New York lyricist Rome Streetz teams up with Florida producer Wavy da Ghawd for his fifth EP. Coming off his 2016 debut mixtape I Been Thru Mad Shit, he has since released numerous projects, most notably Noise Kandy tetralogy and Headcrack. However, the past few years have given us perhaps his greatest work yet, as he’s dropped some of the best work of his career, from the DJ Muggs-produced “Death & the Magician” or the Futurewave-produced “Razor’s Edge” to Ransom Assisted with the collaboration “Coup”, de Grâce subsequently struck a deal with Griselda Records. His debut album with Buffalo Band, Kiss the Ring, landed at No. 9 on my best albums of 2022 list, while Big Ghost Ltd.-produced Wasn’t Built in a Day ended up ranking slightly higher , but ranked fifth.
The raw 2-minute opener “Ball of Soft” brags about playing like a league leader whose albums aren’t even worth mentioning, while “Runnin’ It Up” talks without a beat about the fact that he’s cheated on the world. In his fist. “Why Is Water Wet?” takes a smoother approach to the instrumental discussion of a woman who says she’ll never leave him alone, right before the dusty “Ya Understanding” talks about how no one can Before having sex with him. “’92 Mike” is a lush bap cut going on a killing spree, while the flute-filled “Saliva” ends the EP with what he has to do to break the chase for cash.
The first two entries in the Noise Kandy series are my favorite EPs in the Rome Streetz catalog, but I do think Buck 50 far outshines the likes of Narco Lingo and The Residue. I think Wavy da Ghawd’s work is one of the best of his career, more consistent than Noise Kandy 5’s, as I still love the previous projects and Rome’s lyrical style generally fits Wavy’s overall sound.
Rating: 9/10
