20 Odd Years is an album by Canadianhip-hop artist Buck 65. It was released on February 1, 2011, and named in honor of his twentieth anniversary in the music industry. The album continued Buck 65's tradition of combining several different musical styles, and featured many different guest collaborators.[1]
20 Odd Years has received critical acclaim. Ross Langager of PopMatters gave it a seven out of 10 rating and called it "uneven but dynamic", complimenting Buck 65's "mix of subcultural influences" as "a dizzying, post-modern, multicultural stew".[4] In consumer guide for MSN Music, critic Robert Christgau gave 20 Odd Years an A− rating,[3] noting "Superstars Don't Love" and "Zombie Delight" as highlights, and commented that "Beholden to nobody's scene or purist myths, the Halifax-spawned, Toronto-based, Paris-savvy cult rapper makes beats his way—drum tracks of course, this is hip-hop like it or not, but with whatever on top, which here comes down to mostly female collaborators whose sonics subsume their considerable verbal input".[3]
Produced by Charles Austin, Buck 65, Graeme Campbell and Emily Wells.[8]
20 Odd Years EPs
The album was preceded by a series of four EPs, released digitally and on 7" vinyl: 20 Odd Years, Vol. 1: Avant (released June 8, 2010); 20 Odd Years, Vol. 2: Distance (July 12, 2010); 20 Odd Years, Vol. 3: Albuquerque (August 10, 2010); and 20 Odd Years, Vol. 4: Cenotaph (September 14, 2010). The latter EP was withdrawn from availability, presumably due to copyright issues involving the unauthorized sampling of the Bronski Beat single, "Smalltown Boy."[9] The album primarily featured songs from these EPs, including a cover of Leonard Cohen's "Who By Fire", as well as two previously unreleased songs. Buck 65 later released an additional EP in the series titled 20 Odd Years Vol. 4: Ostranenie (November 21, 2011).[1]
