You may not have heard of him, but he sounds kind of familiar. You may not recognize him, but you feel like you’ve seen him somewhere before. If you’ve been involved in California’s hip hop scene all your life, chances are you’ve either seen him at a show, been to his club, DJ’d alongside him, or bought music from him.S.T.A.T.I.K. became a turntablist at a young age and Hip Hop had naturally become his life. In high school, he organized and hosted the first DJ battle on campus ever to take place during school hours. He was responsible for throwing phat concerts and giant parties, also new for the school. While taking a few community college courses, he hosted a Hip Hop radio show on a local station. Being booked gig after gig throughout the Bay Area with or without his former SwingSet crew, S.T.A.T.I.K. was ready for a change of scenery and headed south in 1997. It seemed like Riverside was just waiting for S.T.A.T.I.K. to come along. With a few partners, he founded Red Light District at Incahoots on Thursday nights. He brought in such acts as Cotton Mouth Kings, Incubus, and the Luniz. From Riverside, he made his way toward the city, still spinning at various gigs, and worked alongside Chuck of Hollywood Hip Hop, stocking the record store with independent must-haves like Planet Asia, Living Legends, and the Visionaries.He did the north, parlayed the south, and in 2000, unforeseen circumstances brought him to the Central Coast. Monterey’s Hip Hop scene turned out to be a joke. But 30 miles north of there, Santa Cruz had it goin’ on. S.T.A.T.I.K. booked and performed with Living Legends own luckyiam PSC at Moe’s Alley (along with Bicasso), Aptos Club, and Mary Janez. He attempted to expose the city of Monterey to real Hip Hop by selling underground CDs, vinyls, tapes, and even crates out of a pipe shop called Mary Janez, but the clientele did not reciprocate. He did his best to promote conscious hip hop and peace by reviving Freestyle Fridays at the store, a once open mic forum for emcee’s, turntablists, and beat boxers in downtown Monterey. In order to support his growing family, S.T.A.T.I.K. became a sommelier wine apprentice in 2003. That same year, every Thursday night at Jose’s Cantina on Cannery Row, he created an evening of art and turntablism where artists would create art as turntablists did what they do best. His wine job quickly gained momentum. Before he knew it, S.T.A.T.I.K. was right back in the Bay Area once again. This time he had a biweekly gig at Oxygen Bar along with an abundance of other venues throughout San Francisco.When S.T.A.T.I.K. was not performing at a show, or at his 9 to 5, or (later) tending to his kids, he was making beats, or a mix tape, or both. When I Was a B-Boy was his first mix tape for sale. It featured old school classics like Roy Ayers, Quincy Jones, and The Temptations. Then came Got Tapes? Vol. 1, which sold at both Amoebas and a few independent record stores. It showcased West Coast’s finest in underground and independent Hip Hop. In addition to the hundreds of beats he’s created at home, he produced a few for Stockton’s former SwingSet crew, Gilroy’s own Paragraphics, Afficial Poetz of the Central Coast, Niko Black up in Sacramento, and numerous others.
What differentiates S.T.A.T.I.K. from your run-of-the-mill club DJ is his superior skill in improvisation.“I never make a set. Other DJs bring one bag. I bring 6 crates. Why? Because it’s essential to build off the crowd. You can’t do that with a preformatted set.â€In terms of musical influences, S.T.A.T.I.K. explains it’s not just their music that inspires him, it’s who they are and what they do with their music; it’s also their level of professionalism and determination. Just to name a few: Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, KRS-One, Furious Five, Living Legends, Galapagos 4, Talib Kweli, DJ Premier, and Zaire Black.S.T.A.T.I.K. doesn’t live in California anymore, but not to worry. With his lengthy resume, you’ll still be hearing from him somehow, someway.
