When I was a young buck I was quite an avid fan of Young Buck (HAHA WORDPLAY). But seriously, it was back in the G-Unit heyday, when 50 was on everything, hip-hop beef was still a thing, and street credibility supposedly meant something. The game has certainly changed and it has not been too kind to Young Buck. In today's mixtape oriented business, a hot tape can propel you to a deal (see: Drake, The Weeknd, Chief Keef etc.). But for some, Young Buck included, a mixtape is a way to reach your core fan base. Some, like Curren$y, take great advantage of this by pushing out multiple releases a year, continually building a buzz, and hopefully finding a way to translate mixtape success into album success. But Curren$y, despite having his own Jet Life label, is backed by Warner Bros. Young Buck on the other hand, was dropped by Interscope and G-Unit and is stuck with his own label Cashville records. It's a dirty game and Buck has seen his fair share of controversy over the years (stabbings, arrests). His two G-Unit albums are not classics, but they are definitely still listenable. They are trend heavy yet it is still a nice slice of mid-2000s nostalgia for me. Anyway, I've always considered Buck to be a decent rapper. He has high energy, a simple yet effective flow, and he is able to convey emotion with ease.
His new mixtape "G.A.S. 2" is a bit disappointing. I had no idea this was being released (one of the detriments to working on an independent label), but I was excited to hear new music from Buck. The lack of quality does muddy the waters for how legitimate his first two albums are. "The Rehab", released in 2010, was his first non G-Unit affiliated album and it was...bad, to put it in layman's terms. Although, professional oversight on an artist can make a huge difference. It can make an average rapper sound great (see: Hittman). That being said, expectations are much lower for a mixtape. Sound mixing is generally ignored, beats can be recycled, and mistakes are usually part of the creative process. Not every rapper is Action Bronson though, and this is a defining example.
I should mention that Tha City Paper splits verse duty with Young Buck on this tape; I've never heard of him before, and he doesn't really bring much to the table. He sounds alright on some beats and his flow is consistent, but he doesn't really have much to say. But how is the actual tape? It's passable.
"G.A.S. 2" benefits from Buck's raspy high energy voice. He puts effort into every verse, even though the song topics are atypical. It is more "gangsta" oriented than most tapes now, which is nice, but most of the hooks are weak. Fair warning: it is mostly mysogynist and violent. Which...caters to a certain audience?
The beats are average at best, a mix of trap and Young Chop sounding keys. There are some skips and virtually no standouts. Not much to elaborate on really, except that Buck sounds hungry again. I've said it before, but he does sound great on almost any beat. Hopefully, he can hook up with some better producers, get some fair direction, and put out some better music in the near future. One can only hope.
Rating: 5.8/10
Mixtape Link: Datpiff
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