Ten years later and now Buff1 comes on his own, delivering a spiritual and beautiful collection of 17 hip-hop tracks. To sum it up, Pure sounds like a Notorious B.I.G. spitting over J Dilla beats. Simple, yet raw, passionate rhymes are laid over jazzy and bassline-concentrated beats from The Lab Techs. Buff1 gives a little bit of everything on this album, offering tracks covering a variety of topics. Yes, he’s got the “I’m the best rapper” tracks (Slick, Show Stoppa), but he’s also scattered in tracks that are uplifting and inspiring (Pretty Baby, Big Thangs). He even touches on current political and social issues. House of Horrors addresses the government’s shortcomings, and The Kingdom calls out the need for quality leaders in the Black Community. The variety of subjects and jumping from ass-shaking to socially conscious tracks provides an entertaining and captivating listen.

The top highlight of the album is easily the smooth, violin-laced, Pretty Baby, where Buff1 offers advice for others to take control of their lives:

She said she’s trying to get some food for her little man,
And keep some clothes on his back,
I said I feel you home girl there ain’t nothing wrong with that,
But uh, it’s temporary, you got a plan right,
She said just sit ‘til I get a good man in my life,
I said, well, what if he don’t come you don’t receive no love,
Then what your little man gonna eat on huh?

Guest artists include some newcomers and established underground greats such as Guilty Simpson, Elzhi and One Be Lo.

As far as downfalls, the album does seem slightly on the long side. And, at times I wish that Buff1 would live up to his “slick” lyricist claims and had spent more time on developing his lyrics, where he sometimes sounds a little too elementary. But, he makes up with his shortcomings with his stand out delivery, coming with a smooth, confident and flawless flow.

Altogether, Pure is a quality offering from a talented emcee. The positive messages and down-to-earth lush tracks, gives a completely honest account of Buff1.