Out of the G-Unit camp, Nashville's Young Buck seems the most genuine. Buck doesn't wow with his wordplay or content, but his voices oozes an endearing honesty. With his second album, Buck The World, Buck does not stray far from the G-Unit blueprint of aggressive street tomes and odes to money and hustling. Despite the limited subject matter, Buck The World, buoyed by some excellent collaboration, is a rather entertaining collection of songs.
"Say It To My Face," featuring Underground King Bun B and those Orange Mound boys 8 Ball and MJG fires on all cylinders. Bun rides the track brilliantly, hands down the best feature on the record, and allows us to hear how Buck stands up to a true legend. Admirably. With Young Jeezy, Snoop, Trick Daddy, TI, Pimp C and 50 providing 16s on other tracks, it would be easy for Buck play the background. But, Buck proves he belongs with the elite of commercial hip-hop and that Straight Outta Cashville was no fluke.
The most unexpected collaboration on the album comes in the form of Linkin Park's Chester Bennington. "Slow Your Roll" builds from Buck's cautionary life tales to Bennington's lament on the fast life. Including Bennington on the album is a nice little twist from the G-Unit camp, a crew that rarely throws any curveballs. The other singers featured on the album do not offer the same intrigue. On the album's title track, "Buck The World," Lyfe assists as Buck explains where he's been and where he's going. Latoya Williams stops by on "U Ain't Going Nowhere," a song that, honestly, doesn't go anywhere. At 120 minutes, Buck The World plays a little too long, and this collabo could certainly be removed. When will rappers learn that misogynistic tales of bedroom prowess are not interesting? Or additionally, learn that these songs do not offer "something for the ladies?"
Like most of the recent G-Unit releases, Buck The World fails to generate the same excitement as its predecessors. Perhaps they should switch up the formula. We no longer need 50 to pop up on every album (here he appears on "Hold On"). Buck has proven he has a personality that can hold his own, and seems adept at attracting appropriate guests.
Make no mistake, Buck The World, like all G-Unit releases, is big budget rap. Apart from the platinum guest stars, there is plenty of star power behind the boards. Hi-Tek, Polow da Don, Jazze Pha to list a few. Rather than create a classic backdrop, these names really just reinforce the commercial intent of the album. That Dr. Dre fails to come with any real heat for what should be the G-Unit banger of the album is also a bit sad.
In the end, Buck The World is mildly amusing, and manages just a little more personality than the average release in the genre. If you are into up-tempo beats and gritty straight forward rhymes, Buck won't disappoint. If you want positive vibes go somewhere else.
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