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Rapper Young Buck shows versatility on new album
03/12/2007 12:12 PM, Reuters
Gail Mitchell
G-Unit Records, the label run by
rapper 50 Cent, endured some chinks in its armor last year.
Releases by Lloyd Banks (U.S. sales of 321,000 units,
according to Nielsen SoundScan) and Mobb Deep (267,000) sold
less than expected.
"As a crew we've seen record sales fall off," says Young
Buck, the Nashville native born David Brown "But hip-hop sales
overall have fallen. This just fuels my fire."
So much so that fans and label executives alike contend the
25-year-old will be the one to reignite the fire under the
brand when his second album, "Buck the World"
(G-Unit/Interscope), reaches stores March 27. His new single,
"Get Buck," is currently No. 55 on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop
Songs chart.
Young Buck's first solo outing, 2004's "Straight Outta
Cashville," has sold 1.1 million copies, according to Nielsen
SoundScan. A top G-Unit executive is targeting first-week sales
of 300,000 units for "Buck the World."
Young Buck hopes to buck expectations with his versatility.
"Slow Ya Roll," for instance, teams him with Los Angeles rock
act Linkin Park. Addressing AIDS and other life situations, the
rapper calls the song "the realest record I've ever done in my
life. Every word here is true."
He takes the rock'n'roll-meets-hip-hop vibe further on
"Lose My Mind," produced by Eminem. Then there's the moving
"Buck the World" with Lyfe Jennings about child-custody issues.
Making the songs as "real life as possible" was Young
Buck's goal. One song, however, may have been rooted in too
much reality. Borne out of Young Buck's various problems (a
2004 Vibe Awards melee, an alleged altercation with Lil Jon's
DJ Will, a recent arrest in Nashville), "F--- Tha Police"
ultimately didn't make the cut, although Young Buck offered to
clean up the lyrics after the label voiced concern.
Reuters/Billboard
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