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Rap team’s newest lives up to its title

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Also by Michael Herriges:

Rap duo exercises skill (April 30, 2008)
Rappers have Midas touch on latest (April 23, 2008)
Rapper's talent 'Undeniable' on latest release (April 4, 2008)
Snoop back out of doghouse (March 12, 2008)
Pete Rock remains 'NY's Finest' (February 28, 2008)

by Michael Herriges

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

The MC/producer duo is a dying breed in hip-hop, even though some undeniably classic hip-hop music has been created when a rapper teams up with a single producer for an entire album. Take Eric B. and Rakim or Pete Rock and C.L. Smooth, for example. But in today’s era of ringtone rap, a larger emphasis is placed on making hit singles than classic albums. Unfortunately, this has led to many rappers simply shelling out exorbitant amounts of money to “super-producers” just so they can create that elusive radio hit.

Although those classic pairings of old are not as prevalent anymore, legendary underground rapper Buckshot and producer 9th Wonder are looking to start a revival. In 2005, they released Chemistry, their first LP together. Now their follow-up effort, The Formula, manages to avoid a sophomore jinx but still cannot deliver the magic expected from them.

“Intro (The Formula)” sets the album in motion with a typical, soulful 9th Wonder beat and some uplifting Buckshot verses, but it also involves an awful hook (“It’s the formula, the formula,” repeated over and over). “Ready (Brand New Day),” similarly, grows weary with an Alvin and the Chipmunks-esque sped-up vocal sample. Meanwhile, “Whassup With U?” is a poor attempt at mainstream appeal that does not mesh with Buckshot’s style and cadence.

Still, The Formula does combine those unimaginative songs with some pretty exceptional ones. The lead single, “Hold It Down,” features a vicious guest verse from Talib Kweli (“When they hear ‘em wave like a magic wand, I excite fam/ The way I rise my sun gives you a nice tan”), as well as a strong chorus from singer Tyler Woods. Buckshot puts his rhyming skills on display on “No Future,” rapping “You feel like the world’s against you/ ‘Cause you don’t make dollars, but you don’t make sense, dude.” 9th Wonder also gets a chance to show off on “Just Display” as he chops up an R&B sample and layers some crisp drum work on top of it.

The album falls short by following, as the title would indicate, a simple formula: Take a 9th Wonder beat based off of some obscure 1970s soul or R&B sample, add a couple solid yet generic verses from Buckshot, and repeat 13 times. This recipe created both outstanding and tedious tracks, thus constructing a good, albeit inconsistent result.

Regardless, this duo was capable of much more. Hearing 9th Wonder step out of his comfort zone would have been a welcome change, and a couple of storytelling or concept-based raps from Buckshot would have been a pleasant change of pace, too. But instead of striving for sensational, Buckshot and 9th Wonder stuck to The Formula and ended up sounding routine.

3 stars out of 5

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Anonymous (May 6, 2008 @ 5:09pm):

So I'ma grab a mic, flip a script and leave ya stunned
Buckshot's the one that gets the job done

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