Situation - Buck 65

Often referred to as hip-hop’s Tom Waits, Nova Scotia’s own Buck 65 has managed to impress us again. “Situation”, based on the idea that the year 1957 was a watershed for present day Western culture, is Buck’s (a.k.a. Rich Terfry) eleventh release. Following 2005’s “Secret House Against the World”, it is perhaps the purest example of Buck’s combination of intelligence and frightening wit.
Presenting us with a style far from mainstream hip-hop, Buck 65 nostalgically raps about everything pertaining to a time when most of us, including Buck himself, weren’t even born. Such 1950s allusions include the space race, the beat poetry movement, the Korean War, Che Guevara and anti-communism.
“Situation” is defined by its moody, minor keyed tracks, which seem to constantly run back and forth between Allen Ginsberg and Wikipedia. In contrast to Kanye West (and mainstream hip-hop in general), the “sermon” of this album is presented indirectly and as something we are supposed to figure out on our own. Of course, what we are supposed to figure out is that American culture is still wracked with half-a-century old ridiculousness. For instance, America is still sexually puritanical and we still live under the constant threat of annihilation – not necessarily from Communists, but from the fundamentalist East and our own over consumption. We live in an era with its own chronic fear and dwindling liberties.
Another technique Buck uses to make his sermon clear is that of role-playing. Just like a high school drama geek, he switches from character to character playing a two-bit pornographer on “Shutter Buggin” and then suddenly a vice-squad cop on “Spread Em”. These are actually my two favorite tracks on the album. “Shutter Buggin”, equally spunky and wise, makes its object the fifties pin-up Bettie Page. “Spread Em” is an old Robert De Niro movie. Actually. The combination of “Jaws-esque” horns and repetitive doorbell sounds is oddly brilliant.
My only criticism of this album is that it fails to find the balance between political statement and musicianship. Musical technique and innovation is lacking because too much focus is placed on the “sermon”. This said balance is also missing when it comes to seriousness and fun. Listening to “Situation” is like reading War and Peace – intense, thought provoking, and not something you do everyday. Buck 65 becomes too much the CBC Radio 3 host and too little the quirky Canadian rapper.