Buck the World

To understand how the rap world feels about Young Buck you have only to look at the list of guests on Buck the World. From forefathers like U.G.K. and 8Ball & MJG to current kings T.I. and Young Jeezy, the entire South is standing behind Buck whether the rest of the world likes it or not, delivering 17 songs of muscular, no-nonsense Southern rap. Each track is supported by producers responsible for some of music’s heaviest sounds — Dr. Dre, DJ Toomp, and Lil’ Jon among them — and Buck approaches his material with the brawny bluster of a boxer, every cut on Buck the World another slug at the heavy bag. The Polow Da Don-helmed single “Get Buck” is the album’s standout track: a calculated, stomping march befitting of Buck’s indestructible persona. “4 Kings” is a Southern rap summit, bringing together Pimp C, T.I., Young Jeezy and Buck over a Jazzy Pha beat that oozes wah guitar and organ. Buck the World also gives space to up-and-coming underground producers Vitamin D and Jake One, who bring a soulful edge to “Buck the World,” and to “Haters,” which features the off-kilter crooning of overlooked West Coast legend Kokane. In his rhymes, Buck rarely deviates from strong-arm threats and thuggish boasts, but no one listens to him for smooth flows or clever verses. With Buck the World, he has made an album that is as solid, unswerving, and reliable as the man himself.