| Bucktown,
USA - The story behind Buckshot
and 9th Wonder’s
collaborative union lends credence
to the title they selected to matter-of-factly
summarize the merging of their vast
talents; simply put, it was Chemistry.
What was supposed to be a short visit
for Buckshot to 9th Wonder’s
secretive recording enclave in North
Carolina, ended up resulting in one
of the most highly-anticipated hip
hop LP’s of 2005, as Buckshot
laments, “We actually came down
to work with 9th on Sean
Price and Smif
N Wesson’s LP’s;
we realized they needed some dope
tracks and I felt like 9th Wonder
was the man to go to. The sessions
were going so well with Sean and Smif
N Wesson that I was blessed to get
on a track as well. The vibe was so
good that the next day we did another
joint and then another and then another.
Our chemistry was so good, that it
just became Chemistry.”
If your familiar with hip hop you
know the name Buckshot; the frontman
for the Boot
Camp Clik, the entrepreneur
behind the branding of Duck
Down Records name on the hip-hop
populace and of course for being the
lead emcee from Black
Moon; who can forget the classics
from 1993’s Enta Da Stage
(“How Many Mc’s..,”
“Who Got The Props” and
“Buck Em Down”), or 2003’s
Total Eclipse (“Stay
Real,” “Rush” and
“How We Do It”) which
ushered in a new era for Black Moon
as it found the entire outfit reunited.
Buckshot’s personal growth (which
included working with and being a
part of 2Pac’s
One Nation Project) and unrelenting
lyrical skills have paved the way
for a career that now spans over a
decade; which begins anew with Chemistry.
After exploding onto the hip-hop scene
with their critically acclaimed 2003
debut, The Listening, Little
Brother has quickly become
a fan favorite and recently inked
a major label deal with Atlantic Records.
The man behind their ascent, 9th Wonder,
has also seen his star rise, as over
the course of two years, he has become
one of the most sought after producers
in the urban-music landscape; including
his remixes of Nas’
God’s Sun (which he
appropriately re-dubbed God’s
Stepson) and Jay-Z’s
The Black Album (re-titled
Black Is Back), both of which
attained cult-status with fans and
ushered in a new trend of remixing
that would see countless producers
follow in his wake. In addition, 9th
Wonder has lent production to Jay-Z’s
The Black Album, De
La Soul’s The Grind
Date, Destiny
Child’s Destiny Fullfilled,
Memphis Bleek’s
534, Masta
Ace’s A Long Hot
Summer, Murs
3:16 The 9th Edition, Jean
Grae’s This Week,
Big Pooh’s
Sleepers and worked with
artists like Kanye
West, Pete
Rock and of course his Justus
League cohorts.
If you yearn for the days when hip
hop reflected true musicality and
lyrical integrity, look no further
than Buckshot and 9th Wonder’s
Chemistry.
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