Buck 65 at the Troubadour, November 4, 2007

It’s funny that everyone I know back home in Nova Scotia seems to hate Buck 65, one of our most (only?) successful exports of the past few years. Maybe it’s bitterness that he’s making it big while local favourite Joel Plaskett remains such. Or maybe it’s that he reps Mt Uniacke instead of Halifax, a sin akin to someone from these parts shouting out to North Hills.

The first time I heard him perform was on Canada Day back in ‘02. He opened for OLP and the Hip in an outdoor concert on Citadel Hill in Halifax. My friends and I were incredibly annoyed by his performance–I recall one of his songs repeated “C is for cooking” over and over, and we cocky prep-school graduates ridiculed this to no end.

But this was not his show the other night. From his entrance–in black-rimmed glasses and a hipster suit, he looked like a trailer park David Cross–to the encore, the crowd was in love. Scruffy white boys rapped along and waved their hands in the air, as though they simply didn’t care. [Didn't care?! --Ed.] The highlight of the show was a “poetry reading” in which Buck 65 read the LL Cool J song “I’m That Kind of Guy” with a smug incredulity at the lyrics. As one scruffy white guy jumped up and down, mouthing all the words, of course. It was truly a night to remember. Although my friends back home scoff at my newfound enjoyment.