Buckshot & P-Money – BackPack Travels
Dirty/Dawn Raid/Duck Down: 2014
Buckshot is one of the unsung heroes of rap music. He came up with Mobb Deep and Da Beatminerz, worked with Pac and KRS-One, and has been running Duck Down Music for almost 20 years. BackPack Travels is his 15th album. He links up with New Zealand producer P-Money for this one, and it’s a killer combo. P-Money’s beats are fat, soulful fun, influenced by DJ Premier and in the vein of Statik Selektah. Buckshot’s rhymes are those of a veteran, a man with nothing to prove and nothing to lose – he’s confident but not egotistical, skilled but not flashy. What results is an album of extremely enjoyable stoop jams.
It’s easy to tell Buck has been doing this a long time, clearly comfortable on the mic. What makes this stand out from other rap vets’ albums is that he sounds remarkably energetic; he’s having fun, not asserting any self-proclaimed legend status like some other old heads. Sure, he spends a good deal of the album bragging, but it’s all about “look how good I can spit,” not “look how long I’ve been around.” He also eschews the misogyny and homophobia that’s all too present on the albums of some established legends (lookin’ at you, Eminem). When it comes down to it, his ego isn’t at the forefront and he’s not pretending it’s still the ‘90s.
One of the ways he manages to sound so contemporary is by featuring newcomers on the album. He has guest spots from five emcees under the age of 20, including Joey Bada$$ and two other Pro Era members. They all do their thing, and sound very comfortable alongside Buckshot. He also features David Dallas, a New Zealander who can spit reliably too, and Steele of Smif-N-Wessun, another underground OG. T’Nah Apex has a standout verse on “Sweetest Thing,” in addition to singing the hook, and Chelsea Reject gives us straight bars on “Clear Light.”
The most enjoyable track on the album may be “Killuminati,” which, despite the somewhat overused title, is a very refreshing track. The beat is a jazzy head-nodder and Buck skewers the Illuminati craze with insight, humor and common sense. He shouts out the Illuminati mockingly, labeling what other rappers spit the “sorority version of the Illuminati,” and calls people out for rabble-rousing for money. Aside from its humor, it’s nice to hear the track mock all the bandwagon-hoppers out there.
The only track that falls a bit flat is “This is My World,” featuring Steele of Smif-N-Wessun. Buck sounds like he’s trying to be cheerful, which somehow doesn’t suit him. He makes it clear on the album that he can do victorious, but celebratory doesn’t connect. Steele’s verse is good but not remarkable, as are Buckshot’s, but the record flutters as a song. It’s a pity since it’s the album closer, but nine dope tracks and one weak one do not signify a bad LP by any means.
BackPack Travels is a distinctly underground, distinctly Brooklyn record, working in a late-‘90s tradition, and as such will appeal greatly to hip-hop heads who are fans of that scene; if you like Sean Price, Statik Selektah, Redman, or anything of the sort, this album is for you. I expect to be bumping this all summer, and you should too. It’s a simple album, but done very well, and it’s a lot of fun. It pushes no boundaries, makes no grand artistic statement, but it makes a strong statement nonetheless – that Buckshot is one of the best in the underground. And that, perhaps, we should pay more attention to New Zealand hip-hop like P Money. Neither of these guys are going anywhere.
4 out of 5