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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
What the Buck?, March 27, 2007
Buck The World. On this release, Buck literally does tell the hip-hop world, and all of his haters to go buck themselves. This album is a bit hard for me to review; it's my most anticipated album of the year, and to finally have it in my possession is magnificient. I'm not sure what it was about Buck Marley's sophomore effort that had me hanging on the edge of my seat as I anxiously awaited it to be released; Buck IS one of my favorite rappers in the mainstream rap scene today, but there were other artists coming out(and still in the works) this year that I prefer over Mr. Ten-A-Key. Was it my curiousity that got the best of me? G-Unit, over the last two years, has been in a steady decline, and 2006 appeared to be the final nail in the coffin for the clique; Buck appeared to be their last hope. Sure, all the G-Unit releases in 2006 were average albums, that were by no means wack, but they weren't of the expected quality from the camp, especially in production values. With Southern hip-hop being the most relevant style in today's commercial market, a great deal of weight has been placed upon Young Buck's shoulders on his sophomore effort; he has, virtually, been assigned to 'save' G-Unit. The question is, is Young Buck capable of saving a crumbling empire?
I'm not sure, but it's clear that Interscope saw it in Buck. Thus, for this release, Buck was blessed with three Dr. Dre beats; more than one of Dre's own artists, the G-Unit general himself, 50 Cent, got on his last album. Dre isn't the only all-star producer on this album; in fact, most of the cast of musicians behind the boards on this album have had their fair share chart-toppers. DJ Toomp, Jonathan Rotem, Danja, Lil' Jon, Jazze Pha, Needlz, Hi-Tek, Polow Da Don, and Eminem can all be found on this album, providing a wide variety of soundscapes for Buck's passionate delivery. In terms of production, this is by far one of the best albums, musically, to have come out of the G-Unit camp, including 50's Get Rich or Die Tryin' and The Game's Documentary. Dre's beats are all of considerabley high quality, and find the producer redeeming himself after some moderately dissapointing work on Jay-Z's Kingdom Come. Jazze Pha's two contributions are both good, especially the funky, Shorty Wanna Ride With Me-reminiscent I Know You Want Me. DJ Toomp's beat for Pocket Full of Papers, featuring Young Jeezy, is the trap-muzik he made famous to begin with, and is of exceptional quality. Needlz, who produced Buck's very first single from his debut, Let Me In, returns for Clean Up Man, with a hyper, and energetic track that'll have you wanting to bust some heads. Speaking of busting heads, the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League, famous for their work on Jeezy's Bury Me A G, provide a haunting background for Buck's hard-rhymes on Buss Yo Head. Perhaps the best beat on this album belongs to Polow Da Don though, who's thunderous, earth-quaking production found on Get Buck(the second single) is sure to be 2007's Southern hip-hop anthem. With the right marketing, this track could rip through the charts.
With such a dope musical outlet to expand his creativity, how does Buck handle himself on the mic? Here's the first thing you need to know about Buck; he's not a mind-blowing lyricist. Hardly anyone in the South, save OutKast and T.I., is. While his lyrics maybe border-line elementary at times, at least technically, Buck has more charisma than ten men combined, and the passion he dispells in his rhymes is more entrancing than any emcee you'll find today. If you can't feel Buck on songs like Slow Ya Roll and Lose My Mind, then you shouldn't even be listening to hip-hop; you don't deserve to. Buck is cut from a rare mold of emcee who doesn't strictly use his lyrics to express himself, but lets the tone of his voice do most of the speaking for himself. He's far from one-dimensional like others may want you to believe; the different emotions he uses in each song provide an atmosphere that sucks you into each song. I know a lotta people get on G-Unit about their limited subject matter, and while Buck is guilty of some cliches on this album(such as Money Good and Pocket Fulla Papers), he handles these subjects with so much charisma and mic presence that it's impossible not to jam to the songs. He is also far more introspective than many believe; tracks like Slow Ya Roll, Buck The World, Lose My Mind, and U Ain't Going Nowhere show Buck has his mind on a lot more than money, hoes, cars, and clothes. He's no Nas or Last Emperor when he decides to get personal on these tracks, but these tracks are just as genuine as any of the more lyrically-adapt emcees'.
