Today (June 9), Statik Selektah released his first solo album since 2020. Round Trip, arriving on ShowOff/Mass Appeal Records, maintains Statik’s gift for assembling interesting groupings of MCs for thought-provoking concepts, over his acclaimed production. This particular collection, Statik’s 10th, involves four members of Wu-Tang Clan together on a posse cut, “Unpredictable.” AZ, Conway The Machine, Benny The Butcher, Logic, Nems, Symba, Elzhi, M.O.P., Russ, Cormega, Joey Bada$$, and Ab-Soul are among those involved in Statik’s latest.

However, Round Trip opens with a pointed title track from De La Soul’s Posdnuos. Plug 1 uses the moment “Round Trip (For Dave)”  as a tribute dedication to his friend and band-mate David Jude Jolicoeur (aka Trugoy The Dove), who passed away in February from an ongoing battle with heart conditions. Through Statik’s scratching, the song weaves in the famed De La line “Are you listening?” from The Grind Date single “Much More.” The track’s production features evocative piano keys and drums, with horn accents.

Posdnuos & Maseo Remember Their De La Soul Brother Dave

“Bittersweet blessings, condolences, and congrats / In the same sentence where my life learns the lesson,” begins the MC—likely referring to a benchmark year for De La Soul that has also been marred by loss. “My brother left on his return ticket / So the pieces of our heart, I guess some were left to pick it / His round-trip journey returned him to the source / So most would think we’ve been derailed off the course / But no matter how sad, the fire in our eyes can’t be doused with tears / Thirty-plus years / Will back us / Soul’s a little tattered, which means we’re tested / Not at all invested / In the sins that attract us,” Pos rhymes candidly. The celebrated MC offers poetry about life and the journey, while dropping specifics that apply to Dave and De La Soul. All of the imagery deals with round trips and the cycle of life. In the closing Plug 1 bars, he returns to D.A.I.S.Y.-related figurative language: “Like an alcoholic trapped in sobriety / I grab at self-help, my self-conscious confides in me / And I’ll never feel submerged in greed / If someone gives me my flowers and I’d rather the seed.” He repeats the last couplet, which may possibly apply to fame versus fortune, for emphasis.

Statik Selektah Explains What We Have To Do To Protect Hip-Hop

A decade ago, Statik Selektah and Posdnuos linked for “Game Break,” which also featured Termanology and Lecrae. That single appeared on Extended Play. In April, Maseo and Pos’ revealed that De La Soul intends to continue as a group, with plans to release a third volume in their AOI series. Earlier this year, Billboard reported that De La Soul registered 12.5 million on-demand strong streams in the United States in the week ending March 9 and sold 28,000 albums.

The Ambrosia For Heads playlist features other songs from Round Trip, including involvement from Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Inspectah Deck, Raekwon, as well as Ab-Soul, Conway, Russ, Bun B, M.O.P., Cormega, along with the ShowOff crew of REKS, Term’, Ea$y Money, and Statik’s daughter, Harley Harl.

De La Soul & The Roots Perform “Stakes Is High” In Spectacular Fashion

#BonusBeat: An episode of Ambrosia For Heads‘ What’s The Headline podcast pays special tribute to Dave: