Review: Ski Beatz, “24 Hour Karate School”

Ski Beatz, 24 Hour Karate School
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Ski Beatz’ 24 Hour Karate School arrives months after his triumphant production for Curren$y’s acclaimed Pilot Talk. But even the NY veteran famed for his work on Jay-Z’s Reasonable Doubt can’t overcome a classic rule about producer-helmed compilations: they’re usually uneven patchworks. This one is no different, although it has standout tracks, particularly the Cool Kids and Stalley’s “Do It Big!!” and Curren$y and Smoke DZA’s “Nothing but Us.” Meanwhile, rap nerds that blogged about 24 Hour Karate School’s pre-release teasers will complain that Mos Def’s vocals are missing from “Taxi (Instrumental).”