Rating : - Take a pass (on the album, not the buddah!)
As much as I've always loved Geto Boys, Big Mike, and the whole 90s Houston and Rap-A-Lot scene, 3-2 is a rapper I've never been able to get into. His early Convicts album with Big Mike and Secrets of the Hidden Temple album with Blac Monks are solid albums, but solo I've always found 3-2 quite underwhelming, and this is especially true on this release. And that's really a shame, because "The Wicked Buddah Baby" is excellently produced. These beats are top-notch Houston productions, from the likes of Rap-A-Lot greats N.O. Joe, Mike Dean, and Swift. The songs have slow, rolling bass, some really nice funky instrumentals, and that signature woozy quality that will always be associated with Texas hip hop. These are perfect for riding and chilling. If these beats had been saved for Scarface, Big Mike, or even Willie D or Facemob, we might have some truly great material on our hands. But somehow, 3-2 ended up with these beats, and the product is simply disappointing. 3-2 is an average gangsta rapper, he raps about clothes, grindin', the hood, cars, and the typical subjects with little flair or style, and he's neither an enticing lyricist nor a really appealing character. But what really makes him hard to like is his flow. I find 3-2's voice hard to take, and never so much as on "The Wicked Buddah Baby." His high voice is annoying, and when he sings the hooks in his pitchy drawl and holds notes, it's just short of awful. There are some nice tracks that 3-2 nearly ruins here with his performances. The tracklist is too long, most songs well exceeding five minutes. A few guest appearances from high profile MCs save the album from being terrible, but "The Wicked Buddah Baby" doesn't have much going for it outside the beats.

The intro has a cool beat but isn't worth listening to more than once, it's too long. "Comin' Down" is an upbeat ode to his region, musically good but lyrically average and poorly delivered, the hook is weak. "Dressed 2 Kill" is slow rolling and well-produced, but I really feel like 3-2 brings this song down too, his day-in-the-hood and flossy lyrics are boring and his delivery and voice are hard to take. There are definitely some nice vibes on "My Sweet Trick," but as is too often the case on this album, 3-2 lowers the quality with boring rhymes and an annoying tone. The same goes for "Them Against Me," a funky and bouncy number. "Welcome to the Slab" is easily among the best songs here, but even on this song 3-2's performance is disappointing. The beat is great, a quality laidback Houston track, but 3-2 raps poorly about nothing in particular and the hook is poor. "Turnin' Lane" is probably the most solid song, it's actually nice. The beat is funky and upbeat, and the lyrics about riding aren't amazing but match the vibe of the song nicely, South Side Playaz provide a nice guest appearance. "Kickin' Flowz" follows the album's trend: great beat, poor performance. "Hit the Highway" brings high-profile guest appearances from both Too Short and 8Ball & MJG, it's a decent song but nothing special. "You Wanna Ride" is pretty boring, despite UGK's guest and "Buddah Nature (Remix)" with UGK is decent. The album closes with a banal six and a half minute outro.

There's a reason 3-2 isn't as well known as his contemporaries, and that's because he's an inferior MC. Add that with his annoying delivery and you have the recipe for, well, not much good. I think that 3-2 benefited foremost from knowing all the right people; he was able to get great producers and a Rap-A-Lot deal for his affiliation with Big Mike and Geto Boys, and later with DJ Screw and the Screwed Up Click. But he's really a run-of-the-mill rapper on this album. The beats are enjoyable enough, but you can find similar beats with vastly better raps on Big Mike's Somethin' Serious and U.G.K.'s Ridin' Dirty, among others. This just doesn't stack up with the 90s Rap-A-Lot discography that includes so many classics. It's long out of print too, so the high prices that this demands are ridiculous. This might have collector's value for some, but "The Wicked Buddah Baby" isn't an album I recommend.