Music
Press
"'UP' is a versatile album with a little something for everybody's Hip-Hop taste. It has definitely raised the bar for what a Halifax Hip-Hop album should be..." - RS $mooth, Radio DJ 101.3 The Bounce/88.1 CKDU - The Bounce/CKDU
Outside of the Mayor of Halifax (and Enfield) hip hop and his impressive recent release, we haven't had much Halifax hip hop up on the hill as of late. So when Joe Buck gave us a copy of Up, his debut album, we figured we ought to give it a listen.
First, and perhaps foremost, Joe Buck can rhyme. He's got a nimble, confident flow with some one-lineage sprinkled in to keep things interesting. He also shows versatility, going for his on uptempo feel good songs like The Jam or the bouncy No More, but he can also bring it harder like on the guitar-laced It Ain't A Game. I'm not mad at the few guests that show up on, uhhh, Up: Jay Bizzy does fine work on the enjoyable Who We Are, the Grand Wizard Ghettosocks is excellent as usual on Make It Hot, and Kool G. Rap makes an appearance on The Rise, and that, as if I need to tell you, is awesome.
On the production end, Joe made the wise move of turning to the folks from Backburner for the majority of the beats, and Beatmason, Fresh Kils, and especially Dexter Doolittle (who did over half the songs) came through for him. The results are beats that lean more towards newish, electro sounds rather than classic booming and bapping, but the quality is there.
Unfortunately, there are some issues with Up that hold it back a bit in my opinion. Firstly, and if you know me, you could guess this one: the length. Yesterday I talked about D-Sisive's 19 track album being an exception to my length rule, but I think Up would've been a much more solid product had it been reduced to the 12 best songs out of the 19 on here. Second, I think Joe should take a page from Classified's book and get himself a DJ to help out on the hooks - there wasn't enough variety there in my humble, and some cuts and scratches would fix that. Lastly, Joe bills himself as the CEO of B.A.L.L.H.A.R.D. Entertainment, and I know this kind of thing is par for the course in today's hip hop biz, but it makes the curmudgeon in me cringe a bit. Having a crew/philosophy that your reppin' to the death is fine, but honestly I'd rather figure out who you are and what you stand for from your lyrics, not have it delivered repeatedly in acronym.
But hey, enough of me being a crusty old hater! As I said earlier, Joe shows plenty of promise with this effort, and the other thing I need to commend him on is trying to keep things positive throughout his album - not always the in thing these days. When you also consider that he's a Truro lad, and my roots run through nearby Stewiacke, I think it's only right that we big him up a bit here on the hill. So if you're lookiung for some uptempo hip hop with a Canadian/Nova Scotian bent to bump as the weather warms up, give Joe Buck a go. - herohill.com
Discography
The Foundation (2003)
The Wake-Up Call (2006)
Girls Night Out (2007)
UP (2008)
Photos
Bio
Hear the alarm?
B.A.L.L.H.A.R.D. Entertainment's Joe Buck is ready for hip hop to 'Stop Sleepin'.
Fresh off a cross-country Canadian tour, the young man from Nova Scotia is quickly opening eyes and drawing attention. His 2006 underground smash mixtape, 'The Wake-Up Call', was followed up by 'Girls Night Out' where he and Classified's DJ, Stylus Award Winner DJ IV, teamed up for a blazing mix of club bangers. Now his Music Nova Scotia Awards nominated album 'UP' featuring ECMA Nominated Best Rap Single 'No More' is burning up the airwaves.
Joe Buck has played countless shows and has been chosen to open for stars such as T-Pain, Necro and Joe Budden, as well performing with hip hop legends including Special Ed, Raekwon and Gza of The Wu-Tang Clan and KRS-One. All this has taken his skills for rocking the crowd to new levels.
Known for a slick flow, entertaining lyrics and an energetic live show, Joe Buck is set to make his presence felt in any scene. The former strip club DJ selected a team of like-minded artists to complete the family and cover all areas of the game. Standing for Brotherhood, Aspiration, Loyalty, Love, Honor, Achievement, Respect, Discipline, the B.A.L.L.H.A.R.D. Movement is a breath of fresh air in Hip-Hop. Now the Movement is in motion, and the Movement is Up.
Joe Buck's full length solo debut "UP" is leading the team into the next phase. With huge production and epic features from the scenes finest acts including Jay Bizzy, Ambition, Ghettosocks and more, "UP" is not to be missed. Also including a track with hiphop icon Kool G. Rap, the album promises to attract listeners from all over the globe.
The Wake-Up Call was so you could Stop Sleepin..
It's time to GET UP
Performed with/Opened for
T-Pain (Konvict Music)
Gza (Wu-Tang)
Raekwon (Wu-Tang)
Necro (Psycho+logical Records)
Special Ed (Semi Records)
KRS-One (KOCH Records)
Joe Budden (Def Jam Records)
Supastition (Reform School Music)
Cesar Comanche (Justice League)
Classified (Half Life/EMI)
Jay Bizzy (Urbnet)
Ghettosocks
J-Bru (Urbnet)
Littles the General
Jordan Croucher (Halflife/EMI)
War Party (Native Canadian Artists)
CIRCA Pro Skateboard Team
+ more
Notable Venues
The Lyric Bar (Golden, British Columbia)
Explorer's (Lake Louise, Alberta)
Vinyl Lounge (Montreal, Quebec)
Stolli's (Edmonton, Alberta)
Halifax Pop Explosion Festival (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
Cunard Center (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
Palace Nightclub (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
The Seahorse Tavern (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
The Marquee Club (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
The Pavilion (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
Bubble's Mansion (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
Hell's Kitchen (Halifax, Nova Scotia)
Ralph's Place (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia)
Alderney Landing (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia)
Plaza Nightclub (Dartmouth, Nova Scotia)
Nova Scotia Provincial Exhibition (Truro, Nova Scotia)
The Engine Room (Truro, Nova Scotia)
Calico's Lounge (Truro, Nova Scotia)
Nova Scotia Community College, Truro Campus (Truro, Nova Scotia)
Evolve Festival (Antigonish, Nova Scotia)
Mount Saint Vincent University (Bedford, Nova Scotia)
The Paramount Lounge (Moncton, New Brunswick)
Oxygen (Moncton, New Brunswick)
Myron's (Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island)
Career Highlights
2009 Music Nova Scotia Awards Nominee
2009 East Coast Music Awards Nominee
2008 September's Featured Artist on UndergroundTalent.net
2008 LIFTED Battles April - Winner
2007 Taught a Junior High class on Rhyme
2006 Founded B.A.L.L.H.A.R.D. Entertainment
2005 Dialect vs Halifax Battle - Winner
2004 DJ Olympics, Freestyle Battle - Final 3
Links
