Spare Notes: 'The Distance' by Buxaburn

In the never ending race for hip-hop supremacy, Buxaburn is a tortoise if we've ever seen one. With longevity on his side, the Santa Ana rapper has been recording music since 1992 and says he's been inspired by hip-hop culture since 1980. His latest album, The Distance is the 7th solo project for the rapper and 14th overall. It comes with beats laced by Quique Cruz (aka Bo'kem Allah) and guest features like inDJnous on the cuts. Buxaburn comes with skillfully delivered lyrics informed by street politics and often times accentuated by reggae influenced vocal inflections. From back in the day, Public Enemy's 1987 song "Public Enemy No. 1" gets a gritty make over with Buxaburn turning in some of his finest political diatribes. "The cop on the block / Call him officer nervous / Harassment, brutality / He offers his service." Wrapping things up to the present, the rapper professes his undying love for hip-hop on the title track.

Read more on my latest OC Weekly Heard Mentality Blog post:

http://blogs.ocweekly.com/heardmentality/2014/09/buxaburn_spare_notes.php