Statik Selektah started his own label, Showoff Records, last year as a means of releasing his own projects and signing new artists, like Termanology. And while we heard a lot from Termanology in the last couple years, Statik had been quietly working on his own project as well. It’s now late in 2007 and Statik’s official debut album, Spell My Name Right, was finally released last week.

We’re all familiar with Statik Selektah’s place in the mixtape world, where he’s known for releasing multiple tapes in a month and collaborating with big names, such as the Wu-Tang Clan. What I didn’t know is how well this guy could actually put an album together. In the last couple of years, we’ve seen a number of mixtape DJs releasing their own albums: some good, some not so good. With Spell My Name Right , Statik Selektah intentionally makes his album sound like a mixtape, relying on his blending and scratching skills instead of incessantly screaming over tracks, like some more well-known DJs.

With Spell My Name right, Statik Selektah also manages to show off his production skills, no pun intended. And with the album boasting 19 tracks, a number of the beats are impressive. Statik Selektah also manages to recruit a nice blend of veteran rappers and talented new artists for his debut album. Most of the tracks separate these two classes for their own songs, but luckily they cross paths on “6 In The Morning” with Joell Ortiz, Kool G Rap, and Sheek Louch. The tracklist on this album reads like a who’s who of great MCs, especially when you consider the dope collaborations, like “Stop, Look, & Listen,” which features Styles P, Termanology, & Q-Tip and “G Shit (Showoff Mix)” featuring Uncle Murda, Jadakiss, and Sev-One.

“What Would You Do” even features a rare collaboration with Philly phenoms, Freeway and Cassidy, and displays the range of artists on this album, from more commercial rappers, like Cassidy, to more underground artists, like AZ and Cormega. On Spell My Name Right, Statik Selektah also takes a chance to expose us to some new material from the artists on his label Showoff Records. Termanology appears on several songs and Granite State appears on a nice track with Slum Village entitled “Got Me Goin (Hip-Hop).”

Spell My Name Right is a very impressive debut album from Boston native, Statik Selektah. While his production game could definitely be stepped up a notch, most of the tracks on this album are pretty good and with so many different artists on one album, it will be difficult for you to listen to it in its entirety without finding a few songs you like.