Stat Quo - Ghetto USA

After leaving Shady/Aftermath last year, partly because of repeated delays, Atlanta rapper Stat Quo is finally set to release his long awaited album Statlanta. On his new, moving single, Ghetto USA, Stat Quo describes the hardships of living in the ghetto, and while he references his own experiences growing up in the ATL, this track could be applied to any city in the country, from L.A. to Chicago to New York. The beat, produced by Sha Money XL, emphasizes the track’s emotional foundation with slow piano lines and background vocals, giving weight to Ghetto USA’s deep lyrics and gripping hook. When Quo raps, “Clocking in, clocking out, wondering where the time is,” that simple but vivid line should resonate with anyone living paycheck to paycheck, but in the end the entire song’s message can be personified in one line from the chorus: “We can keep on grindin’, keep on trying.” For more inspirational hip-hop be sure to keep an eye out for Statlanta in the first quarter of 2010 and, of course, stay tuned to DJBooth.net for all the latest from Stat Quo.