The Boot Camp Click collective is much more than a rap group. In a way they are the underground version of Wu-Tang. They represent a legacy of New York stories and some of Hip Hop’s brightest moments. They also contain some of the greatest underground Hip Hop artists New York got to offer. Not hitting a huge commercial stream allowed/forced them to remain closer to the streets, symbolizing the other side of what is truly going on. There is no G-Unit bling swagger. There is no Hollywood version of grizzly projects. They don’t ‘act as if’, they do.
Buckshot’s lyrical ability traces back decades. Sean P.’s powerful on-stage presence is still one of the most overwhelming sites. Tek’s tattooed face and confident and playful smirk is story-telling worthy. They don’t front. They don’t market baby diapers in their off time. They are Hip Hop to the fullest and avoiding the commercial spotlight only helped them seal their fate. Their craft is this rap game and there ain’t no one else that do it like them.
Buck and Dru run their own label, Duck Down Records. It’s not just a name. They got 11 artists/bands signed under it, dropping multiple albums every year and even got 2 new but already well-known producers with it now: 9th Wonder and Marco Polo. Their latest release (dropped 8/14/07) is from the entire Boot Camp collective. Casualties of War they called it. Buckshot speaks on it: “In every war there’s a sacrifice. There is many casualties that we seen but we the ones surviving.” There are no flashy guest spots on it. Unlike almost every recent album, they did not do a track with a Platinum producer. Nor did they add a pop/R&B star to it. It’s everything BCC is and nothing that it isn’t. Sick lyrical content. Reflection on the roads traveled. Tribute to Brooklyn (as always). And almost the whole family’s on it. From Ruste Juxx to 5FT, from Supreme to Blue Flame, they got 9th, Marco Polo and more doing tracks… “Fire, banging joints”, Buckshot adds.
Album release party was at SOBs on Tuesday, video was shot earlier that day in BK. BCC doesn’t need to ‘make a comeback’ or reclaim the throne. It never left. Cop that album, see for yourself.
Dmitriy Goldin
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