire Gimel “Young Guru” Keaton at Roc The Mic studios. For nearly a decade, Guru’s added the finishing touches on all of The Roc’s releases. With Blueprint 3 in stores today, he spoke on the album’s delay and fine tuning it in the 50th state. More clips on the way.
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Great breakdown of Statik Selektah’s *Round Trip*! Honestly, this 2023 Mass Appeal release is pure boom-bap bliss from start to finish. Statik really outdid himself with those smooth, jazzy sample flips and turntable scratches, creating the exact kind of laid-back, golden-era hip-hop vibe you want playing in the background while relaxing at Denmark holiday cottages over a quiet weekend. The guest list alone is stacked—having legends like Posdnous kicking things off on the opener "Round Trip (For Dave)" alongside heavy hitters like Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, and Inspectah Deck on "Unpredictable" makes every track feel like a proper event. Even the newer-school features like Benny the Butcher, Conway the Machine, and Joey Bada$$ fit effortlessly over the dusty, soulful production without a single wasted verse. Definitely one of his most cohesive projects in years and an easy front-to-back spin for anyone who appreciates real hip-hop craftsmanship.