Ugly Duckling Bang For The Buck CD - Import

Southern California hip-hop group Ugly Duckling has never been concerned with tackling serious issues. They're just three guys who like music and like to have fun, which is exactly what is shown in Bang for the Buck. Their songs don't attempt to address social problems or political situations (the closest they come to this is in "The End of Time," which vaguely deals with ideas of eternity); instead, they're just about celebrating themselves, their rhymes, and history as a group. Ugly Duckling as a band is as much of a theme on the record as the meatshake was on Taste the Secret. They rhyme about their inception on "Yudee," the skills of the DJ (who also gets to do a bit of his own showing off) on "Einstein's on Stage," and the skills of the two MCs on pretty much every other track, including the "battle" between them on "Andy vs. Dizzy" (whose winner is never quite determined). It all comes across as lighthearted, however, as if even though they're constantly saying that they're the best out there, they really know that they're not; all that they are certain of is that they're the ones having the best time. A lot of this has to do with the beats that Young Einstein lays out, a West Coast blend (and very much in the vein of J5) of funky horns and organs, loose drum tracks with just enough bass, scratches, and sampled voices, all of which are so catchy and fun that it's impossible to not enjoy listening to Ugly Duckling strut around, even when they occasionally stumble (the much too predictable and simple "Smack," for example). So for an hour or so forget about financial difficulties, intensified geopolitical conditions, and whatever else may be going badly, and sit back and have some fun with Bang for the Buck. ~ Marisa Brown

Ugly Duckling formed in Long Beach, California in 1993 and consist of Andy Cooper, Dizzy Dustin and DJ Young Einstein. They have been releasing records and touring for the last 6 years and recently performed in China, only the second rap group to ever do so. Ugly Duckling first dropped the `Fresh Mode' EP, which was followed by their debut full album set, `Journey To Anywhere' and their follow up album `Taste The Secret'. On `Bang For The Buck' the guys wanted to return to thebasics, which is more straight up and raw.`Bang For The Buck' features 12 relentless tracks with slamming breaks, funky basslines, huge horn sections and tight, aggressive rapping. The first single to be taken from the album is `Yudee', which includes the track `Shoot Your Shot' which features a rare collaboration with People Under The Stairs. Ugly Duckling will be touring throughout the UK and Europe from March through to May. Vital.2006Mojo (Publisher) (p.98) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]heir belief in hip hop's power to uplift is undimmed....This wonderful record sets out to put the fun back into hip hop."