Posted on 05/06/2008 3:32 PM
North Carolina producer 9th Wonder (formerly of Little Brother) and New York MC Buckshot (Boot Camp Click, Black Moon) joined forces in 2005 to release one of the more anticipated pieces of work from that year in Chemistry . Well received by fans and critics alike, the union inspired more 9th Wonder pairings with Duck Down artists such as Sean Price and others. The duo join forces again for their follow up The Formula, an upgrade from the previous effort in almost every category.

Longtime fans of both artists know what to expect from this project – dope beats and rhymes and from the intro track, “The Formula”, it delivers just that. Critics of 9th’s lack of varied drum patterns or sounds can lay those claims to rest from this song alone. Buckshot’s rhyme is more of his typical, confident fare with the vocals mixed right on top of the track. The following track, “Ready (Brand New Day)”, a horn-laced jam with Buckshot reminding many why he should be counted amongst one of the best MCs alive today. The vocal samples within the track that Buck builds his rhyme around work together seamlessly. On the album’s first single, “Go All Out”, vocalist Carlitta Durand provides a soft, soulful assist to 9th’s thumping backing track. This is definitely one of the LP’s highlights for sure. The following track, “No Future”, packs a good message from Buckshot who delivers cautionary words to the wild and young. However, the song just seems to drag and much of that is due to the average (at least for 9th) production.

All is forgiven when “Whassup With U?” featuring Keisha Shontelle plays in the deck. The soulful groove sets the perfect for Buckshot’s smooth and focused delivery. The vocalist provides just the right amount of variation to the steady funk of the track. On the final two tracks, the very strong “Shinin’ Ya’ll” features superb lyrical work from Arafat Yates and Big Chopps of M1 Platoon. In some respects, the M1 Platoon MCs deliver performances that are more memorable and 9th’s track is one of his strongest yet. On “Man Listen (Cause Ummm)”, Buckshot does justice to 9th’s delightfully busy track and the triumphant theme of the song shines through without fail. This album is a throwback to the cohesive LPs of the 90s with just one MC and one producer and very few guests. Replay value should be high, depending if you’re in it for the production or rhymes, but there’s no one song on this LP that doesn’t work on at least one of those levels.

- D.L. Chandler