Buckwild — Music Is My Religion

The DITC historic producer is trying to tear the underground market apart with quality products, releasing his fourth studio album in 2020. He maintains a jazzy East Coast sound for his production, while the themes chosen by the MCs are similar to those of "Fully Loaded" of a month earlier: inside, among others, there are Fred da Godson, Ransom, Flee Lord, Planet Asia, Hus Kingpin, Milano, Little Vic and Smif-n-Wessun.

After Axel Leon, the late Fred da Godson spits his bars on the first jazzy boom bap of this edition, with a tight looped sample in the background, the mood of the track is epic, along with them also Reef Hustle and David Bars to give density to this track. "Truthfully Yours" is a Ransom solo, which goes strong with a slow velvet syncopated delivery on a simple jazzy rhythm.

The third choice is a clear highlight of the tape and features the most fit rapper of the period: boom bap jazzy light midtempo, perfect drum, smooth syncopated slow delivery by Flee Lord, flawless, has the title track, short cut, fantastic. Planet Asia and Hus Kingpin follow, quite worthily on a light jazzy boom bap with tightly looped samples in the background. Jay Royale doesn't stand out in his solo, despite a deep looped sax sample in the background, nor does Willie the Kid enhance the rhythm: jazzy boom bap with slow tight syncopated drum machine, soulful female sample, there's a purely functional hook that I don't mind, the rapper's syncopated slow smoothness delivery is good, but the track doesn't click.

"This Is It" boasts a great trumpet sample and smooth deliveries of Rim da Villin and King Bub Rock, on jazzy beats and lean slow drum machine that doesn't bother too much, the hook is simple, almost forced. A great light jazzy bap boom follows, with perfect dope sample, ethereal, fit delivery by Daniel Son that dominates the beat with smooth and confident syncopated rapping.

For the Milano solo, Buckwild provides a production with dark vibes and a lean and hard syncopated drum, while for the Little Vic cut, the rhythm is simple and skeletal, with a regular drum machine, the MC delivers slow but smoothly over this soundscape. Skrewtape is another unknown underground rapper, pulls off a good delivery on a essential boom bap, with tightly looped soul samples in the background.

One of the latest cuts presents the historic New York duo composed of Tek and Steele: male soul sample looped in the background, jazzy boom bap worked, perfect syncopated skinny drum machine, different jazzy samples in the background, splendid choice of rapid piano keys and eccentric sax background, duo smoothness slow syncopated delivery, soulful simple hook.

To complete the work, "La Marina Talk": good work by Buckwild, boom bap jazzy with dark and gloomy vibes, Emilio Craig and The Musalini aren't caught unprepared, the first spits slow and syncopated, while the second interprets the beat with an almost spoken slow style, surprisingly fit with the rhythm.

At the end of the day, it pairs with "Fully Loaded", it has an interesting production, great guests, fresh cuts, but I don't consider it an essential listen for East Coast fans. Check it in any case. The disk is released by Kurrup Money and in Italy by Tuff Kong Records in vinyl format.

Highlights: "Bronx Bars Banned", "Music Is My Religion", "This Is It", "Bourbon Street Gutter Water", "Survivor", "La Marina Talk".

Rating: 7/10.