10 Young Buck Verses That Remind Us of How Great He Is

The G-Unit member has been killing it on the low throughout his career.

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Image via Complex Original
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There are several reasons why the G-Unit revival has been so exciting, one of them being Young Buck's re-emergence in the public eye. The veteran rapper from Nashville, Tenn., has been killing it with each track released, bringing a fiery demeanor that perfectly captures what makes the Unit so appealing. When he raps, "And I'm fresh out the pen back selling dope, nigga!" on "Nah I'm Talking Bout," it reminds us of the days when Buck was on the cusp of becoming a superstar.

Truth is, Buck has always been a source of spectacular moments. Both of his studio albums are must-listens for those who haven't, and his contributions to G-Unit's debut album, Beg for Mercy, are only outweighed by 50 Cent's. Even during Buck's G-Unit hiatus, he still got busy on the microphone. It's easy to forget just how impressive the Clean Up Man has been throughout his career, but we surely won't let his legacy dwindle. Here are 10 Young Buck Verses That Remind Us of How Great He Is.

G-Unit “Footprints” (1st Verse) (2003)

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Album: Beg for Mercy

Producer: Nottz

Leave it to Young Buck to flip a heavenly poem like “Footprints in the Sand” into a record that highlights the fight to make it off the block. “Every day's a death threat, but I ain't dead yet/So I go put a hole in a nigga from the next set.” Buck also makes it clear that he’s been through a lot in the past, including a rocky relationship with Juvenile during his UTP days. Even so, Buck shouts out his former compatriot, while bigging up the crew he’ll be associated with for the rest of his life. “It's G-Unit 'til I'm gone, Lord knows I ain't lyin' niggas.” —Edwin Ortiz 

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Young Buck f/ 50 Cent “I'm a Soldier" (1st Verse) (2004)

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Album: Straight Outta Cashville

Producer: Dre & Vidal, Felony

G-Unit became the movement to move with following 50 Cent’s massive success with Get Rich or Die Tryin’. That continued on the group’s debut release, Beg for Mercy. Even with this notoriety, Young Buck still had to keep the momentum going when it came time to drop his debut studio album, Straight Outta Cashville. “I’m a Soldier” was the perfect opening track, with Buck firing on all cylinders in the first verse. He laid out his life as simply as he could; “I come from a small town where organized crime is the rule/You kill niggas without permission, niggas gone kill you.” Young Buck wasn’t the first to talk that street shit from Nashville, but he certainly gave listeners a friendly reminder of just how violent it could get. —Edwin Ortiz

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G-Unit “Stunt 101” (2003)

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Album:Beg for Mercy

Producer: Mr. Porter

For most, G-Unit’s first single off Beg for Mercy, “Stunt 101,” was an introduction to Young Buck. Buck didn’t disappoint with his show-stealing verse that doubled as a history lesson. The Nashville native laced Mr. Porter’s flashy production with snappy references to his Cash Money days and his wild antics while on the road for the “Roc the Mic" tour earlier that year. He also dropped a timeless quotable that’ll inspire you to get a gangsta grill of your own: “The ice in my mouth keep the Cristal cold.” Stunting came naturally for Young Buck and this verse was proof. —Edwin Ortiz

 

Young Buck f/ Lloyd Banks & D-Tay “Prices on My Head” (3rd Verse) (2004)

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Album: Straight Outta Cashville

Producer: Crown

On “Prices on My Head," Buck sheds light on the natural cycle of the block, where new and young soldiers care less about the well-being of their contemporaries, something Buck learned on his own. Despite this ruthless attitude, Buck surprisingly quips he’s fine with someone getting into his shit. “Don't blame that nigga for running up in my house, fool/Ain't no food in my daughter mouth, I'm going out too,” he raps. A man’s got to have a code. —Edwin Ortiz

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G-Unit “G'd Up” (2003)

