Last night me and a gang of media folks paid a visit to R.Kelly’s pad on the outskirts of Chicago. As Miss Info stated, Kellz’s crib looks more like a fortress than a humble abode. Camera’s and cell phones weren’t permitted inside (how’d ya do it Minya?!) but as you enter his his living room, there’s a stage adjacent to his music awards.
After several minutes, Kelly emerged and encouraged us to make ourselves at home. Once dinner and drinks were served, he premiered his new video with Keri Hilson. Before playing the album, he jumped on his coffee table and proposed a toast. With a cigar in his left hand, he hoisted a glass of his concoction “Sex In The Kitchen” and said “May the best part of our past, be the worst part of our future”. Right on cue, Untitled began.
Sonically, the album is more rump shakin’ than baby makin’. Kellz means well with cuts like “Elsewhere”, “Echo”, and “Be My Number 2”, but falls short elsewhere with Auto-Tune (“Crazy Night”) and sluggish songwriting, (“Text Me”). Don’t expect “Bangin’ The Headboard” to wake up the neighbors.
Once the LP was complete, I confronted him about the direction of the album. I can’t front, I was a lil’ disappointed. He snickered and admitted to making his kids to his own songs. He said that he felt like [Muhammad] Ali and that this album was just “a jab”. He promised me that his follow up, Zodiac would be a reversion of 12 Play and TP2.com *crosses fingers*
Before our depature, he gave us a tour of his in-house studio. With platinum plaques lining its corridor, he talked about working with Michael Jackson and his creative process. In case you ain’t no so, Kellz writes with the hand that don’t write too. In parting, he said that on Untitled he really did his homework. Where’s a hungry dog when you need one.
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.