Anything Goes is punctuated by a rapid lyrical flow in the vein of Bone Thugs & Harmony. Hints of horrorcore and street rap approaches that are threaded in the backing beat to this single makes this cut something that a wide swath of fans can appreciate. I particularly like the callback to the 1990s California scene of Too Short and E-40 with Casting Call; the Spartan production here allows listeners’ focus to be on Buc Ballzy’s lyrics rather than the arrangements. Fire & Ice stays interesting with Bamboo as there is much more of a late R. Kelly / Trey Songz sort of R&B that finesses with its overall smoothness.
The overall production of Bamboo is inspired by J. Dilla and early-oughts Kanye work. Fire & Ice succeeds because there is such a rich grab bag of influences and styles that Ballzy includes before the disc ends. For example, there is a subtle nod back to the “Massacre”-era 50 Cent sound during Stay Home. No Worries / No Stress is a solid crossover track that works well as a smoking song, a chill dance number, or even as a pop single.
Late-album tracks are typically considered to be the chaff, the extraneous material that an artist needed to pad out an album. This is not the cause on Fire & Ice, as Buc Ballzy puts some bangers on the second half of the release. Parallel Park It is a more experimental sort of work, plotting a course that is wholly unique when compared to the output of other rappers. Where Ballzy showcases his influences on his sleeve throughout Fire & Ice, those examples of efforts that are just him and a beat are what we’ll continually be playing after the album ceases. With an emphatic end (Reparations), Fire & Ice is an album that will stand up to repeat spins through the autumn and into the winter.
Top Tracks: No Worries / No Stress, Parallel Park It
Rating: 8.2/10
Buc Ballzy – Fire & Ice / 2016 Self / 15 Tracks / / https://soundcloud.com/bucballzy / https://www.youtube.com/user/bucballzy
John Sargeant, writing on NeuFutur as Sargeant, is the founder and editor-in-chief of NeuFutur Magazine, where he has covered independent music, PC hardware, consumer tech, and gaming culture since 1998. With over 25 years of continuous digital publishing experience, he has written thousands of hands-on game and record reviews, conducted in-depth hardware field testing, and analyzed digital media monetization trends. His work prioritizes first-hand evaluation and long-term product testing.
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