Stat Quo – “2010″ (Mixtape Review)

Stat says his official debut album's finally coming. I'll believe it when I see it, but here's a dope mixtape to hold us over?

One of the most consistent rappers in the mixtape game has been Stat Quo. As far as content, originality, and even his delivery, it’s all what sets him apart from other people. It’s sad to see that he was dropped from Aftermath when they cleaned house (no tears shed for G-Unit being dropped however), but it hasn’t discouraged his music abilities at all. If anything, it made him become better, as cliche as that sounds on paper.

The Good:

Most of the songs here are original, and even the songs that aren’t are done properly. Stat Quo comes with it for the entire mixtape, but with a few extra surprises…

First and foremost, Stat Quo gives an ode to Dr. Dre with two of his songs, collaborating with Focus to flip two classic Dr. Dre tracks (“Xxplosive” into”More Explosive” and “Still D.R.E.” into “Ridin’”) into something new and original, and more importantly, dope.

Dope is good, if you’re not with the lingo.

And secondly, Lauryn Hill is featured on this mixtape (“The Hustle”) singing, which is monumental in itself. If you add that with everything else that’s dope about Quo, whether it’s his delivery or punchlines, and you got you a nice sounding mixtape.

The Bad:

The mixtape isn’t all original ideas and concepts. There’s still the traditional “how many bars can I spazz” tracks (“Lemonade” and “Venus vs. Mars” freestyle). There’s still the traditional “take your song and add my version of it” track (“Say Something” Freestyle) and a couple songs are just not appealing.

Bottom Line:

Stat Quo’s mixtape game is extremely consistent, and with rumors of his album finally dropping soon (I’m thinking Neveruary 32^nd…jokes…It’ll come out one day… eventually), we can only hope that all of the mixtapes he put out were a sign of what to come on the album. This mixtape is definitely worth checking out, even if it’s just for the Dr. Dre-flipped tracks, hands down.

Eljay’s Favorites:

• “More Explosive”
• “Peace”
• “Ridin’”
• “Lemon Freestyle”

(Click here to download Stat Quo’s “2010”, spotted at 2DopeBoyz.com)