What has happened to hip-hop?  In the '80s and '90s, hip-hop had a lot more meaning that it does today.  Not only did rappers bright rhythm to rhymes, the lyrics brought light to the social and economic issues of the time that persist to this day. Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" and 2Pac's "Changes" pointed out poverty, and Eminem wasn't afraid to slam censorship in his track "Without Me."  

A few years later, rap started turning to crap.  In 20 December 2006, Nas released an album that boldly predicted the death of the genre.  Though at the time it was a very bold prediction, it turns out that he may have been right.  What were once political and personal became pure vanity and emptiness.  People started listening to Lil' Wayne and T-Pain, and Relapse was a bitter disappointment.  There wasn't a single track on that album worth listening to.

In 2011, the kind of hip-hop that dared to challenge the status quo is almost nowhere to be found.  In fact, hip-hop itself has largely taken a back burner to electronic party music.  As I write this journal, there isn't a single hip-hop track in the Top 10.  Jay-Z's track "Ni**as in Paris" is the only track in the Top 20.

Bucktown's hip-hop albums are mostly about two things: the furry fandom and himself.  Orange and Black, with tracks such as "PCD," was merely pandering to the furry demographic.  If you're a furry and not ashamed of it, you'll like that album.  In Shop Music, he started to become more critical of the furry community with tracks such as "Get a Furst Life" and briefly mentioned bandwidth caps in "Kings of the Net."  He has also stated the difference between being a Christian and being a Fundie.

Ready Fur the World, which briefly topped CDBaby's Nerdcore charts, has music that appeals to furries and shopwreckers, while also being much more political.  He shouts out to bronies in "Brohoof" and mentions furries in several other tracks. The album begins on a very philosophical note with "Wake Up."  "Chicken and Fries" perpetuates a common black stereotype, and is critical of those who are offended when they're pointed out or think it's always best to run away from them.  He's also very critical of invasive airport security in his song "TSA."

The blend and balance of the political, the personal, and the furry makes Ready Fur the World Bucktown's best album to date.  What's also great about Bucktown's music is that he is very open about making it.  He makes his music in front of a a live audience (known as "shop," which takes place every Tuesday night), and he gets feedback throughout the entire process.  He even keeps a map of all of his fans.  Very few musicians do this.  If you're a furry or a lover of hip-hop, you should probably check him out.  There may be hope in hip-hop after all.
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