North Carolina super-producer 9th Wonder's back must be
tired from the strain of carrying Buckshot for two consecutive collaborative
albums. From the halcyon days of Black Moon's classic debut Enta Da Stage to his current position as capo of the Duck Down/Boot
Camp Click brigade, Buckshot has brought his gruff flow to a lot of classic
material, but he's less a great rapper than a good-enough rapper lucky enough
to rap over some great beats. True to its name, The Formula retains the template that's fueled every successful
Buckshot project: lush production fused with gritty, thuggish rhymes. But Buckshot
remains the weak link: Wonder dips into his bottomless bag of soul for buttery
retro goodness, but Buckshot's rhymes and delivery are adequate at best, a
waste of good production at worst. The Formula should please 9th Wonder and Boot Camp Click cultists,
but hip-hop heads eager to hear 9th Wonder collaborate with rappers worthy of
his talents are better off waiting for his next album with Murs—or
praying for a reunion with Little Brother.