In my close to 40 years of listening to HOP music, there have been albums deemed classic, good, great, and their opposite. What I find even more rare are those albums that are one’s “favorites,” but if only more people knew of said album it would be in the classic, good, great category. For example Slum Village’s ‘Fantastic Vol.2’ was fortunate enough to be heard by the right people and right amount of ears, or it would be in that unsung greatness category.

Maspyke’s ‘Static’ falls into this lane for me. In 2005 while on 90.1 F.M.’s ‘Late Nite Snax,’ we were able to get a promo copy of this album and I personally could not put it down. I had heard this group briefly before 2005 on a mix CD presented by Echo Unlimited, called ‘Underground Airplay.’ Their voices I was familiar with but the idea that they possessed the ability to put together such a unique piece of music was lost on me.

Maspyke is a three man group comprised of rappers Tableek Hanif Jamiyl a.k.a. “H-Bomb,” and producer Roddy Rod. Tableek and Hanif glide over the production with a free flowing style that turns their voices into added instruments on this record. However it is Roddy Rod who turns ‘Static’ into one hell of a listening experience. These beats are heavy and abstract while not going too left of center. The production is infectious and no one’s ears are safe from being caught in a constant state of headnodding and an often “scrunchy face.”

‘Static’ does not let up from start to finish and I believe is one of the most underrated releases that came out in the 2000’s. The worst part about this album is that it feels like a wasted effort because Maspyke seemed to put their best foot forward on ‘Static,’ when it didn’t seem like a burden to them, but yet fun, original and genuine. There was never a follow up to this album and I hope it wasn’t due to fatigue of creating and not a large enough audience hearing. I can say that without a doubt I heard, and to this day ‘Static’ is a hidden gem that so few have been privileged to bear witness. What di you think of the album?

Singles include:
‘Step’ & ‘Lightly Anxious’

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