Population Control (album)
Population Control is the fourth studio album by East Coast hip hop producer Statik Selektah. The album was released on October 25, 2011. The album features guest appearances from Sean Price, Termanology, Big K.R.I.T., Freddie Gibbs, Mac Miller, Styles P, Saigon, Jared Evan, Action Bronson, Bun B, Talib Kweli, XV, Colin Munroe, Lil Fame, Pill, Reks, Mitchy Slick, Dom Kennedy, Strong Arm Steady, Skyzoo, Chuuwee, Nitty Scott, MC, Rapsody, Smoke DZA, Joell Ortiz, Brother Ali, Lecrae, DJ Premier, DJ Babu and Scram Jones among others. The album debuted at number 11 on the US Billboard Top Heatseekers chart in the first week of its release.
Critical reception
Population Control was met with positive reviews from music critics. Edwin Ortiz of HipHopDX gave the album three and a half stars out of five, saying "Statik Selektah may cosign all the rappers present on Population Control, but it's evident that his approval doesn't necessarily translate to a pristine collaboration in every instance. Still, as an artist who has built his reputation on consistency, his latest effort is a fairly solid project that likewise keeps the embers of Hip Hop glowing with passion." Jesse Gissen of XXL gave the album an L, saying "The biggest problem with the album is Statik's need to include everyone in the party. A lot of the tracks felt too cluttered with MCs that lacked chemistry together ("Sam Jack" and "Down") and with 20 tracks, the LP dragged towards the middle before picking up steam at the end. Luckily for listeners, Statik's ability to flip a beat never disappoints, as he makes sure to keep heads nodding no matter whose turn it is on the mic. Hopefully, next time Statik will be a little more selective on whom he decides to include in the general population.