It takes quite a few listens to really appreciate every track on this album; some, such as Get Buck and Clean Up Man, you'll be rocking with from the first listen, but some of the more personal, or 'different' tracks will take a few more listens to really find the brilliance in. In the end, the materialistic tracks found on this album are what they're supposed to be; fun, braggadocious songs. Not everything in music has to tackle an important issue, and Buck knows this; so when he goes into tracks like Money Good, just has fun with the track, there's no reason to hate on it as long as it's good music. In Buck's case, on Buck The World, it is. His introspective tracks are heart-felt, and endearing. There's nineteen tracks on this album, with absolutely no skits, and in my personal opinion, no filler. If Buck really is the Clean Up Man, or the Savior of G-Unit, he's definitely going to do it with Buck The World. If this doesn't reach platinum sales, then there's a great deal of doubt in my mind that any album will this year. Even if Buck doesn't get that plaque though, he can be proud knowing that he released not only the best album out of G-Unit records, but also one of the most well-rounded hip-hop albums, commercial or underground, in years. He maybe saying Buck The World, but he's just saying that to get our attention; do yourselves a favor, and listen to what Buck's saying.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
G-Unit as a whole may be on life support, but Young Buck manages to hold his own., April 21, 2007
I will be the first person to admit that when G-Unit first came out that I was a fan. I won't front like some people may do. I had the "50 Cent Is The Future" and the "No Mercy No Fear" mixtapes and I also had the 50 Cent "Guess Who's Back" CD that was released on Full Clip Records. The songs with G-Unit that was included on these CDs were just 50, Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo. The first time that I actually heard Young Buck is when he was down with Juvenile's UTP crew and they had done some tracks with G-Unit. "A Little Bit Of Everything" and "New York To New Orleans" were 2 of my favorite songs on Juvenile's "600 Degreez" mixtape. The first official G-Unit release that I heard Young Buck on was "Blood Hound" from 50's "Get Rich Or Die Trying" CD.
By the time G Unit's "Beg For Mercy" was released, 50 was already rich so I didn't expect too much from the CD. You weren't going to get the same street fire that G-Unit had delivered before on the mixtapes because too much money was involved. You were going to have the commercial tracks, (Stunt 101) and the must have track for the ladies. (I Wanna Get To Know You w/ Joe) The CD featured Young Buck alot since Tony Yayo was incarcerated and he got plenty of an opportunity to shine. His solo track "Footprints" was definitely one of the highlights on the CD.
Young Buck's "Straight Outta Cashville" was released after Lloyd Banks released "The Hunger For More". I was a fan of the 1st single "Let Me In" which featured 50 on the chorus and the song was definitely made with the clubs in mind. My other favorite tracks included "I'm A Soldier", "Welcome To The South" w/David Banner & Lil Flip, "Bang Bang", "Bonafied Hustler" w/50 and Tony Yayo and the original version of "Stomp" that featured TI & Ludacris. Since then G-Unit has went through plenty of ups and downs. The ups included releasing The Game's "Documentary" CD, signing Mobb Deep and M.O.P., and branching out into different business ventures like the G-Unit shoes, clothing, 50 Vitamin water, etc. The downs included Game leaving G-Unit, Mobb Deep's "Blood Money", "The Massacre", "Rotten Apple" and not even trying to release a M.O.P. CD. Inbetween both of Young Buck's CDs the best track that Young Buck appeared on was "Stay Fly" which featured Three 6 Mafia & 8Ball & MJG.
Through it all, Young Buck has returned with his 2nd solo disc, "Buck The World". The first track that I actually heard from this CD was "I Know You Want Me" which is produced by Jazze Pha. The track wasn't that bad but when you have been dropping duds like G-Unit has been lately, you definitely expected a better first single. "Get Buck" is actually a vast improvement from "I Know You Want Me". The producer of the moment, Polow Da Don, who has worked with artists ranging from Ludacris, Rich Boy and Fergie, yes the same Fergie who almost made me jump off of the London Bridge, gives Young Buck a nice track to come out and make a single with.
"Buck The World" gets off to a nice start with "Push Em Back". Young RJ gives Buck a nice track to be able to state that he is officially back on the scene. As reviewer "Constant" stated, "Say It To My Face" is basically a track for the haters. Bun B of UGK and 8Ball & MJG come along for the ride and this is definitely one of my favorite tracks on "Buck The World". I can't wait for Bun B and Pimp C to release the UGK double CD. "Buss Yo Head" is nothing groundbreaking but the track from the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League gives Buck a platform to further expand his explanation to any haters or any rappers who don't think that Young Buck is here to throw his name in the hat for one of the top southern rappers. "I Ain't F______' Wit U features Snoop Dogg, Trick Daddy, and Dion and is produced by Hi-Tek. The sing is basically talking about the topic of snitching and how these artists feel about people who snitch in general. One thing that I like about "Buck The World" is that Young Buck isn't afraid to hit personal issues in the head like he does on the title track with Lyfe Jennings and on the impressive "Slow Ya Roll" w/Chester Bennington of Linkin Park. "Slow Ya Roll" talks about several issues and life lessons that alot of his listeners can learn from if they actually listen to the track: Like the young girl who wanted to grow up too fast, his uncle in his Navy, his nephew, and his aunt that had AIDS. "Hold On" features 50 Cent and is produced by the good Dr. (Dr. Dre) and Che Vicious. This track is definitely single material as 50 and Buck go back and forth between the verses and get some things off of their chest. Although, I haven't been a big fan of 50's work lately he gives a decent performance on the track. "Pocket Full Of Paper" features Young Jeezy and is produced by DJ Toomp who has done work on TI's and 8Ball & MJG CDs. The track is decent and it sounds just like something Lil Jon would have produced. If you like Jeezy then you will like the track but other than that it ends up being just another song. Buck does a good job of getting his grown man on with "U Ain't Goin' Nowhere". His diehard fans may not be impressed with the track because it's commercial but to me it's a nice change of pace from the rest of the CD and the ladies should be impressed with the track. Lil Jon shows up on "Money Good". The track is pretty decent but these lines interested me: Things done changed and I'm hotter than a flame, so it's no time for me to beef with Joe, Jada or Game. What interests me about these words is that the same people that 50 has written off and saying that no one in G-Unit should have anything to do with, Buck says he doesn't have time to concern himself with getting in beefs with them. This is basically the same reason why Game got kicked out of G-Unit. I am surprised that 50 would have even let this CD come out with those lyrics on them. "Puff Puff Pass" ends up being a decent track and the self proclaimed "Buck Marley" is able to talk about one of his favorite past times with Ky-Mani Marley joining in as well.
