Bukshot - "Weirdo"

When Bukshot began releasing albums almost two decades ago, no one would have suspected the Louisville Gangster rapper would be one of the premier Horrorcore rappers today.  His style and sound have varied over the years but one thing has remained consistent, his drive to succeed.  He has overcome tragedy, loss, high times, and anything else you can imagine.  He stands today as a symbol to younger rappers that you should do the music you like, make your own waves, and capitalize on every opportunity all while keeping your feet firmly planted on the ground.  After six years of effort he finally gives us the long awaited, Weirdo.   Track listing

1. Luna Plena
2. Hellions
3. Weirdo Ft Krizz Kaliko
4. Rumblefish
5. Monster Ft Krizz Kaliko and Tech N9ne
6. Buk ‘Em Ft Q Bosilini
7. My Last Song
8. Hero Ft Krizz Kaliko
9. Lunchbox
10. Addicted Ft Stevie Stone
11. The Danger Ft Demi Demaree
12. Out The Way Ft Lil Wyte, Bubba Sparxxx, Rittz, and Jelly Roll
13. Baby It’s Over Ft Krizz Kaliko
14. Epod Ft Hurra Season
15. Next Door Neighbor
16. The Promise Ft Crucifix
17. Run Ft Jelly Roll, Violent J, and Madchild
18. No Belong

  Track list and ratings 1. Luna Plena- A short spoken word intro. N/A 2. Hellions- This track starts with a nice sound bite from Hellraiser that gives way to deep bass and a solid music backing.  The vocals hit all the notes we expect from Bukshot.  There is a solid mix of video game clips and the verses drive home a solid horrorcore message.  The hook is dope as hell and it is hard to not find yourself singing along with it.  A great track to open this long awaited album. 5/5 3. Weirdo Ft Krizz Kaliko- This track wastes no time highlighting Krizz Kaliko's signature sound.  The beat is complex and very different than the opening track.  This track will hit the spot in all of us where we feel we don’t fit in.  Bukshot does a great job speaking to the forgotten ones here.  Inside we are all weirdos and Bukshot helps navigate to that part of us.  Krizz is used primarily in the hook but it works well in this track.  4/5 4. Rumblefish- The beat here is an old school driving beat.  The vocals flow in step with the beat but that allows the vocals to shine.  The lyrics are dark again and it continues the theme setup by the precious tracks.  This song is a great example of the evolution of Bukshot from a “gangster” style rapper to his embracing of his role as a horrorcore icon.  4/5 5. Monster Ft Krizz Kaliko and Tech N9ne- The beat backing this track begins as a throwback to horror TV (ie The Twilight Zone).  The first verse belongs to Krizz and his flow is slow in comparison to what listeners are used to.  His horrorcore roots come out full force in this one.  Bukshot hits the second verse and his flow matches the tempo of the beat.  His verse contains a slight variation with a few bars of quicker rapping, which shows his diversity well.  Tech N9ne takes the final verse and he begins his verse a lot slower than we are used to.  That gives way to the signature Tech sound we expect and he kills the last verse.  5/5 6. Buk ‘Em Ft Q Bosilini- Q Bosilini brings a unique and more modern sound to this track.  The Deep South sound is in the front in the hook but not throughout the track.  Bukshot does a nice job blending his southern roots into the track but not sure if Q was necessary here. 3/5 7. My Last Song- Bukshot changes the feel to the album here but it works really well!  The music backing this track is from a track called “Died in your arms” by Cutting Crew.  Bukshot changes the chorus to “My last song tonight” and has a ton of success.  This track was also one of the videos released for this album.  4/5 8. Hero Ft Krizz Kaliko- A super slow beat here that continues the vibe change for the album.  This track sends a very positive message about life and having a perspective outside of yourself, a message sorely needed in today's society.  It is very nice to see a rapper spreading a positive and knowledgeable message to not only youth but older more family oriented people.  4.5/5 9. Lunchbox- This song leaves the positivity behind and dives deep back into the darkness.  This track reminds me of ICP’s "Toybox" in its structure and that isn’t a bad thing.  A slow driving beat and horrorcore lyrics make this track complete.  4/5 10. Addicted Ft Stevie Stone- This song highlights the struggles it takes to feed the addiction known as music.  Stevie Stone sings the chorus here and rounds the track out nicely.  3.5/5 11. The Danger Ft Demi Demaree- The music here has a very 80’s movie vibe.  The chorus is really solid and easy to become an earworm, ie get stuck in your head.  The verses fit the music but at the same time doesn’t really seem to blend as well as the rest of the album. 3/5 12. Out The Way Ft Lil Wyte, Bubba Sparxxx, Rittz, and Jelly Roll- A slightly quicker beat backs this track.  Buk leads it off and sets the tone for all the other artists.  Lil Wyte goes second and kills his verse.  He brings his signature sound and lyrics which are a nice foil for Bukshot.  Rittz is the other artist that stands out in this track.  The overall collaboration works really well.  4/5 13. Baby It’s Over Ft Krizz Kaliko- Bukshot does it again here by using the music from Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells.  The track tells of loves found and lost.  Krizz adds his sound to the hook and the track is so different overall it stands out on this album.  4.5/5 14. Epod Ft Hurra Season- If you liked the Underground Avengers album you will dig this track.  Bukshot uses the technique where the powerbacks respond to questions being asked in the verses.  The hook is simple and deliberate.  4/5 15. Next Door Neighbor- A very complex sound backs this one.  The verses speak of the neighbor being a serial killer.  This track unfortunately loses itself due to it sounding “Too horrorcore”.  2.5/5 16. The Promise Ft Crucifix- This song was written to his sons.  It uses music from the track El Shaddai by Amy Grant.  It shows the softer side but at the same time shows Bukshot's strength by allowing him to be vulnerable.  Far from Horrorcore but one of the highlights of this album. 4/5 17. Run Ft Jelly Roll, Violent J, and Madchild- A hype-type sound leads this track.  Jelly Roll brings the Louisville flavor in the first verse.  Bukshot gives a really good verse which allows for a sound transition to Violent J in the third verse.  VJ delivers his verse in his style and it works well in this format.  It is similar to his verses on Killjoy Club.  Madchild closes out the track with a slow flow and signature lines.  4/5 18. No Belong- This is one of the best ways Bukshot could have closed this album.  Using Creep by Radiohead as his backing this track touches the very essence of being a Juggalo, feeling like you don’t fit in and nothing hit that harder than Radiohead.  One of the best tracks closes out this epic roller coaster known as Weirdo!   Overall Rating: 3.9/5 Conclusion:  Fans of Bukshot have heard about Weirdo for many years and they should love what they have been given.  It is a huge collaboration of sounds, beats, and great music.  The way he creates his own tracks and modifies well known tracks and makes them his own is inspiring. The popular songs that were selected fit the lyrical content of the verses.  He brings in many friends from his life to help with tracks and many add a ton of character and flavor to this album.  If you expected Weirdo to be Helter Skelter part 2, then you might be disappointed.  This album follows no other he has released.  I loved the album as a whole but there were some tracks I felt were not needed.  Go pick it up, show some love to one of the hardest working artists in the game and let everyone know being a weirdo is not a bad thing!