1982

Statik Selektah and Termanology (the duo who make up 1982) are no strangers to Canada. Just this past April, they played a show at the Rivoli in Toronto, ON, during which Term tore the cast off his arm and performed his set with his broken appendage exposed. Upon being asked about the cast, Term responded that he suffered the injury while, "doing some fun stuff." Then he grinned and reached for the Hennessy. In an industry light on authenticity, Statik and Term are repping hard for the outlawz still out there: the likes of Action Bronson, Roc Marciano, ScHoolboy Q and Kendrick Lamar. These are just some of the hip-hop artists who thrive "outside America's systems of control," to borrow Ab-Soul's expression. Statik and Term make their own rules for 1982 and it's felt in the music. "Thug Poets," featuring Marciano and Havoc, is a ballad commemorating all the dope pushers and lobby loiters Term and co. have encountered over the years that share a common bond with the rappers: they refuse to make their living on somebody else's terms. The production is handled by Statik, who composes a homegrown, Golden-era beat with occasional funky drums and melancholic piano. Another standout is "Right Now," a chilling lament on a dying lifestyle. Term pushes cold lyrics over an equally icy soul sample. Despite broken limbs, 1982-2012 is one of the healthiest listens of the year so far. You don't need a federally funded health plan to benefit from its virility; you just throw back some liquor and roll.