The best track on "Buck The World" hands down is "4 Kings". Jazze Pha redeems himself after "I Know You Want Me" and produces my favorite down south track of 2007 so far with the exception of UGK's "The Game Belongs To Me" and Devin The Dude's "What A Job" with Snoop Dogg & Andre 3000. Pimp C is on the hook and Young Buck, TI and Young Jeezy contribute with the verses. If this track doesn't end up with some kind of video or radio play, that will definitely be a mistake made by the G-Unit A&R. "Lose My Mind" is produced by Eminem and the track would end up being alot better if Young Buck actually tried to rap his verses and not try to scream them like Eminem did on "White America". Eminem has that down to a science, Buck should stick to what he does best which is just rapping some lyrics on a tight beat. 50 Cent's diss for Cam'ron, "The Funeral" appears as a bonus track after "Lose My Mind".
Overall, I definitely feel that this is the best G Unit affiliated CD since The Game's "Documentary". Tony Yayo's "Thoughts Of A Predicate Felon", 50's "Massacre", Mobb Deep's "Blood Money" and Lloyd Banks' "Rotten Apple" aren't up to the standards that G Unit created for themselves with the earlier street mixtapes and with 50's debut CD, "Get Rich Or Die Trying". The Get Rich Or Die Trying soundtrack had some decent material on it, but when was the last time that you could actually say that you could listen to a whole G Unit affiliated CD? Young Buck has done a good job with "Buck The World". I could deal with him not talking about haters on the whole CD but he still does a good job of balancing the typical Down South tracks, commercial tracks and tracks for the ladies, as well as, tracks that actually make you think like "Buck The World" and "Slow Ya Roll".
James' Top 5
1) 4 Kings w/Pimp C, TI, & Young Jeezy
2) Buss Yo Head
3) Say It To My Face w/Bun B & 8Ball & MJG
4) Buck The World w/Lyfe Jennings
5) Slow Ya Roll w/Chester Bennington
Honorable Mention:
1) Get Buck
2) I Ain't F______' Wit U w/Snoop Dogg, Trick Daddy & Dion
3) Push Em Back
4) U Ain't Goin' Nowhere w/Latoiya Williams
5) Hold On w/50 Cent
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
2nd album on G-Unit is another tight one, March 30, 2007
Young Buck is back with his 2nd album on G-Unit, although I like "Straight Outta Cashville" & "T.I.P." slightly better (both I'd give 4.5 stars), (and better then his "Case Dismissed" mixtape - 3 maybe 3.5 stars) this is still a very solid album and definitley worth having. Buck's to me has been the most consistant and best in the Unit and he keeps that alive with this one. Has a more southern sound then his other albums and only one G-Unit member on here (50 Cent), most of the artists are fellow southerners. With 18 songs (there's a bonus 50 Cent track after song #17)you get a lot of material, guests are on 10 songs, rapping on 5 of them. Of the 18 songs, 1 is a classic, 1 is a near classic, 4 are ok, 1 I skip, the other 11 are good songs. Production is decent. Jazze Pha, Dr Dre, adn Jake One each do 2 songs, Eminem, The Bizness, Lil Jon, Vitamin D, Young RJ, Jiggalo, Justice LEague, Hi-Tek, Polow da Don, Doc & Gramps and Toomp each do 1 song. A nice album to have in your collection
#1 - 8
#2 - 8.5 (f/ MJG, Eightball, Bun B)
#3 - 8.5
#4 - 7 (f/ Snoop Dogg, Trick Daddy, Dion)
#5 - 8
#6 - 9 (f/ Lyfe Jennings -- nice beat)
#7 - 8.5 (f/ Chester Bennington of Linkin Park -- deeper song)
#8 - 10 (CLASSIC! -- f/ 50 Cent -- great beat)
#9 - 8.5 (f/ Young Jeezy)
#10 - 7.5 (f/ Traci Nelson & the always annoying Kokane)
#11 - 6.5 (f/ LaToiya Williams)
#12 - 8
#13 - 7
#14 - 8.5
#15 - 9.5 (f/ TI & Young Jeezy -- tight beat)
#16 - 8.5 (f/ Jazze Pha)
#17 - 4.5
BONUS TRACK - 9 (50 Cent dissing Cam'ron)
David Darnell Brown -- b. 3/5/81 -- Nashville, TN
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