Resilience Reflected

14 years after the critically acclaimed State of Grace, Slaine and Statik Selektah reunite to drop a sequel that slaps harder than the original. A New State of Grace proves Slaine’s still the tip of the spear with his lyricism—and he’s evolving like a phoenix. Statik reaches deep into his elite bag of beats, handing Slaine the perfect canvas to paint like Van Gogh.

The title track kicks it off with an inspiring vibe, channeling resilience, healing, and straight-up hunger. Slaine’s elite pen zeros in on the pitfalls of his meteoric rise and the brutal consequences that come with it. He also unpacks the mental war of reigniting that fire for the art after a laundry list of hardships.

The features? Stacked like a king’s ransom: legends like Ill Bill, Paul Wall, and Masta Ace, plus certified spitters OT the Real, Millyz, and KXNG Crooked. OT and Crook trading bars? Pure treat. And Paul Wall? Man showed out, rapping like he had an eviction notice taped to his front door—reminding everybody how he earned his seat at the table. Some of y’all must’ve forgot.

Statik’s instrumentation and drum loops are surgical—perfectly tuned to make you feel the lyrics, not just hear ’em. That’s the overlooked genius only legendary producers pull off.

This joint reignited my love for the original State of Grace from 14 years back. Slaine’s always been dope, Statik too, but their synergy? Electric. The concepts hit heavy—redemption, sobriety, rebuilding from the ashes—and Slaine delivers it all with masterful presentation.

Selfishly, after a 14-year wait, I wanted more tracks. But these 11? Overflowing with everything that makes me love hip-hop.

Standout Tracks: World Don’t Stop, Gusto, Coka Grillz, A New State of Grace

Album Rating: 👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑👑(9/10)