Young Buck :
Straight Outta Cashville

Release Date: 23 August 2004

Reviewed By: Usman Sajjad

1. I'm A Soldier - feat, 50 Cent

2. Do It Like Me

3. Let Me In

4. Look At Me Now - feat, Mr Porter

5. Welcome To The South - feat, Lil Flip, David Banner

6. Prices On My Head - feat, Lloyd Banks, D-Tay

7. Bonafide Hustler - feat, 50 Cent, Tony Yayo

8. Shorty Wanna Ride

9. Bang Bang

10. Thou Shall

11. Black Gloves

12. Stomp - feat, The Game, Ludacris

13. Taking Hits - feat, D-Tay

14. Walk With Me - feat, Stat Quo

15. DPG-Unit

16. Life In A Day

Jadakiss - Kiss Of Death
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When 50 Cent recruited Down South rapper Young Buck to G-Unit, fans speculated whether 50 just brought in the Nashville native as a replacement for incarcerated G-Unit founding member Tony Yayo. Hip hop heads knew both 50 and Lloyd Banks from the hundreds of mixtapes on the streets, but Young Buck’s lyrical ability was unknown to many. Fast forward to his appearance on ‘P.I.M.P’ remix with Snoop Dogg, and not to forget his show-stopping performances on G-Unit’s ‘Beg for Mercy’ LP, the world opened their eyes to Buck just as they did to the other G-Unit soldiers months before.

Production-wise, ‘Straight Outta Cashville’ uses the same tactics as Banks did on his debut ‘The Hunger For More’, employing upcoming producers such as Needlz, but still mixing the roster with some well known names including the crunk master Lil’ Jon (Usher’s ‘Yeah’) and Denaun Porter, aka Kon Artis from D12, (G-Unit’s ‘Stunt 101’, 50 Cent’s ‘P.I.M.P’).

Buck’s debut album really had to have some sort of head-moving first single, due to hot debuts coming from both Banks and 50 Cent before their album dropped. Young Buck’s first single comes in the form of the infectious ‘Let Me In’, the well paced, club banger produced by Needlz, who makes the strong guitar riffs and the odd high keyboard synths seem worthwhile. However, Buck’s intensity and upfront flow is best shown on ‘I’m A Soldier’ featuring 50 Cent, where the former crack dealer explains his hard knock life in the hood through his fierce rhymes and Southern slang: “The South ain’t safe no more/ So get a gun/ and pray to God you reach 21.”

Buck wastes no time in reaching out to his Southside homies on ‘Stomp’, with Atlanta’s best, Ludacris, and Game joining him on this sizzlin’ track. Yet, both Ludacris and Game blow Buck out of the water with their witty raps, leaving the Compton ‘punch line prince’ trying to fit in with rhymes like: “I wasn’t trying to get the cover of XXL/ but trying to f*** Mya/ because Dre said sex sells.”

Needlz reappears again on ‘Bang Bang’, using a sample from ‘Kill Bill Vol. 1’ on a track which Buck rips apart with his steaming raps. The rookie continues his impressive performance on the excellent ‘Prices On My Head’ featuring D-Tay and Lloyd Banks, a track which bares similarities to 50’s ‘Many Men’. However, Buck’s hard work is let down by tracks such as ‘Bonafide Hustler’ - a typical, everyday G-Unit song, and the weak Cash Money-sounding ‘Shorty Wanna Ride’, a slow paced club track.

Buck possesses the aggressive, gun toting, thug living, fire light lyrics and incredible flow that was shown on the debut album of hip hop god 2Pac, on Death Row’s ‘All Eyes On Me’, the greatest rap debut of all time. Yet, the difference between Young Buck and the late Pac is Tupac’s outstanding versatility on records dedicated to subjects other than guns and hood life. Young Buck disappointingly fails to be even a little versatile, with fans only hearing about his gun and not getting to hear about his sensitive side. This could be Buck’s choice in not wanting his album to sound like 50’s ‘Get Rich Or Die Trying’ and not having the criticism Banks received for trying to do so. The only sensitivity we get from Buck is on ‘Look At Me Now’ featuring the incredible vocals of D12’s Kon Artis, a track where Buck shows a passionate, lighter side, describing life’s general successes and failures.

Deciding a mark out of five for the album was difficult, but I was overjoyed in hearing an album full of hardcore Southern rap. Sure, I’m disappointed that Buck doesn’t even attempt to show his sensitive side, but his persona and rhyming abilities will please any fan of Southern rap. Next stop on the G-Unit Express will be Compton, Los Angeles, for the exciting October release of Game’s ‘N**** Wit Attitude (Vol 1)’.

4 out of 5

Top 3 Tracks:
4) ‘Look At Me Now’ feat. Kon Artis from D12
6) ‘Prices On My Head’ feat. D-Tay and Lloyd Banks
11) ‘Stomp’ feat. Ludacris and Game

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