DX: On the flip of that, you’ve got A.G. and Large Professor on there. How do you intend to educate new audiences on the importance of guys - legends like these?
SS: When I grew up, I was very influenced by DJ Premier, Jeru The Damaja, Group Home, but also Wu-Tang [Clan] very heavily, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, A Tribe Called Quest. Also, Dre and Snoop were really big as I was coming of age. I got a lot of tastes growing up. It’s good for the kids now ‘cause they get to see [these legends].

Personally, growing up, I felt stupid if I heard about Large Professor and didn’t know enough, so I researched. That way, when someone tries to check you, you know. Kids comin’ up now, knowing about the past to them ain’t as cool as it used to be. Knowing your history was cool. Now it’s cool if kids see cats like Uncle Murda and Cassidy on my album and go and buy it, and hear these other cats. Maybe they don’t know an A.G. or a Large Professor, but they get to hear it and like it, they might go back and research it. If anything, that’s my contribution to that. When I was growing up, I was 12 years old, I was really going back and researching Grandmaster Caz and Fab 5 [Freddy], all them. If I didn’t know a Run-DMC record, I was going back and buying it to hear it.

DX: When you do an “Express Yourself” or “6 In The Morning” on the album, is that channeling the originals at all?
SS: “The 6 In The Morning” we did was…nah, that’s like a new record, [no relation to Ice-T]. The “Express Yourself,” yeah. We basically were inspired by the N.W.A. production. I found a different sample; it wasn’t Charles Wright [& the 103rd Street Rhythm Band] like Dre used. Term wanted to do it for a while. Then Consequence heard it, he wanted to get on it. Kweli just made sense, so I reached out to Kweli. He was down This was the early stages of the album. This was like the third record that got done. I like the way it came out.

DX: How do you determine these collaborations?
SS: Really, I just go by the vibe and their taste. Styles and Q-Tip was an interesting collaboration. For a couple of years Styles has been more conscious. When I heard the beat…the beat, to me, represents something hard, ‘cause it hits hard. It can be some street shit, but at the same time, it sounds real jazzy. I figured I could put Q-Tip and Styles on it to bridge the gap that the beat does. Putting Term on it was like new generation, paying tribute.

DX: How was the move from Boston to New York?
SS: I pretty much made my name in Boston. The move was pretty easy. I was on the radio in HOT97 in Boston for years. When I moved out to New York, I already knew all the label people, a lot of the artists. I already knew Premo, Royce Da 5’9”…a lot of these guys I’ve known for a long, long time. I was already in the industry, so it wasn’t awkward.

DX: You’ve done so much with Termanology. But at some point, do you feel that as big as you got, you could have stayed in Boston?
SS: Looking at it like that, I don’t really sweat it. I support good music that comes from that area. As far as Term and Reks, we’re all from the same area – born in the same hospital in Lawrence. I don’t look at it like that. The Boston scene got its ups and downs. If people give me their music and it’s good, I’m gonna play it. I don’t see the scene itself turning into the next Atlanta anytime soon. But I definitely see some of the artists there about to make a lot of noise.

DX: What’s next?
SS: I’ve got a monster mixtape with Q-Tip called The 23 Breakbeats of Death. It’s him going off all over my beats. I’d say they’re my beats, but it’s not completely produced. It’s really rare samples, and I added the 808 here, the 808 there, puttin’ the lay under. It’s all him rappin’ on there. We’ve got a lot of special guests – really major special guests that I can't confirm just yet. I’m trying to drop it now.

If you haven't already, check out the review for Statik's album, Spell My Name Right: The Album, by clicking here.