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Album: Beg for Mercy

Producer: Dr. Dre, Scott Storch

They don’t call Young Buck the Clean Up Man for the fun of it. The Nashville rapper slid through on the last verse of “G’d Up” with a detached anger, rapping about the effects of a broken home and witnessing his friends get locked up because of a life of crime they took to out of necessity. “My fingernails still filled with cocaine residue,” he lamented. Even though Buck was on the come up, he wouldn’t hesitate to revert back to a familiar place if need be. —Edwin Ortiz

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50 Cent f/ Young Buck “I'll Whip Ya Head Boy” (2005)

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Album: Get Rich or Die Tryin': Music From and Inspired by the Motion Picture

Producer: Ron Browz

Although Buck always found a way to fit in with his G-Unit crew, songs like “I’ll Whip Ya Head Boy” only accentuate the difference in delivery between Buck and his G-Unit general. Sure, 50 often dreamed of robbing whoever’s belly was getting too fat for his liking, but he did it with the detached demeanor of a career criminal. He describes two different robberies on each of his verses but fires a grand total of one shot (a warning shot at that) and never loses his calm as he lives off his rep, “Fuck a ski mask, man niggas know who I is.” Meanwhile, Buck’s verse is visceral and filled with striking imagery of a grandma being forced to kiss the ground and ripping “phone cords out the walls” and associates warning Buck to relax before someone gets killed. But like 50, Buck loves the notoriety, “I'ma be on CNN again it ain't my fault!” —Insanul Ahmed

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Young Buck f/ 8Ball, Bun B & MJG “Say It to My Face” (2007)

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Album: Buck the World

Producer: Jiggolo

While Young Buck’s chemistry with G-Unit has always been remarkable, he tends to turn it up a notch when he’s surrounded by Southern folk. This was evident on “Stay Fly” alongside Three 6 Mafia, and even more so on “Say It to My Face,” Buck’s straight-laced anthem off his second studio album. He’s joined by vets 8Ball & MJG and Bun B, a connect that seemed to give him an extra boost of swagger. Buck turns in a slick delivery over Jiggolo’s deep production, rapping, “Walk like a pimp bitch, talk like a soldier/I got New York niggas candy-painting up they Rovers.” —Edwin Ortiz

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Young Buck “Do It Like Me” (3rd Verse) (2004)

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Album: Straight Outta Cashville

Producer: Sha Money XL, Chad Beatz

Buck wasn’t always clever, but he was always ferocious. His delivery gave his music an underlying tension; yes, he rapped about fast cars and had a spinner chain, but on songs like “Do It Like Me” he did so with a tenacity that suggested he was hardly removed from the hood and that any wrong turn could lead him right back there. “I’m at my best on the block,” he rapped. “A vest and a glock/And the rest in my sock.” He often rapped about the hard knock life, but he closed “Do It Like Me” with a surprising awareness about how his plight could be worse, “Don’t feel sorry for me/Cause there’s some kids in Somalia with nothing to eat.” —Insanul Ahmed

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Young Buck “Lose My Mind” (1st Verse) (2007)

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Album: Buck the World

Producer: Eminem

Young Buck has always given off this unpredictable energy, as if he could fly off the hinges at a moment’s notice. This energy was perfectly captured on “Lose My Mind,” a record that certainly lived up to its title. He starts off the first verse with, “Everybody trying to kill me,” and from there you can tell Buck is ready to unleash the savage within. “Don't you test me, nothing’s going right, and yeah I wanna fight/So I’m jumping in the night, you gonna respect me,” he raps, his words seething through his teeth. —Edwin Ortiz

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Young Buck f/ D. Black “Taped Conversation” (2nd Verse) (2008)

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Album: N/A

Producer: BBrown

Young Buck took the biggest L of his career in 2008 when 50 Cent leaked a taped phone call between the two, which featured the Memphis rapper sobbing through the wire about his financial instability. What people forget is that despite the open blow from his then-former boss, Buck responded with one of his best songs to date in “Taped Conversation.” Buck owned up to the embarrassing call rapping, “If a real nigga cry then it’s real pain/So on the real my nigga I don't feel ashamed,” while also taking slick shots at G-Unit in the second verse. —Edwin Ortiz

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