Staten Island roots run deep on the Silver Skylarks remix of “Can You See Yourself With Me,” as Paul Schalda taps fellow borough native Inspectah Deck of the legendary Wu-Tang Clan for a left-field reimagining, that few saw coming in 2026.
The track, reworked from Schalda’s album Lately, trades in the original’s wide-eyed vulnerability for a hazier, head-nodding atmosphere built on dusty drums, rubbery bass, and streaks of fuzzed-out guitar. It’s a cross-generational collaboration that feels less like a novelty and more like a natural extension of shared hometown DNA.
The Silver Skylarks lean into a psychedelic boom-bap palette, grounding Schalda’s honeyed harmonies in thick, analog textures. There’s a warmth to the mix that nods to late-’60s soul and early-’90s trip-hop all at once, with DJ scratches slicing through the groove like a reminder of hip-hop’s tactile roots. The contrast is the point: earnest, melodic vocal lines floating over beats that thump with East Coast grit. The remix doesn’t overwrite the song’s romantic longing; it reframes it through a different rhythmic lens.
Enter Inspectah Deck, whose presence immediately shifts the temperature. Long celebrated for his precise lyricism and indelible verses within Wu-Tang’s catalog, Deck approaches this feature with the same measured intensity that made him a cornerstone of the Clan’s golden-era run. Here, though, the focus isn’t battle bars but durability, commitment, grown-man perspective, and the kind of love that survives turbulence. His cadence locks into the pocket with effortless authority, elevating the track without overpowering its melodic core.
What makes the collaboration compelling is its balance. Schalda’s chorus remains bright and inviting, almost doo-wop in spirit, while Deck’s verse adds weight and lived-in texture. The push and pull between indie-soul sweetness and Staten Island steel gives the remix dimension. It’s not simply a rapper-for-hire cameo; it feels like a conversation between two artists shaped by the same streets but traveling different musical highways.
For NYS Music readers, the Silver Skylarks remix of “Can You See Yourself With Me” stands as a reminder that genre walls are thinner than ever. By pairing Schalda’s harmony-driven songwriting with Inspectah Deck’s grounded, unmistakable delivery, the track lands in a sweet spot between throwback and forward-thinking. It’s soulful, slightly psychedelic, and unmistakably New York at heart—proof that even a tender love song can knock when the right voice steps to the mic. Read more here.
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