On his third studio album, “100 Proof (The Hangover),” Statik Selektah is poised to take his work from the underground to the mainstream. In a world where catchy dance records rule the radio, the DJ/producer’s ’90s-influenced boom bap is taking a foothold beyond the underground. His latest single, “So Close, So Far,” featuring Bun B, Wale and Colin Munroe, is finding a home on some of the most powerful hip-hop radio playlists in the country.
Selektah thinks hip-hop is ready for a rude awakening.
“With all the things going on in the world and in hip-hop, it’s like a wake-up call,” he says.
Selektah is part of a growing movement (along with Jay Electronica) that shows thought-provoking and hardcore hip-hop can be successful beyond the blogosphere and truly become hits. He credits his single-mindedness for getting him this far.
“Hope is for suckers. I didn’t hope to do this. Don’t hope. Make it happen. I never allowed myself to think of anything else.”
Statik Selektah
Saturday, 8 p.m.
Middle East Downstairs
472 Mass. Ave, Cambridge
$14-$18, 617-864-EAST
www.mideastclub.com
